Weird Ball Joint Issue

Just put new lower ball joints on my '98 Tacoma 4X4. Can't afford OEM at the moment, so went with Moog, part #s

$37 K90258 Front Left Lower Suspension Ball Joint for Toyota Tacoma

K90258 (L) and

$45 K90259 Front Right Lower Suspension Ball Joint for Toyota Tacoma

K90259 (R). Before install, I compared each BJ to what I took out of the truck and they looked identical. Install went fine on both sides. When I drive it, all is well going straight, but when I round a curve or turn, the front wheels 'screech' a bit, which suggests they might not be turning at slightly different angles. I've inspected everything and nothing seems amiss. And you can't mistakenly "mix up" the two sides. BJ install shouldn't affect alignment (used original tie rod ends). Any idea what could be going on here?

 

Did you bend your dust shields on your brakes a little bit without realizing?
Not really sure why they would screech only on turns and corners, I would check if there are any rubbing marks and start from there

 

I don’t think you can rule out alignment.

but a metallic screech would not be alignment

 

Only 2 things that I have found that will make your tires start squealing while turning on pavement; under-inflation of your tires, and alignment.

 

it's very unlikely the Ackerman angle changed, if it did it would have been apparent when comparing side by side with OEM

 

Thanks much for all the responses. To clarify, it was more of a rubbery screech than metallic. And I did compare old vs. new as well as I could by eye. I didn't use a micrometer or anything, but the castings and machining looked exactly the same to me. Intuitively, I can't picture why this only happens when turning - seems like if they were slightly off, I'd also see toe-in or toe-out, right? But I don't see any unusual wear on the tires, plus there is no sound when going straight. I guess the next step is an alignment, which would throw out the whole bargain aspect of the Moog BJs in the first place. By the time I'm all-in, I could have just gotten OEM, which (I'm assuming) would absolutely be plug-and-play and not need an alignment. Live and learn.

 

stupid question: is it the joint itself making noise? did you grease the ball joints after install?

 

Not stupid Q — I know because I have done all the stupid car stuff at one time or another. And yes, the Moogs have zerks (one of the reasons I thought they were worth a try), so I scooched grease in there both before install and after. Probably 6-8 pumps in all, just enough to make the rubber bulge a little.

 

You have a front stabilizer bar? And did you probably disconnected it recently? I had bad rattles & squeaks too, and found #1, a broken front shock, & bad stabilizer bar ends.

 

is it in 4 wheel drive??

 

Yes it's 4X4, and I do have a front sway bar. But it looks ok.

 

The question was if it's in 4wd, not if it is 4wd. You'd have the same screeching tire sound while turning if the truck was in 4wd.

 

You can check your toe easily to see if it changed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6EllJTMrZs&pp=ygUeUmF0Y2hldCBhbmQgd3JlbmNoZXMgYWxpZ25tZW5y

 

Sorry - No, it wasn't in 4WD. This truck has never been offroaded. I only engage 4WD when I'm in slick or slippery situations.

 

My truck screeched during the last few feet whenever I pulled into a parking spot and stepped on the brakes before I straighten the wheels out.
I replaced my steering rack for other reasons and did a realignment and the screech disappeared. Can't say if it was the rack or the alignment though.

 

Thanks much for all your replies. I have an alignment scheduled for this coming week. I'll report on the outcome. FWIW, I did read or hear somewhere (I think in some of the YouTube vids) that the truck should NOT need realignment after LBJ replacement, if nothing else is changed or adjusted. Which makes sense to me and, as mentioned, is the reason I went with cheaper ball joints. If the alignment does correct the issue, this suggests to me that if I had put in OEM ball joints, I would not be having this problem since they WOULD be exactly the same as the ones I took out (assuming those were OEM, of course, which I think they were). Again, I'll report on whether an alignment fixes the problem. If it does then I hope everyone reading this realizes that going aftermarket to "save" a few bucks may backfire on you, too. By the time I've paid for the ball joints and an alignment, I will have spent as much or more than I would have for a set of OEM units - which I (maybe) would not have had to have aligned.

 

It really just depends on whether the new lbj's have the exact dimensions for where the OTR's connect to them. Even a small difference will translate to a more significant difference at the tire.

 

Update: Got the front end aligned and no more weird 'screeching' around turns. But that was only part of the problem. Seems the steering rack is loose. Mechanic said it shifts from side to side maybe 1/2" when you turn, which - understandably - gives the truck a vague-ish feel in the steering it's never had before. Just ordered new bushings from Rockauto (at less than half the price for the same thing on eBay, even with shipping) and will install those in a week or so - hopefully when the weather out west cools just a tiny bit. Until then, driving the 'other car,' our diesel F250.

 

Bushings are known to go bad pretty quickly - my brand new oem rack that’s 2 years old is already moving a lot. Total Chaos also sells some poly bushings.

 

I would not bother with rubber replacement rack bushing. Poly is the way to go. Will last a lot longer and improve the steering feel significantly.

https://www.chaosfab.com/product/1996-2004-Tacoma-Urethane-Rack-Bushing-Kit-96701

https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/8.10103