Lower ball joints?!?

I'm fairly certain those are from the same junk maker as the all other non 555s aftermarket ones.
Go OEM or 555(in an AC delco box or whatever box, doesn't matter, the joint only gets installed if it's stamped 555 or OEM)even then, don't expect the 555 to go as long or as solid as the OEM. I'm just saying it's important to have expectations aligned correctly with what's happening. You don't install those cheap ball joints and expect OEM performance and durability, that's wacko on our part to expect that. If it happens to last that way, great. But we've dissected the different ball joints and there's truth to the only run OEM argument on this topic. But the choice of course is ours

 

LBJ to control arm 103 ft lbs I’ve also seen 112 ft lbs

^ recommend searching or confirming

LBJ to outer tie rod 67 ft lbs

 

My ball joint and upper A arm blew out a couple of months ago at 75mph and 310k. Scared the shit out of me but surprisingly no major damage, very slight body damage along the inside fender and now I have a new rack and pinion, ball joints, upper A arms and all the other stuff that comes with this hellish occurrence. Insurance wanted to salvage the truck but the mechanic said he could fix it so I went with it and so glad I did. He had me out of there in a day and I got my new tires that I was going to get anyways the next week and finished my drive home. I've had parts changed in the past but not until it was a problem but now, reading this thread, I can't believe they lasted as long as they did...thanks for letting me be a part of the taco world and enlightening me

 

Seems like the majority of failures are either 1) user installation error (mounting bolts fail), or 2) ignoring small problems like leaking boots, or 3) waiting 300k miles before replacing them. I mean, I guess it all rolls back to user error... Even the auto part store brands don't make your truck explode. If they did, there'd be recalls or class actions again them.

Honestly, it doesn't (or shouldn't) matter how much you spent on your BJs [insert joke here], if you aren't checking them regularly, IMO you're taking undue risk.

I did some math using the $40 Moogs I used to have, and I could replace those Moogs 3.5 times (which equate to about 21 years) before I will have spent as much as an OEM balljoint. Now, I have my reasoning for why that doesn't really apply to me (read my BJ rant on my build thread, post 9ish I think), but IMO, people should be replacing even their OEM balljoints long before they're old enough to drink.

I've settled on 555 as being a happy medium between cheap crap and expensive OEM. Suffice to say people shouldn't generally buy the cheapest piece of critical suspension hardware they find. Get the best you can afford, but don't ignore them just because you spent a bunch on them.

 

Anyone have a part # for the bolts?

 

90119-10933

 

Are prerunner and 4x4 lbj's the same part #?

 

Yep

 

Wierd. When I check fitment, its fine on prerunner but it doesn't give 4x4 as an option.

 

A lot of the websites say Prerunner and Base, Base is referring to the 4x4

5 lugs have different LBJs entirely

 

I tried running base. Says doesnt fit.
I'm assuming that's 5 lug base, but still no option for 4x4 base. Anyway...i'll order them.

 

On McGeorge it shows that part fitting the base models

It also says S-Runners and 2.4l which are 5 lug so maybe I was wrong about 5 lugs being different...I could've sworn they were. Hmm

 

this website www.partsouq.com is a good place to pull up the exact part numbers you need, you enter in your VIN and it will show you the exact diagram for the parts your truck needs, with part numbers.

 

Yea, thats where i'm looking. It does show below
"Applications"
4wd coil spring.

I was confused at the chart because 2001-2004 only showed prerunner and srunner.

 

Yeah their fitment charts can be weird and confusing. There's also part number differences based on LBJs with bolts and without, which I believe pertains to the 1st gens that came without dust cover boots vs those that did. But that just adds to the mess. Another good reason to just plug your vin into Partsouq lol.

 

but if I plug my vin it will only show prerunner parts.

 

Are you 4x4 converted from Prerunner? at the end of the day the prerunner and 4x4 should not be any different LBJ-wise. The use the same lower arms, upper arms, steering, tie rods, ball joints, etc.

The part I'm hung up on now is why the 5 lugs are included in the fitment, that threw me for a loop because I'm 99.9% sure they are different

 

yup this thread confirms 5 lugs are different, further evidence you can't always trust dealer websites

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-replace-ball-joints-1995-5-2004-5lug.558944/

 

In the process of converting. Figured I just go ahead and get them. My 555's aren't very old and i suppose I can get new bolts but with my diff, axles, spindles all being new, I figure I would just get OEM. Yea, I knew the base 2wd were different.

 

5 years and this ball joint thread is still going.
Here’s my humorous take on home garage ball joint replacement.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-guy-a-garage-and-a-tacoma-man-yoga.688468/#post-24324680