Time for an Alignment or something worse? (LBJ's?)

Hey everybody,

So I haven't been on here lately, I have been busy with school and what not but I have a question about my truck.

I noticed that my front tires were wearing unevenly over the weekend, and that some times when I am going straight the steering wheel needs to be less than 5 degrees to the left to be going straight, and thats not all the time. Although the steering wheel has a little bit of play, that doesnt bother me as much as the wear.

I have wear on the edges of my tires, particularly the outer edge of both tires. After some research, I have found that maybe my camber angle is off, and it might be time for an alignment. And I also found something more unsettling, that it could be my ball joints. Now I have seen the pictures and threads of the ball joints breaking on the tacoma and personally the though of one breaking while going down the highway at 70mph is unsettling

The tires would have a slight negative camber, that would be causing the excess wear on the tires. I really just noticed it because the truck handles normally, drives smooth at all speeds, and there is really no differences that i have noticed. My guess is somewhere along the line I got out of alignment, or that the alignment wasnt done since I got a new rack and pinion from toyota.

I do not have any strange noises like clunking, any handling issues aside from the random times where I have to keep the wheel slightly to the left, which isnt serious do to the play in the wheel to begin with. My buddy and I were going to jack the truck up and check to see if the front wheels have any horizontal or vertical movement...

Also tire pressure maybe? I believe its good though

Based on what I have said, does it sound more like an alignment issue or a ball joint issue?

Thanks guys,
Tommy

 

Hard to say. Bad LBJs can affect your alignment. I'd get an alignment just to scratch it off, not all that expensive. Ask Blackdawg on here, he is THE dude to talk about LBJs going tits up (lol).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCgoMyxZnac

 

If the LBJ haven't been done in (I believe) 150k miles, do them.

 

Take it in for an alignment. Take it to a shop that knows what they are doing. Ask them to evaluate your BJs while they have it on the lift.

Tire pressure is listed on the door jamb sticker. Easy enough to check and should be checked about once a month to once every 3 months (for seasonal changes). If you are running non-stock sized tire, should do a chalk test to figure out where your tire pressure should be.

 

Forgot to mention this, the wear is the same on both tires in the front. Now worst case scenario is I need new ball joints. is it something I could do myself, or how much would a shop charge?

 

LBJs are fairly easy. Takes about an hour per side for me from start to finish. A pitman arm puller like the one Autozone sells makes popping the ball joint from the LCA easy.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...rm-puller/_/N-264w?itemIdentifier=555623_0_0_

You'll want to be sure to torque everything correctly. Also, you'll want to replace the 4 LBJ bolts with new.

 

I have 135K on the truck btw

 

It is in that range of mileage for replacement time. You could just shotgun it and just replace them then go get an alignment.

 

Yeah I could replace them myself, but the main issue is that since I am school I dont have the time or tools here to even do the work. If I were to get these replaced would it cost like $300? or more? I really just want to weigh the options, you know? I think that the route I will take is get an alignment when I go home and if the ball joints are worn, get them replaced. Money is a little tight if you know what I mean

 

TGP LBJs run about $90 a piece. Moogs are cheaper but don't know how much.

 

Any other signs of LBJ wear to be aware of?

 

The pitman tool TomTom mentions is pretty inexpensive. They may even have loaners to give you, or a tool that will get it done. The price of the lbj varies greatly - some swear you should only use OEM, which are more expensive. I am replacing the LBJs on my daughter's Honda CR-V. Bought new ones for about $15 each. Cheap, but if they last a few years of city driving they will do the job. Partsgeek.com has a variety ranging from $22 or so upwards.

You'd need access to sockets, wrench, and the tool to get the lbj out. Check with friends if you are lacking some of the tools. Won't take long, and a driveway will do. A shop will charge you $60-$100+ an hour, and I imagine they will charge at least an hour, if not 2, for the job.

 

Moogs run in the mid $40's on Partsgeek.

 

Spitting grease. It isn't a clear symptom of failure but it does mean that the LBJs aren't properly lubricated and prone to excessive wear.

 

Yeah, I go TGP because I beat the shit out of them in the middle of nowhere.

 

just replace them with moog bjs takes like a hour to do maybe...dont forget to loctight the 4 bolts

 

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This....

Was just gonna say....

 

1. Adjust air pressure.
2. Rotate tires.
3. Get the front end checked.
4. If all is ok, then get an alignment.
Could be the toe(toe in to be precise), did you hit a pothole or curb check anything? Sounds like toe to me,aka, steering wheel slightly off and both front tires wearing evenly on the outside. Positive camber(not negitive camber) could cause this yes, but that usually happens to one side or the other.

 

I am going to check today for any leaking. as well as tire pressure will post pictures soon.

 

On point! What you said - the main thing to think about for LBJs on Tacos - is the driving going to be beating the shit out of them on some lonesome trail, or is it a daily commuter. More bumps, the harder the bumps, then the more likely they are to fail so they need to be tough and built well. Smooth pavement city driving is far less taxing so cheaper ones can get you by, generally speaking. Of course if the roads you are daily driving are shitty and you will be hitting bumps a lot or at speed, then go for the higher end FTW.

Have you tried Moog TomTom? I have not yet replaced these on my Taco, but will be soon and wondering what is the true best for mixed usage. Some people are complaining about the quality of the Moog ones of late