First Gen Lower Ball Joint(LBJ) Failures

I figured it's time to start documenting all these in a single place. A good reminder for all our new members that join.

• DO NOT BUY AFTERMARKET LOWER BALL JOINTS
• They should be replaced with OEM parts every 100k minimum. If they see a lot of hard use, consider doing it sooner. If you wait for a sale from Toyota you can save 20-25%.
• The bolts should be replaced too.
• See this thread for part numbers

These are from the last 24 hours.

 

@shifty` I couldn't find the thread where a member had his fail on the interstate and he totalled his truck. Maybe your search skills can.

 

Ka-chow!

 

I'd be curious to see how @Dave8699 made out with his "terrain tough" Mevotech LBJs. https://www.mevotech.com/brands/ttx/

 

I remember, I feel like it was a gold truck. This is all I could find. https://www.tundras.com/threads/ball-joint-happy-friggen-new-year-to-me-ugh.118633/

And apparently, I need a job.

 

No that's not it. We have a member blow out a LBJ last year on the interstate. His truck hit the center concrete median and I think maybe even flipped. He was ok. I'll keep digging.

 

Would be good to post all the proper torque numbers for each year as well. That's a big area of confusion.

 

Hour and a half in and this isn't stickied.....for shame

 

Big Ooof

 

@shifty` has them linked in the Bible

 

I went 304k on my original

(DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME)

 

With a spacer lift?

 

At that time, yes

(AGAIN, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME)

 

I'm speechless.

 

Literally.

 

Taken from:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/spiker-engineering-lower-ball-joint-bolt-test-1st-gen.111746/

00-01(02-04 no protector) OEM "green" bolt PN 9008010066 Torque to 59ft-lbs (SINGLE USE BOLT ONLY)
00-03(04) ARP bolts (stronger but higher cost) 663-1004
00-03(04) "Black" bolt for use with protector only 9011910933 Torqued to 37ft-lbs
04-06 PN 9010512316 Torqued to 59 ft-lbs according to @shifty`. Spiker states up to 80ft-lbs is also ok.

 

Black bolts on mine. With protector. Like 440 in.lbs.

 

5k on drivers side. Sheared off just after getting off the freeway pulling away from a red light.

10k on passenger side again sheared off. This time at 70mph just after coming over the grapevine. Ripped upper ball joint apart and frame landed on the wheel and skid to a stop on the side of the freeway. Ground almost an inch of the lower control arm off and about 20% of the wheel. Only thing holding the wheel on was the tie rod and if it hadn't become a ski it probably would have ended badly.

New brake line, spindle, lca, wheel and tire. Also did Toyota upper and lower ball joints, and all 4 tie rods.

 

I don't want to "like" this, but thank you for sharing to testify to the fact that no aftermarket LBJ is a safe option.

 

Saving this spot for @KNABORES

 

Wow, man. Sorry to hear. I think you're the first here who experienced a separation at high speed. Glad you're okay.

 

No there is the other guy I keep mentioning. Can't find that thread. His truck was totaled. But you're right that they typically fail going slow. Not sure why that is.

 

35k miles and going strong.

I’m not worried, you’re worried!

 

The lateral forces (front to back) from the truck moving forward might be enough to keep the ball locked into the rear of the "cup" the ball stud sits in.

As the truck decelerates, those forces lessen, and the ball stud can come free from the cup.

I'm no engineer though, but I stayed at a Holiday inn with one, one time. This is purely speculation.

I'm thinking that when you drive over a washboard, or a lot of our fucked up roads, the wheel gets to bouncing up and down at speed. That half second of air time from the wheel coming out of a pot hole might enough of a rest on the suspension, that the same thing would happen at high speeds.

The ball stud would center itself in the cup while the wheel is in the air after the pot hole, or washboard, and then esplodeys into pain and suffering

 

My house is not a Holiday Inn, thank you very much.

 

I hear what you're saying. They rarely get above 3 stars anyway.

 

Are you thinking of the guy with the wheel stud failure maybe?

https://www.tundras.com/threads/wheel-studs-broke-truck-rolled.108200/

 

Nope. This guy had a gray or silver truck. He didn't own the truck very long and posted as a warning to those to just replace the ball joints if you aren't sure when they were last done. For some reason, the thread is lost to time.