First Gen Lower Ball Joint(LBJ) Failures

Was it @FiatRunner ?

 

Yeah, that was a bad day... totally fucked up my surfing that morning.

Just started my left turn (an opening between cars that are going 50+) across the main drag coming into La Jolla, and BAM!!

Sounded like the unmistakable car crash noise like someone but I know that wasn't the case... No impact, truck just fell on it's face. Took a moment for my brain to process what was going on, then no real choice but to drag/drive it across the two lanes onto the cross street. (BFG's are tough sumbitches)

I can't blame the Tundra, she tried to tell me and I didn't pick up on it. I remember noticing that the steering didn't return to center as well as normal, like coming out of a U-turn when you let go of the wheel and momentum will straighten it out... it stayed turned more than normal, that should've been my clue.

I got pretty lucky... no body damage other than the door/fender gap, fender got pushed up & out the tiniest bit. Probably not even noticeable to anyone but me 'cuz I knew.

Replace 'em BEFORE they go boys, way better than after.

 

How are the 2nd/2.5 gens different? Do they orient the LBJ in the opposite direction? I remember looking at LCAs for those and they seemed to integrate the LBJ. All I recall is it wasn't cheap. @KNABORES @bmf4069 You guys have a more current truck. How are they different?

 

This sounds like a great opportunity to tell you about my 5.7

 

No. Like I said, it totaled this guy's Tundra. He wiped out on the interstate at speed.

 

Devils in the details. Wrong guy. I do remember a video on here of a maroon one that violently lurches into the retaining wall and flips over due to sudden ball joint failure.

 

Yeah that might be it. I could have the color wrong but I recall him hitting the retaining wall and flipping also.

 

nope, i remember & i think it was dark silver, or maybe blue.

tokolosh. Knew i left a 'big oof' comment on that.

 

Bolt failure isn't a lbj failure, it's installation error.

 

Man I knew I wasn't crazy. How did you find it? @shifty` and I looked forever.

 

2nd result.

 

Good morning. 40k for Moogs is surprising.

 

I saw another one from some kids that stole a truck or something. Someone posted on here. May've been a video though?

Anyway, that's why I/we couldn't find it, it was in front of my nose in the LBJ thread. @tokolosh's situation deserves having a full size photo so others reading this thread later see it, so here:

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Either I had a glitch in the matrix or you made this post yesterday? My phone says you made it just now...

 

Accidentally posted it in the LBJ thread. Moved here because picture.

 

Wonder if he sold the TC suspension.

 

Spotted on Jacksonville FBM, I'd call that pretty catastrophic and on an otherwise pristine truck:

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I have a spare set in the garage, and reading this stuff makes me want to go put them on right now. The lbjs are the biggest reason I put the sway bar on. If that extra flex popped my tre, hate to think about that stress on the lbj.

I only have a few thousand miles on these, but that big bj upgrade can't happen soon enough. I need one more month, financially, and then it's happening.

 

I don't get it. When my 2006 had 15K miles on it, Toyota sent me a letter telling me to take it in for a ball joint recall, which I did. I don't know which ball joints they replaced, if any. I have never replaced any myself. Now I have 265K miles on it, much of it on bumpy dirt roads and the ball joints have no slack whatsoever.
Does this only happen on lifted Tundras? What is the warning sign? The pictures look like the ball joint stud is shearing off, rather than the ball and socket wearing out and falling apart.

 

They replaced the lower ball joints, and you're probably way overdue for new ones.

This is not limited to lifted trucks, it happens to all of them. It's the style of the design, I thought someone explained it earlier in this thread but I guess not, so this explains a bit and actually, this also explains it pretty well with pictures, since it was a Tacoma issue too. Essentially, there's an exceptional amount of weight and pressure on the LBJ due to the design Toyota chose. In light of that, when it decides it's gonna go, it's gonna go.

Some would tell you there is no warning sign, and to replace proactively every 100k-150k miles. I paid $275 for both OEM LBJ and 8 fresh new bolts for my '06, which I think is one of the most expensive years. Seems like cheap insurance to me, considering failure is going to lead to much more than $275 in damage.

Some folks have gotten lucky, and started to hear clunking up front, or metal-on-metal sounds. Or felt with play doing push/pull test and when push/pulling in the 6/12 o'clock positions, feeling play (it's virtually never the UBJ, it has almost no strain on it with this design). But generally speaking, I think most people we've got pictures of would tell you: It failed suddenly. Quite a few have get lucky and it happens at parking lot/driveway speed, when angling in/out of something, which arguably is a higher-stress condition (low speed turning). Others, like the interstate pic in this thread, not so much.

There are a few things on these trucks that would suit you well to stay on top of proactive replacement, I think the big three are...

• Timing belt, water pump, tensioners, pulleys, and t-stat every 90-100k
• Radiator every 100-150k, to avoid pink milkshake (+ trans fail)
• LBJ every 100-150k, to avoid catastropic damage

 

Good morning. This thread will go over ball joints themselves Lower ball joints/part numbers | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com) This thread on the bolts Spiker Engineering Lower Ball Joint Bolt Test (1st Gen) | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com) and here is a great compilation of ball joint info and other FGT info So ... you wanna buy / just bought a 1st Gen Tundra, eh? | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)
Here are a few excepts from that

• Parts you should ONLY buy OEM, else you *will* eventually find yourself kicking your own ass: LOWER BALLJOINTS (bigtime). O2 sensors. Starter. Fuel pump. Cam bolts & sleeves (also huge). Lower control arms (also huge). Too many ppl ignored that lower balljoint warning & found their front wheel horizontal, stuffed into their cab. Don't be them. OEM pricing on LBJs is comparable to aftermarket, be sure to buy fresh high-strength bolts (8 needed) when replacing! Some aftermarket-is-OK parts exceptions HERE. But seriously, THE OEM LOWER BALLJOINT HYPE IS REAL, here's some proof, you don't want to be these people: , , link, link, link, link, link, link, link. If you're worried about costs of OEM, buy the OEM recall kit?

• Use OEM parts ... i.e. Toyota / AISIN / Denso / Advics brands. Especially with electronic parts only order Denso/Toyota, esp. if tough to replace (starter, fuel pump), go OEM. ALWAYS order OEM lower balljoints!!! (and get fresh LBJ bolts), you saw the pics linked above, right?

• Lower balljoints: Toyota had a recall for some models, but here is a dire warning to heed: Always replace lower ball joints w/OEM (and use fresh bolts). The LBJ on first gens is a major high-stress point; Toyota over-engineered their recall LBJs to compensate, 3rd party aftermarket doesn't bother. You will find yourself in the hall of shame. This even goes for Moog, NAPA, AC Delco brand who had LBJ recalls! Note: Moog outsources many parts nowadays, the failed LBJs for 1st gen Tundra/Sequoia made 4/2020-5/2021 with Moog/NAPA/AC Delco branding had 12% failure rate (link to NHTSA).

In my personal reading and ownership, I've decided it's best to replace these every 100k. Essentially, I plan to replace my lower ball joints with new bolts every time I replace my timing belt kit.

 

Thanks for the replies, Black Mamba and Shifty. I had always thought the LBJ issue was for lifted trucks. I will replace mine just to be safe. I have driven a 2000, 2004 and 2006 all RCLB 4.7 4x4 for a combined total of over 460K miles and never had a ball joint go bad. On the 2006 with 265K miles I have replaced the lower control arms once and the struts and the axles twice, always putting the LBJ bolts back in with an air impact, I always felt the ball joints for slack and found none. Those bolts have been out at least 5 times. With the Montana backcountry driving I do that front end has been through WW3.
These are wonderful trucks and I plan on taking one of them to my grave.

edit: just ordered kit 04006-62134 and 8 bolts 90105-12316 Olathe Toyota $235

 

Jeeps have a wave, tundras curtsy.

 

At your liege, my lord

 

Ka-chow!

 

So I've browsed LBJ threads pretty thoroughly.
Couple ?'s . . .
I see mention that Toyota up-sized the LBJ's on the 2005-2006 models. . . then I see posts about recalls for the same years ????
Are the newer versions (if they exist) any better longevity wise over the previous ?
My completely stock 2006 2WD DC pavement princess has 75K miles, should I start planning a fresh set at 100K . . . or sooner ???
Trying to avoid the Hall-Of-Shame.
Last brake job, I did the tire-hug / side-to-side hug & tug and didn't notice any wobble.
Front end 'feels' tight while driving . . . nothing unusual that I can feel.
No front end leaks or unusual wear (tires included) that I can see under there.
TIA

 

If you read all these posts and threads, you'll know there's very, very rarely any sign whatsoever before failure. Before there's any slack, any play, any wobble, the ball joint already broke. There really is no inspection method. Just replace them every 100,000 miles.

Someone once posted the allowable amount of play for a lower ball joint. I don't remember what it was, but it's not enough for you to feel by grabbing the tire and pulling/pushing. It's in the tenth of an inch realm. The forces trying to pull the ball joint apart are so strong that by the time there's any play, even an unnoticeable amount, it pulls apart/breaks.

So it's not an inspection thing. It's a "replace every 100,000 miles" thing. 100,000 miles being somewhat arbitrary, but a fairly-well agreed-upon safe schedule.

 

It's on my timing belt / radiator schedule. Every 90k miles.