13K/Other Prices for a 1st gen

You need to do some research then. LBJ failure can be catastrophic on these 1st gens. Check regularly and often. If remotely questionable, replace. It has been pretty well covered on TW, but OEM balljoints are the wise decision vs aftermarket. That is a different discussion entirely though.

 

I'm not trying to prove anything. I just have a different definition of the word "issue" that you seem to, and enjoy discussing these types of things.

I guess my standards for what constitutes a car having "issues" changes based on its age, and the things that are expected to wear out on it. Like if I had to replace the steering rack bushings or body mounts on my '17 4Runner, I'd consider that an "issue." But those same things on a 20 year old truck are pretty normal and I certainly wouldn't replace the entire truck because certain items on it have reached their design lifetime.

We definitely agree that if that's too much, be it regular maintenance"issues" or whatever, you probably shouldn't own one.

 

It's a known design flaw. The ball/cup are under pressure (being pulled apart by the coil spring) and when(if) they fail, they can fail catastrophically.

Not to spook you, but just google "tacoma ball joint failure", and you'll find plenty of pics of failures. There was a recall on them, too, which was a quality control issue, that made a failure more likely due to premature wear.

More than likely the technician didn't mention it because either the truck wasn't included in any recall notice, or the recall had already been done.

It's a 20 minute job to replace them if you have the right tool ($15), so it's something to look into.

 

would I feel some abnormal steering before they go?
I don't recall getting any recall notice in mail
maybe run my VIN somewhere and deal with all the bs at the dealer again?
I just found out yesterday that the dealer mechanic at some point had stripped and rounded my front diff drain plug!
thanks for the info

 

Makes sense. The majority of people don't realize older vehicles need maintenance and classify it as "issues". That's why a lot of people drive newer vehicles.
I see red flags when you have someone with a 3rd gen buying a first gen to keep the miles off the 3rd gen. Both vehicles will need maintenance and if grease on the u-joint is something they aren'
t familiar with, then owning a first gen might be way too much of a headache. All it takes is less than 2 grand and a couple weekends to have a completely refreshed first gen. But you need to know what you're doing. Also I'm very pro preventative maintenance.

 

Sudden failure, crash into a ditch unfortunately.
Preventative maintenance item you should 100% do. I know there's one guy on here that swears against replacing them preventatively before 200k or so but I rather not play Russian roulette.

 

For sure. When I did my front end bushings (suspension/steering), BJs, TREs, it drove like a dream after that. The Kings probably didn't hurt, lol.

 

thanks for the info, I will discuss that with mechanic on service due next month

 

Hard to say if you'd really "feel" anything. If you look up the design specifications, you need a special factory service tool to even test to see of there is enough slop in the ball to be "out of spec." The tolerance for "slop" is so small, that if you can feel ANY slop in them, they are way out of spec and need to be replaced asap.

You can run your VIN at a dealer or most other shops, too, and they can tell you if your truck needed the recall. Newer trucks I believe don't have that recall since the issue was fixed early on.

I have written a whole manifesto on balljoints (as has everyone else, lol), just search my name and ball joints and you'll probably find it, if you care. But basically don't go super cheap on BJs (the store brand), but if you can't afford OEM, cheaper ones like 555's are a good alternative and your truck won't blow up.

 

Yeah I'm half sarcastic ass so listen to Jbrandt for valuable info.
But def look into them.

 

That's the 17 year old who claims he doesn't need to do it because his truck still has the originals, right?

This is the same kid who thinks balljoint spacers are ok. So take his opinions on Bjs with a grain of salt, lol.

 

Oh god, I'm at least as much of a sarcastic ass as you...

 

what the heck you all scare me now

 

my toyotech mechanic will most certainly not use non-OEM parts unless they have been discontinued

 

I never considered Toyota with 100k miles to start having "issues" . "Issues" had my 96k miles (5 years old) Mercury Sable (my first and last ever "Detroit" car).

LBJ design is not really a flaw - I'd consider it as not having built in "redundancy-security", so when they fail they fail with not nice consequences (but you can tell the same about brakes). I replaced my factory LBJ after 23 years and 319k miles just because you guys told me. Both LBJ were still very close to the new ones (took a little bit less force to move them, than the new, bot not leaks and no lose). You can't blame Toyota for failure after driving with teared up boots, or not having a long run on "Napa-branded" parts.

1st gen Tacoma is long enough to actually prove the reliability. Some other brands of that age are already done (in general), or turned into collector's toys. 1st gen Tacoma is still a "working truck", good enough to keep it because the cost of owning it for next 10 years is way less than the cost of replacing it. If not including "maintenance" items from the book and normal tear and wear items (tires, battery, brakes) My truck cost me less than 2k during my ownership since 1998.

In 2015 my neighbor donated his 2005 320ML for tax write off because the cost of repairs needed was over 10k (even with aftermarket parts). There were issues not only with the engine but almost in every other system in that Mercedes: California Emission, brakes, cooling, AC, power steering, suspension - almost anything I could point at, needed repairs besides body and glass. I have yet to see any 1st gen Tacoma donated for tax or "gas guzzler program".

 

You’ll definitely feel a difference when your LBJ’s fail



I lost some bolts and sheared the rest here but some idea

 

LOL

 

LOL, yeah I think that's him. Too funny.

 

HFS hope I am not going 80mph down I-80 when that happens

 

That appears to be more an issue with a failure of the bolts that hold it to the spindle (not torqued properly, defective bolts, etc.). The BJ itself appears more or less intact.

The "problem" failures are when the cup separates from the ball.