Bad ball joints

I feel like the moog ball joints and tie rod ends would be good. Not sure on the LCA. I just replaced all of my control arm bushings with energy suspension parts and so far I love them. They really firmed up the front end and gave it more positive feel. Some have said the moog lower bushings are soft/squishy...

 

LBJ should be replaced every 100k miles or if signs of leaking are there. That's one thing you don't want breaking on you. I would stick with OEM you know they are gonna last 100k+ miles. make sure you get new bolts 4 on each side

Just did mine and ordered from Toyota of Dallas both sides and new bolts was around $230

 

For the 1000x - OEM ONLY for the LBJ.

 

I have Mood lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rods. Almost 40k miles and drives like the first day. .. and I abuse them a lot. I drive 120 miles a day 50-50.

Just don't go with the Chinese ones and u will be good.

 

Did you install them yourself?

 

Yes. You'll have to buy a grease gun. Install them and pump 3 or 4 times grease in them after installation . Buy 8 oem bolts, they cost 2.00 each from dealership. Use blue loctite on the bolts.
There's a video on YouTube showing u how to do it.

 

Alright thanks for the help, get paid today then I'll be ordering the parts

 

You're welcome.
Those bolts give people more issues them the balljoint itself. Don't use the ones that come with the moog ball joints and don't reuse the old ones.
It's kind of easy to do if you have the tools. The guy on the YouTube video tells u the tools u will need to do it.

 

I would park it until you fix it. I've seen some ugly pictures of these trucks after LBJ's fail.

 

Went with OEM on mine. Just changed it a few weeks ago. Couldn't see any movement when moving the wheels up and down, but when I stuck a pry bar in there I saw the passenger side move a little. so went ahead and changed them both. unfortunately forgot to get new bolts. Maybe ill order some and replace them soon.

 

i had them replaced at 230k

 

So you was on originals till 230k?!?!?

 

My passenger side started squeaking last week, guess I need to go ahead and order me a set. How are the 555's?

 

Some say they are good...some say they are not.
Read the previous posts.

 

I recently changed my lower & upper ball joints and inner/outer tie rods all at the same time. Originals at 240k and my tie rods were seized!

Rented both the ball joint press & 4wd ball joint adapter (skinnier adapters) from O'Reilly's and had them swapped within a few hours. I ended up going with Moog from RockAuto. I have a ways to go for suspension work. But I'm not worried about my LBJs failing anymore.

 

303000 miles on original ball joints.Truck just passed inspection,but after reading this tread it is parked and im ordering oem ball joints tomorrow.

 

Love the FJ 40 dude! I always wanted to buy a vehicle in the year I was born. '75 dint have much to offer. I was considering a Datsun and install a 2JZ engine but then I saw the FJ 40! It's years away but I can't wait for that project!

 

Most ball joint failures happen on lifted rigs that actually wheel. Either way I would always replace them every 100k miles for good measure.

 

Been seeing some failures lately too that weren't the actual ball joint itself, but the 4 bolts that hold the assembly in place coming loose or breaking. Make sure those bolts are torqued to spec (60ft/lbs I believe) and use a generous amount of blue thread locker on them. If you're buying your own bolts make sure they are OEM quality and not cheap ones that are going to snap.

 

I ran MOOG LBJs for about 6 years, maybe 50 or 60k miles... I recently replaced them with 555's, and so far, I don't regret either purchase. Only reason I replaced the MOOGs is because I was tearing apart the front to install new coils and uniball UCAs, so I thought what the hell and threw in new LBJ's too.

Be mindful of the lengths of the bolts though. I forget which side, but one pair of bolts (of the 4 that hold the BJ to the spindle) are slightly longer than the others. Don't do a "me" and use the bolts that came with the BJ that are all the same length and strip out your spindle threads.