Lower ball joint bolts fell off 2000 Tacoma 3.4L

Um... ya... well... if your head bolts fail you don't have a vastly increased chance of dying.

LBJ bolts on the other hand.

The LBJ bolts can definately be considered torque to yield (like head bolts). That would be why every piece of written literature will tell you to replace them and not re-use them.

Torque to yield would also be a very good explination of the (what some consider) low torque specification of 59 foot pounds.

 

I didn't make the torque specs

Honestly I think failures have less to do with improper torque and more to do with

1 Shitty ball joint design in general

2 Crappy aftermarket lbjs

3 wrong quality hardware (< grade 8 bolts)

Only way I think the bolts can just "fall out" is if they werent even snugged on at all. Personally I always use a torque wrench but I don't have enough experience under my belt to know how much strength = roughly how much torque like some other guys do.

 

Our lug nuts take considerably more torque than the LBJ bolts do, 83ft lbs vs 59

 

Although I don't disagree with anything you said.

I believe a VERY large % of 1st gen LBJ failures is utter lack of maintenance. There are a lot of 1st gens on the road with 150-200,000 miles on them, with owners that don't even know what a lower ball joint is... and they do little more than take it to WalMart for an oil change (if that). Our trucks have such good reliability many people have no reason (in their mind) to have anything checked.

I read somewhere that the stated service life of these LBJs is only something like 60,000 miles. So there are a lot of 1st gens out there that could easily have an LBJ failure.

 

That being said... OPs description of his failure is an obvious instance of a careless mechanic.

 

Lol... and 83ft lbs, to me, seems low. My wifes Silverado lugs take 120 foot lbs.

But I still torque mine to 85.

 

This is true, the nature of the poor design necessitates more diligent maintenance on them. I'm not very easy on my truck and I have about 50k on my current lbjs, and they're starting to look a little moist on the bottom. Probably need to prioritize that this year. Haven't noticed any excessive play in them though so that's good

 

I have just gotten to the point that I replace my 555s every 2 years or so and throw the last set that came off the truck in to my "spares" pile.

 

I can't believe LROR would sell LBJs without bolts. They should know better.

(pretty sure) They even have a video on replacing LBJs, and I'm almost positive they say not to re-use the bolts.

 

I've reused mine several times when changing my CV axles..or do you mean specifically when changing out ball joint components? I dont feel like they get enough torque on them to be risky reusing, but I can appreciate/understand the precaution

 

Nah. You're reaching.

I bet there is no failure at 3x rec'd torque.

Think about a weight hanging on a 1' breaker bar. 180# isn't going to strip or stretch (beyond servicable use) a what, 12mm stock, fine thread bolt or thread.

I will say I wouldn't ugga them that high. I do think that may damage the threads.

Wouldn't if course pitched though.


Look, I'm not an engineer but I have been tightening bolts for 30 yrs.

Ya'll worry too much.

 

In the video... they also mention the LBJs don't come with new bolts but they are going to use new bolts anyway... and they use red locktite (not recommended) and they do torque them... to THE WRONG SPECIFICATION. They say the torque spec is 37 ft lbs... and they repeat it... and they put the text on the screen.

>>>>37 ft pounds IS THE WRONG TORQUE SPEC<<<<

The video verifies what I already knew... LROR are a bunch of dumbass morons.

 

Just watched it... scroll down

http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/1995-5-2004-toyota-tacoma-4x4-lower-ball-joints-made-in-japan.html

I can't believe those dumb fuckers have that torque spec THAT far off in their video, and have never bothered to fix it.

 

I have read in the Haynes Manual... I believe Timmy the Toolman says it says it in the Field Service Manual. And every time I've had a discussion about them it has been brought up. Also, every time I have seen new LBJs for our trucks, they have come with new bolts. I've seen Original Toyota, 555, Auto Zone, O'Reilly's LBJs... they have always come with new bolts.

LROR is the only place I've ever heard of selling them without new bolts... and I think it's funny that even they replaced the bolts in the video... even though they don't include them with their LBJs (or sell them at all as far as I could find)

 

It's still a sodium mis with a cynder mix. They can't dump salt into the lake. Trpa stoped that.

 

^ all of this.

 

Alright he said he torqued them to maybe like 100 or so without a torque wrench...so he didn’t do a proper job in my eyes seeing that all the bolts fell out on one side and were loos on the other. I’ve read that over torquing can damage the threads maybe damaged threads caused the bolts to back out maybe he never tightened them in the first place. Who know.

 

Magnesium chloride in Colorado.

 

Yeah 100 is considerably higher than what they're supposed to be at...but then again a lot of people use impact guns in theirs and probably do more than 60ft lbs so who knows.

All we know for sure is that those bolts should not just fall out like they did on your truck so something was definitely not done right

 

Be glad he's not your Doctor .