Well this happened today….

Any ideas as to how this happened? Driving along and and with no warning this happened… scared the heck out of me. Still a little shocked. Thankful I was close to home and that no one else was around….
My poor baby

 

Glad you’re ok, should be fixable though!

 

Your lower ball joint (LBJ) came apart, either the joint itself or the 4 bolts holding it to the steering knuckle. It’s a known issue on these trucks, the joint design is pretty poor.

They have to be replaced at least every 100k miles, and bolt torque checked regularly.

 

Thank you! Yes it could have been a lot worse.

That’s good to know, i think that we had replaced them before when my dad first bought the truck but I’m not sure. I will be learning a lot after getting this fixed that’s for sure.

 

OP, replace both lower ball joints with OEM. Looks like you need upper ball joints too.

 

A friend of mine in college had a 1998 Tacoma that this happened to as well. He worked in forestry and replaced his ball joints yearly but it still failed. Luckily his didn’t result in any injuries either.

 

I gotta wonder was there different vendors during the model year

Despite the poor design some seem to wear better. then others.

My LBJ`s were original I changed them about 180,000 miles tight as could be Then as far as I know the truck was not used hard maybe some dirt roads

Then it seems the use of the Truck does not seem to matter.

 

I can’t tell y’all just how much I appreciate all the feedback and now I can get parts ordered and get him up on the lift and back in action. I’m still a little shaken about it but I know it can be fixed and my tire is still in tact. Thankful my brother came to the rescue asap.

 

Yup that’s the first thing you should change when you buy a 1st gen, most dangerous thing to fail also. Lower ball joints with only OEM and you’ll also need a alignment after.

 

I want to say when my dad first bought it years back before I got it he did replace them when it was at 112k miles. And I just hit 178k, it wasn’t something I would have known about until now. I won’t ever not think about ball joints in the future. I definitely have learned even that much more about my truck and I’ll be doing all the necessary fixes and replacements to keep my taco in tip top shape!

 

Yeah this is the number one thing I stress when I see a new to me owner on here. Just the other day I told a guy to change em and some guy got mad that I said change em every 100k miles and check on then when changing the oil cus a lil rip in em will get water and dust in there and eventually will snap. Change all for joints with oem. If youre gonna lift you can save money with new uca’s. Your cv axle probbly ripped off aswell, had a hard time getting an oem axle cus of supply issues. Gl.

 

If you're referring to the post, let's get it right:
1. It wasn't a "new to me owner"
2. It wasn't a "I need your help or I need your opinion" post
3. It was a "For Sale" AD
4. The OP told you to stop asking question or telling them what they need to change unless you're interested in the vehicle. OP mention his ad isn't the place for that discussion...
5. No one got mad, unless it was you

Sounds familiar

 

Yeah I was just looking out and just telling him, if he doesnt want me telling him then I stopped, sorry for just looking out boss

 

Lol. I had to go find this FS ad since it seemed somewhat interesting to read..... Ya must be referring the green double cab ad. I have to agree with the other guys, it's a for sale ad and not an open discussion post. You shouldn't sh1t on someone else's ad. If you don't like what you see, PM directly. Not blow up their ad with nonsense.

 

ok you win i will only talk about what they want i promise boss

 

Your subtitle explains why I haven't done mine after just clocking 100K. Either that or because I checked them when I did the brakes round 1,500 miles ago.
Either way...pictures are enough to put it on the short list.

 

Just out of curiosity, do you remember if you hit a pothole or some kind of road feature that took the weight off the left front? Reason I ask is quite a few of these posts have been on here and most were at low speeds, with minimal additional damage, and on local roads (not highway/freeway) so more potential for potholes. Looks like you were in a rural area, so I think your occurrence fits the scenario.

I am just wondering if that's what normally allows the bad joint to separate to the extent the boll can get out of the cup.

 

As you can see here there was nothing in the road. That’s why it was so shocking to me, I thought my tire exploded at first and got off the side of the road as soon as I could and as the truck would allow. Left a good scar in the pavement though won’t soon forget that!

 

I do all my own oil changes and maintenance, every time the truck is up on the lift (my dad helps if he is around) and I always check through everything like he taught me. But like I said I wouldn’t have known about keeping an eye on ball joints until now. It wasn’t long ago we replaced the pads and rotors. Glad I finally joined Tacoma world! Too bad I didn’t make a post sooner on making a list of all the things to check and get replaced in the ol boy.

 

Kacie if you do your own maintenance you can install new ball joints:
http://www.bajataco.com/tech/control_arms_02.html