Double check my pry bar test of 1st gen LBJs?

First time testing for this (just now finding out about notorious LBJ maintenance on 1st gens). To my eye, I don't see any play. The movement of the wheel looks to be in sync with the control arm, but with the tolerance being so slight and easy to miss I'd like to get some second opinions.

Don't want to spend money unnecessarily but am more than willing to replace them if I have to, especially since this is of higher safety concern.

Link below to my reddit post asking for same thing, since seems like can't upload videos here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ToyotaTacoma/comments/1iktcj1/double_check_my_pry_bar_test_of_1st_gen_lbjs/


Thanks y'all!

 

You're doing it wrong. Toyota says the maximum amount of play should be less than 0.5mm or 0.020 inches. You're eyeballs are not going to detect that amount of movement and I doubt you'd feel that amount of movement either. This is why Toyota says to use a dial indicator. Take a watch -

https://youtu.be/sp-D0EtX2gU?feature=shared




Dial Indicators are fairly inexpensive.

Also, as the creator of the video above mentions, Toyota says to check not just applying pressure upwards but ALSO downwards. That isn't accomplished with the crowbar internet method.

Do what makes you feel safe and comfortable. Personally, I'm with the video creator. Check at every oil change or after any serious hits.

 

When was the last time they were done. Most people would say every 100k would be good. If you do them yourself you can buy oem for less then $500.

 

Put the prybar under the tire and lift, if there is any play you will feel it, if there is play, depending on how much, either you park it and replace them or check it again the next oil change.

 

If it moved you would feel it in the pry bar more than see it. As for videos, U.L. to youtube or something and link it. You're not supposed to detect any movement at all. Can't tell, is that tire off the ground? It should be.

Here's the killer though that makes this unimportant. If you manage to detect play in the LBJ and they haven't broken, you are super uber lucky, but no play doesn't mean you're good. The problem with these ball joints is the truck is pulling down on the stud and the wheels are pushing up on the ball, so the ball joint is in a constant "stretch" from the entire weight of the truck. So the real answer to "should I replace my LBJ's" is one of mileage and time.

Most LBJ failures you will see are the ball snapping off. There are lots in which the bolts break but if I had to guess that would be due to improper torque. So it could happen next week, it may take another 100K miles or more, but eventually the ball is going to break off the stud. Recommended replacement is every 50-70K. I did this test too and now I feel kinda foolish about it, chasing ghosts 'n stuff.

 

Over the last 30 years I've done a lot of pretty rough, low-speed off-road driving in and around Mt. Moriah (central-eastern Nevada) and in the Henry mountains (south of Hanksville in eastern Utah dirt roads.

When I used the method described by the OP to check my LBJs, I could not see any movement in the driver's side at all. That ball joint had around 60K miles on it. When I checked the passenger's side, it felt like I had an almost imperceptible bit of play, meaning that I had to repeat the test a few times and then think, "Well, I dunno. Maybe that's play, and maybe not." That ball joint had 120K miles on it.

So I replaced both ball joints with Toyota parts. I could move the old driver's side LBJ around and it felt perfectly smooth, but when I moved the old passenger's side LBJ around, it felt rough and sticky.

Not that I'll still be around 60K to70K miles later but if I do last that long, I'll replace both of them again, no matter what my testing shows.

 

rec replacement of 50k to 70k is a bit extreme i would say especially at the pure cost of having these not done by your own wrenching... it more than 1000$ now for the pair 'professionally done' with OEM LBJ at full MSRP

normal usage on normal road surfaces certainly can make it 200k ??
non-normal usage, such as lifted or hard off-roading or perhaps even roached broken concrete hihg-speed roads such as those in Indiana I could possibly see extra caution with that interval but what do i know, i am Not a mechanic...just a hack

 

Nor am I . . . here on TW that's the recommended range, it could just rumor or urban myth but it comes up repeatedly, that's why I say recommended. Heck, there are guys driving on original LBJ's over 2-300K, so the problem is you never know when they'll go or how long they'll last. Mine were rock solid and had the LBJ's replaced over 10 years ago, I replaced them anyway. There are no warning signs, there's no way to predict sudden death, they just go when they go. So the real question is . . . .




I have the infamous Bundy luck, so 70K it is for me.

 

Thank you to @TashcomerTexas, 04005-03235 part number for a right and left OEM lower ball joint set from Toyota, really good price

 

I'm more on the conservative side. Since I'm not beating the shit out of my suspension and knocking the alignment out every 2 weeks going 4 wheeling. I change mine ever 100k miles when I do the water pump and timing belt. But that's just me.

 

Last known replacement was for the recall back in 2006 with the original owner. Couldn't track down whether or not they were replaced by second owner before I got the truck, so I'm assuming they're 19 years old and over 100k. I really wanted to ride them out if they were still good, but looks like money that I'd have to spend on the tools to thoroughly test them would be better spent just buying new LBJs and swapping them out myself. Time to eat the vegetables, I guess!

 

Not trying to pick a fight at all here, but you just described a lot of if not all of ball joint situations. If I had to guess, a lot of the failures are because of huge tires and hard driving on a platform that was not built for it. I'm really surprised at what all a lot of you manage to get out these "compact trucks".

 

I'm in the same boat, but I'm rebuilding the whole truck! So you can just imagine the temptation I'm having in just saying I'll let something go a little longer. Where's the line. I'd say it's at, " my wheels gonna fly off and I'm gonna get blended like milkshake if I don't make sure I know it's ok.