Lower Ball Joint maintenance question

It's not an expensive part.

Our trucks will serve us for as long as we continue to maintain them. If something is questionable, why risk it? Nothing wrong with some of us wanting to be proactive about the maintenance of our vehicles.

 

The tolerance level for play is not something you'll likely see with the naked eye, only a dial indicator like they say in the FSM. If you see any play at all it's too much.

I tend to agree that I don't see the point in replacing them just because the mileage is high, if you have 200k miles on yours and they have zero play when checked, then I wouldn't worry about them. But if you can see play, it's time to replace. And by checking them I mean with the wheels off the ground and a pry bar against the joint, that's the best way to look for it.

I would also check the torque on the bolts every so often as well since those can also contribute to failure if they come loose.

 

Follow up for posterity: the boots were shredded and pissing grease but there isn't much play that I can detect by hand. Either way, the piece of mind sure is nice. Thanks for the advice y'all!

 

look so much better.

 

What did you find on the bolt part number/length? My minimal experience (replaced on 2 trucks), they are the same length. I did get a NAPA set that had 17mm heads vs the old which were 14mm. Length was the same though.

 

^^^ i approve of this

if the LBJs were to 'fail' what is the 'potential' cost of damage done?
rough estimate...?

 

3k for a total 'blowout' event on the road wheel collapse,etc?

any potential body damage?

 

current rate locally is $129 per hour... certified techs

 

X2

 

I understand if someone is on the fence about replacing their radiator with lets say, an all aluminum champion radiator as well as switching over to an electric fan. There we can dissect whether ones needs require such a modification or not.

But replacing questionable items with new variants? That's just preventative maintenance!

 

Do the work yourself

Will cost you between a 6 pack and up to, but not including, a Jack and coke (or Bacardi and coke even).

 

Not arguing but where did you see this?

 

Here's one I took back in April; was wondering why there was a hold up at the intersection -

 

Google it and you’ll find a zillion photos of 1st gen Tacomas and 3rd gen 4Runners with broken LBJs.

 

Feels like the overwhelming majority are of the driver's side failing, or maybe that's just coincidence. Might be because of the added weight on the driver's side, I dunno.

 

Maybe the maintenance interval needs to be shortened based on the driver's, er uhm, proportions

I'm only a buck sixty five, so I bet I'll get another 150k miles out of my LBJ's

 

Could be...it's definitely not uncommon for shocks and springs to wear out faster on that side when the driver is really heavy. There's also the battery and the gas tank on the right side of the truck which doesn't help.

 

I reminded myself of that when I went out to Prewitt Ridge this last Wednesday/Thursday. I went off some side trails and the front driver wheel went into a rut going down hill; that quickly lifted the passenger rear end up off the ground and forced me to turn on my locker (didn't want to have my girlfriend stand on the rear bumper).

So much weight on the driver side, and so little on the passenger side.

Didn't help that I had my ice chests/etc. close to the cab inside the bed.

 

when i bought my tacoma in 1997 it was touted as having more ground clearance than any comparable domestic in the compact class
no need to ever lift, it is just fine as it is!?! .... when exactly did this 'modification' to lift something that has plenty of ground clearance for 'most' situations come about?

so is it perhaps that the LBJs are not 'flawed' design in and of themselves but perhaps it is a USER error with modification to the way the truck was designed in the '90s?

....just speculating is all
i have not much mechanical experience or inclination (other than changing oil and air filter as needed) which puts me in a real overall bind and slave to the system in general

in 22yrs I have only taken 1 tire off of my truck by myself because it was TOO FLAT to drive to the gas station/tire repair shop up the street

 

i do, however, need to take BOTH rear tires off the back and put rear onto stands so that I might get the brake drums powdercoated and look sharp as a knife