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Replacing lower ball joints on 1st gen prerunner

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by rj15tacoma, Jan 14, 2019.

  1. Jan 14, 2019 at 2:08 PM
    #1
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Hey guys its time for me to put some new lower ball joints on my truck, and was wondering what is the best company to go for. I was thinking between Moog or just OEM, any other suggestions?
     
  2. Jan 14, 2019 at 2:11 PM
    #2
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Also, any thoughts on the KYB monomax shocks, as I will be getting new shocks on all 4 corners? I'll either do these or Bilstein 4600's...
     
  3. Jan 14, 2019 at 3:02 PM
    #3
    BartMaster1234

    BartMaster1234 Well-Known Member

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    OEM vs. Aftermarket is a delicate subject on this forum for some reason. Some will argue OEM only, and some will argue aftermarket doesn’t matter.

    I for one prefer OEM because of how much the LBJ’s are prone to failure.
     
  4. Jan 15, 2019 at 3:12 AM
    #4
    Russianman92

    Russianman92 Well-Known Member

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    bilstein shocks/struts Add-a-leaf Mostly stock. Running 31x10.5 r15
    This...

    Go with OEM and don't worry about it.
     
  5. Jan 15, 2019 at 5:44 AM
    #5
    taco03Trd

    taco03Trd 03 rig trd v6

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    Ome 881 5100's jba's looking for more
    Check ur rig for recall on lbj's .my qualify for the recall and got free oem lbj's + free labor :bananadance:

    What year is ur rig ?
     
  6. Jan 15, 2019 at 5:53 AM
    #6
    Wsidr1

    Wsidr1 Well-Known Member

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    I just put some AC Delco LBJs on one of my trucks. Quality seemed fine and they have a zerk for adding grease. Rubber boot seemed thicker than OEM.

    However, you can't go wrong with OEM. I am just in the mode of reducing the $$$ I put in these trucks.

    BTW, the ones I replaced had 156,000 on them and they looked like new when I pulled off the boots.
     
  7. Jan 15, 2019 at 8:18 AM
    #7
    tony2018

    tony2018 Well-Known Member

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    Whatever fits budget. /thread.
     
  8. Jan 15, 2019 at 8:50 AM
    #8
    OneWheelPeel

    OneWheelPeel Well-Known Member

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    Yeah. Rig.
     
  9. Jan 15, 2019 at 10:09 AM
    #9
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Mine is a 2001 crew cab prerunner 2wd
     
  10. Jan 15, 2019 at 11:08 AM
    #10
    Xbeaus

    Xbeaus Well-Known Member

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    Toytec coilovers. Height adjustable Bilstein's. 265/75/16 MT. TRD wheels. Rebuilt r150f. Marlin clutch kit. All kinds of new parts...
    here is your NON-OEM napa chassis. Now I run OEM. That's right about 10K miles as well. Never again. Could of been a lot worse. Happened while I was driving down the road. Took the CV axle out with it as well. IMG_20181128_192646.jpg
     
    darkyota33 likes this.
  11. Jan 15, 2019 at 11:24 AM
    #11
    fireman1073

    fireman1073 Well-Known Member

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    ball joint looks rusty, any grease fitting on them napa joints? otherwise poor factory grease
     
  12. Jan 15, 2019 at 11:38 AM
    #12
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I'll go with the oem. Definitely do not want that happening to me.
     
  13. Jan 15, 2019 at 11:44 AM
    #13
    Wulf

    Wulf auto dismantling & hoarding disorder

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    I am convinced that the aftermarket BJ failures can be attributed to a lack of grease. I got Moog ones and they were drilled and capped; i had to install my own zerks and grease them per the instructions
     
    OneWheelPeel likes this.
  14. Jan 15, 2019 at 12:14 PM
    #14
    Area51Runner

    Area51Runner Well-Known Member

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    Regardless of OEM or some aftermarket option, REPLACE the bolts. Known weak point and some overlook this. New bolts. Do not re-use.

    :thumbsup: for doing the work yourself. Don't forget to take it in for an alignment.
     
    OneWheelPeel likes this.
  15. Jan 15, 2019 at 1:30 PM
    #15
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    along with the lbj's, I gotta do the shocks. Any suggestions besides Bilstein 4600's?
     
  16. Jan 15, 2019 at 1:31 PM
    #16
    rj15tacoma

    rj15tacoma [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I'm not looking to break the bank, just a smoother ride than the oem.
     
  17. Jan 15, 2019 at 2:46 PM
    #17
    ThunderOne

    ThunderOne Well-Known Member

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    ["@Dirty Pool, post: 10284167, member: 100471"]Been a while since I did a LBJ sermon so here ya go.

    There are 3 grades of LBJ's for 1st gen 4wd/prerunner Tacos. There is a significant difference in quality and price between each of them.

    Edit, Sankei likely is not the OE manufacturer. However that's merely trivia. The important take away is OE joints are the only joints made to Toyota specs/design regardless of aftermarket "claims".

    OEM joints are made by Sankei/555 to Toyota specs and only available from Toyota. They are at the top and with good reason. Next comes aftermarket Sankei/555. These are not even close to OEM Toyota spec. They look nearly identical but are based on inferior cheaper technology and lack proper machining in a critical area. At the bottom of the pile is no name Chinese "bastard" joints to be avoided at all cost.

    The aftermarket Sankei/555 joints are sold by Moog, Raybestos, NAPA and others as their "premium" line. Some vendors infer that they are OEM, they are not. They use old school metal on metal tech that requires periodic lubrication. The grease fittings are not a benefit over OEM. You decide the type and frequency of lubrication. When are they considered worn out? That's up to you and it's next to impossible to tell/check due to the design. The mounting bosses are rough, not machined like OEM, allowing more potential for mount bolts loosening and shearing. Proof is in the pics.
    That being said and outside of the mounting boss machining issue, they are not going to "just fail" before exhibiting enough slop to justify replacement. They just don't last as long as OEM. Then there are all the reports of the boots tearing in short order.

    Below is an OEM service replacement joint. I sectioned it a few years back to show folks what goes on inside and what to look for in terms of wear. The point being that there is way beyond ample warning before the ball separates. It has 100k miles with play of around .030". This is considered worn out by the Toyota spec of .020" vertical play measured with the joint not in it's normal state of tension. The PTFE (or something like it) liner is not even close to wearing thru. For one of these to fail, the liner and a good bit of hardened steel would have to wear away creating in excess of at least 15 times the Toyota spec.
    This technology uses a highly polished ball rotating inside the liner. Only initial lubrication is needed to "condition" the liner, no more for life. This combination results in longer life and is significantly more costly to manufacture.



    Aftermarket Sankei/555, this one was sectioned by another fellow as a follow up. Note the half ball and metal on metal. It had very low miles and he reported like many others, that it felt "rough".


    Aftermarket Sankei/555 showing rough finish of the mount bosses.


    OEM joint showing machined bosses and most important, they come painted.
    [/endquote]

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/check-your-ball-joints.374853/page-2#post-10284167

    :deadhorse:
     
    breadandbits and darkyota33 like this.
  18. Jan 15, 2019 at 2:51 PM
    #18
    ThunderOne

    ThunderOne Well-Known Member

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    looks like boot failure to me
     

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