Ball joints?

I recently purchased a 2001 Tacoma. When I took it to the alignment shop due to a pull to the left they told me the ball joints were all sticky except for one which is loose and they should all be replaced. Any suggestions for how to replace them? I would like to do them myself, as the shop wanted $ 1000 to do them. Does it matter bottom ones first, top ones first, all at one time?

 

Check the stickies http://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/...d-compiled-list-of-helpful-links.95271/unread

Ball joints aren't very difficult. Having a ball joint separator will make it a lot easier. The most important thing to remember is USE OEM TOYOTA ball joints. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

 

There is a recall on them also. So check & see if the truck has been brought in for the recall or not.

 

I'd recommend doing them all at once. The uppers can be a pain in the ass because you have to press the old one out of the spindle.

Bottom ones are pretty straight forward. 4 bolts then the ball joint through the lower control arm.

Here is a solid write up. http://www.bajataco.com/tech/control_arms_01.html

If you do them all at once you can have one alignment afterwards and be done with it. In that write up he also replaces the lower control arms so obviously you won't be doing that.

I think $1000 is a pretty hefty price for that work though. If you don't think you can tackle it yourself I'd shop around for a better price.

 

Thanks guys

 

I bought my OEM Toyota LBJS from @CBT_Brian for a great price, including a TW discount. As mentioned above, there are a lot of great resources on how to change them out on your own but unfortunately for me I had little-to-no time before a big trip so I let my local Toyota dealership to the installation. Hope that helps!