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check your ball joints

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by Rmodel65, May 20, 2015.

Page 3 of 9
  1. May 22, 2015 at 3:13 PM
    #41
    DukesTaco

    #41
    DukesTaco Well-Known Member

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    OK so where is the best place(price) to buy OEM ball joints?
     
    DukesTaco, May 22, 2015
    #41
  2. May 22, 2015 at 3:18 PM
    #42
    Dirty Pool

    #42
    Dirty Pool FLIES ON THE FRIES, KETCHUPS WATERED DOWN

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    59.4 Miles, 56.67° NE Of Moab
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    Dirty Pool rear bumper/air tank with integrated spare CV shaft storage, DP customized TJM front bumper, 8000 lb Ramsey/Technora rope, E-locked, Extended breathers with front diff catch can, PCV catch can, SAWs with DP heim joint seals, DP custom 6 leaf rear springs/Billies, DP custom skids, 2lo, Gray wire, Cap, Bed Rug, Black steelies, 01 Center console, Map lights, Disraeli gears
    All is not lost.
    Too many folks come away from this kind of thing feeling that OEM is the only way to go and everything else is junk. There is no doubt OEM is tops and the only "junk" is the Chinese bastard joints. The aftermarket 555 joints simply don't last as long as OEM and have the unfinished mount issue. On the other hand they are significantly less expensive. They are plenty strong and are not going to "just fail" out of the blue. Plenty of folks beat on them plenty hard.
    Longevity vs price is really the bottom line. The increased potential for the mount bolts to loosen can be mitigated by proper use of a thread locker and putting a dab of thick paint across the bolt heads and the body of the joint as a "tell tale". At a glance you can see if the bolt is backing out.
    Below I used a dab of "JB Weld" brand epoxy as a tell tale and that's with OEM joints and new bolts. I recommend a tell tale and thread locker regardless of the joint brand.
    JBSCREW_zps1a461921_c602db57af1d26dcc4fc88465d2a4f98f6b3a898.jpg
     
    Dirty Pool, May 22, 2015
    #42
    DustStorm4x4, cruiserguy, ThunderOne and 2 others like this.
  3. May 22, 2015 at 3:28 PM
    #43
    Dirty Pool

    #43
    Dirty Pool FLIES ON THE FRIES, KETCHUPS WATERED DOWN

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    59.4 Miles, 56.67° NE Of Moab
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    Dirty Pool rear bumper/air tank with integrated spare CV shaft storage, DP customized TJM front bumper, 8000 lb Ramsey/Technora rope, E-locked, Extended breathers with front diff catch can, PCV catch can, SAWs with DP heim joint seals, DP custom 6 leaf rear springs/Billies, DP custom skids, 2lo, Gray wire, Cap, Bed Rug, Black steelies, 01 Center console, Map lights, Disraeli gears
    For you, in Tucson? CamelBack Toyota in Phoenix with out a doubt http://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=214329 Buy online with minimal shipping or no shipping with will call. Keep in mind that all this fuss is about 1st gen LBJ's. 2nd gen LBJ's are a totally different animal in every way.
     
    Dirty Pool, May 22, 2015
    #43
  4. May 22, 2015 at 5:49 PM
    #44
    DukesTaco

    #44
    DukesTaco Well-Known Member

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    Yeah 1st Jen. I bought a 2000 4 banger pre runner with 280k for my son. He will be 16 in late August. The motor and tranny are good the shocks and front end are another thing. I just got back from phoenix. Bough some interior trim panels that where bad in the truck a new water pump two complete motor gasket kits a bed mat and leaf springs for $210. I could of stopped by camelback Toyota and picked the bj's up (let the jokes begin). :jerkoff:
     
    DukesTaco, May 22, 2015
    #44
  5. Sep 9, 2015 at 1:43 PM
    #45
    alphabravo

    #45
    alphabravo Well-Known Member

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    I created an account and it looks like the spare tire carrier plate is the only recall that is "open". Is there a way to see all the recalls on a particular VIN, even the ones that are old in case I have missed some?
     
    alphabravo, Sep 9, 2015
    #45
  6. Sep 9, 2015 at 3:04 PM
    #46
    Snowman

    #46
    Snowman I have a problem for your solution…

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    As far as I know recalls don't expire. Not all trucks needed ball joints, my vin didn't fall under the notice.
     
    Snowman, Sep 9, 2015
    #46
    cruiserguy likes this.
  7. Sep 14, 2015 at 10:00 AM
    #47
    frizzman

    #47
    frizzman Well-Known Member

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    yeah, my '04 did not fall under it either. if I'm remembering correctly it was something like 9/03 and later were exempt (dates could be a little off)

    as I'm replacing ball joints it's tallying to ~$300 for all four(4) for me from www.toyotapartsdeal.com

    lowrange was a little cheaper but they have no clue when the LBJ will be in stock so that's out the window
     
    frizzman, Sep 14, 2015
    #47
  8. Sep 14, 2015 at 10:28 AM
    #48
    alphabravo

    #48
    alphabravo Well-Known Member

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    This site contains affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
    alphabravo, Sep 14, 2015
    #48
  9. Sep 14, 2015 at 11:06 AM
    #49
    53rdcard

    #49
    53rdcard Well-Known Member

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    This is very similar to what honda does, when my wife got her fit years ago new, and we were at the dealership i asked to see under the hood, and noticed all these blue and yellow lines on every fitting, the dealership guy said, honda does that to every single bolt, hose fitting, or anything else that can be separated, at the time it is assembled at the factory, it is a wax seal that allows them to know when something has been repaired/replaced, and if honda does the work, they change the color of the wax so you can see the old and new. blue was for areas that are not overly hot, and yellow was for the areas that are. even the oil drain plug had a blue strip of wax on it.

    I was very impressed
     
    53rdcard, Sep 14, 2015
    #49
  10. Mar 20, 2017 at 6:44 AM
    #50
    ThunderOne

    #50
    ThunderOne Well-Known Member

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    bumping this thread
     
    ThunderOne, Mar 20, 2017
    #50
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  11. Mar 20, 2017 at 9:32 AM
    #51
    cruiserguy

    #51
    cruiserguy Well-Known Member

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    Some good info from @Dirty Pool in here worth mentioning again. The company that manufactures the LBJs for Toyota is 555. This same company, 555, also makes an aftermarket LBJ that is not as high of quality as their OEM one. This aftermarket LBJ by 555 is still a decent unit. Many companies, AC Delco, (maybe Moog?) and others and also some off-road companies repackage these aftermarket ball joints by 555 and sell them as their own. These are distinguishable by the '555' markings that should have been cast into the part. No problems with that. This is the ONLY 'aftermarket' LBJ, still made by same OEM supplier 555, that can be recommended. Any of the Chinese ebay parts are going to be prone to failure without warning. I'm just repeating what I've read from many others experience on here and my own experience with 555 parts prior with my Cruisers. If I'm off on some things here, let me know and I'll correct them. Don't want to contribute inaccurate info.
     
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    cruiserguy, Mar 20, 2017
    #51
    Roadeater likes this.
  12. Mar 26, 2017 at 10:38 AM
    #52
    chowwwww

    #52
    chowwwww Well-Known Member

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    Billys 5100/Eibach and Wheelers Progressive 1.5 AAL with overload in
    Can't seem to find it. Can anyone give me the part number for the lower ball joints? 2003.
     
    chowwwww, Mar 26, 2017
    #52
  13. Apr 7, 2017 at 6:42 AM
    #53
    Crock112

    #53
    Crock112 Well-Known Member

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    Crock112, Apr 7, 2017
    #53
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  14. Apr 7, 2017 at 7:53 AM
    #54
    RysiuM

    #54
    RysiuM Well-Known Member

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    DD Deck+backup camera, LED DRL, All LED except H4 Hella
    After all the reading now I'm officially scared. Half year ago the alignment shop checked the suspension and did not see any issues with ball joints or tie rods. That was 316k miles on the truck with all these original parts. if recommended frequency of changing ball joints is 100k miles, I already passed that 2 times. Maybe I'm lucky? Or maybe because I did not drive off-road with exception of few trips to DV 16 years ago and I don't have any lift or mods to suspension.
     
    RysiuM, Apr 7, 2017
    #54
  15. Apr 7, 2017 at 8:49 AM
    #55
    drr

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    drr Primary Prognosticator

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    If you have 316k on your original LBJ's, I'd say it's about time to change those out. Hopefully shipping to Poland doesn't cost more than the ball joints themselves.
     
    drr, Apr 7, 2017
    #55
  16. Apr 7, 2017 at 8:51 AM
    #56
    chowwwww

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    chowwwww Well-Known Member

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    chowwwww, Apr 7, 2017
    #56
  17. Apr 7, 2017 at 9:19 AM
    #57
    RysiuM

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    RysiuM Well-Known Member

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    Actually now it's 318k :). They are on my shopping list. I'm flying to USA in two week so whipping will be free :thumbsup:. I'm thinking if I should also get upper BJ and tie rod ends.
     
    RysiuM, Apr 7, 2017
    #57
  18. Apr 7, 2017 at 12:13 PM
    #58
    License2Ill

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    License2Ill Woke like a Coma Toyota Tacoma

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    Hey @Digiratus. It's been about two years... how are your inner and outer tie rod ends holding up?
    I've slept on it. And I can't spend $300 on just the pair of oem inner tie rods...
     
    License2Ill, Apr 7, 2017
    #58
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  19. Apr 7, 2017 at 12:21 PM
    #59
    Digiratus

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    Digiratus Adventurer

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    3 years actually. Almost to the day. 4-13-14 is the date in my notes. 32K and counting.

    They have held up fine. And they have seen plenty of abuse. I think I will do them again when the time comes.
     
    Digiratus, Apr 7, 2017
    #59
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  20. Apr 7, 2017 at 12:38 PM
    #60
    License2Ill

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    License2Ill Woke like a Coma Toyota Tacoma

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    Great. Thanks for the quick response. *Ordered*
     
    License2Ill, Apr 7, 2017
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