2001 Taco: Tools (DIY) for replacing Upper & Lower Ball Joints

Hi All
Replacing the upper & lower ball joints on my 2001 Taco TRD 4x4 (144K) with OEM parts this weekend. I have been reading threads and see installing the upper ball joint on the vehicle may be a challenging PIA.

I am planning on renting AutoZone's Master Kit 648617 which has different sleeve sizes to press different OD's in & out. I have an extra bottle of propane to heat the Upper Control Arms, safety wire pliers etc. Since this is my only driver is there other words of wisdom I should know. The lower look like you pop them apart and bolt in the new ones.

BTW I have replaced the Upper Control Arms because the bushings were sloppy shot. I am trying to make sure I have all the tools and advice is welcome

TIA,
Steve

 

I just did my 04 with stock. Helpful but not necessary was an impact gun. I got the Advanced ball joint removal kit and it worked great.

 

A set of Pickforks to separate the ball joints would be useful too. I used autos ones ball joint rental in the past, works great! Grease the new ball joint around the contact area with the spindle before you press it in, should make instaing it a tad smoother

 

How about the Lower Ball Joint tools?

 

Pickle fork, 14mm, I think 24mm, and some pliers for the cotter pins. Try smacking the ball joint around the tie rod to dislodge it before using the pickle fork, cuz it rips the boot.

 

^^^yes. And ive used this type ball joint separator on all diff jobs. Very fun!

 

Do they rent those at autozone?!?!

 

For the uppers, just hit the UCA with a sledge and they separate easily. For the lowers, a Pitman puller worked awesome separating the tie rod and lower ball joint. . I think the auto stores rent them too.

 

Sucks Peterson AFB closed their auto hobby shop a year ago. They'd have had every damn tool you could possibly need

 

Here are my notes from my experience with removing & replacing the Upper & Lower Ball Joints on 1st Gen Tacoma. I rented the Advanced Auto Parts Ball Joint Kit (9150054) & Front End service kit (9150006). It cost $99.99 to rent each of these here in Colorado Springs.

1) Before you leave Advanced Auto Parts check and make sure the C-Clamp threaded bolt will actually screw into the C-Clamp. The threads on mine were mangled but I was able to make due by threading the hex end side back into the C-Clamp (Lucky)

2) The front end service kit is all you need to remove the tie rod end and lower ball joint. As everyone has stated this is the easy part and if you only doing the Lower ball joints you could be done in two hours.

3) We broke the upper ball joint free from the upper control arm with a pickle fork and then removed the rubber boot and snap ring. Nothing in the Kit 9150054 let me push out (down) the lower ball joint out of the spindle so we used a three jaw puller. The 1980's vintage harbor freight puller pushed it out but ruined the internal thread in the process. Their quality has not changed much in three decades

4) The real challenge IMO with removing the upper ball joint is the length of the stud. If I were starting over I would suggest using your Angle Grinder and just cut the stud off as close to the ball as possible. Now with the stud out of the way you can utilize a sleeve from the kit which has the same OD as the the ball joint and press it out albeit with a lot & lots of force.

5) With the upper ball joint removed we just flipped the C-Clamp around and used a flat piece of metal under the new ball joint to press it into the spindle. The piece of steel will have to be very thick & robust . . . we used an old disc brake pad and removed the lining with an air chisel.

6) Before installing the upper ball joint we heated the spindle with a propane torch. Pressing the upper ball joint in is a two man operation; one person holds the C-clamp from rotating while the other tightens the C-clamp bolt with a breaker bar attached. Both upper ball joints were difficult to install but we finally got them full seated and from there it just a process of reinstalling, torqueing & safety wiring.

Glad I used OEM parts because I don't look forward to redoing the uppers anytime soon.

 

Nah, harbor freight. Dunno if they got em elsewhere besides la/orange but u can order it online. I preferably choose not to bang my shit wth a mallet...unless I'm pisssed...

 

So how did it go, get them done?

 

All done, torqued and buttoned up.

Still have a front end shudder when applying brakes above 50 mph. I have already replaced the Upper Control Arms, had the rotors turned w new OEM brake pads too

Any threads point to this symptom? Front end feels rubbery when tapping the brakes at walking speed

 

What about tie rod ends, have you checked those, or rack bushings.

 

I had one tie rod replaced when the Taco when in for Front end alignment with (105K). How would the rack bushings cause vibration?

 

Becasuae the tierods are connected to it which in turn make the wheels turn. If the bushings are bad the whole rack will shift side to side. Mine were bad but i had a shake all the time at hwy speeds. Ordered a new set of energy suspension bushings from wheelers and it fixed it. There like $18. If you lift the front end up and move the wheels side to side while someone looks at the rack they can see if its shifting.

 

I would leave the truck on the ground (no jacking), start the engine, have somebody turn the steering wheel from side to side about 120 degrees while I looked at the steering rack. It should not move at all.

 

Okay, thanks for the feedback TACO TX & skeezix, I will have a look this weekend since its the daily driver