First gen lower ball joints

I have a '96 2wd, 5-lug standard-cab. I'm a bit late to this thread, but I just got a set of '555' lower ball-joints, made in Japan, packaged by Moog, from RockAuto. Cost with tax & shipping was about $67 for the set. Bad news is they were a close-out. But there may be more out there. The Moog part numbers are Left

$34 K90260 Front Left Lower Suspension Ball Joint for Toyota Tacoma

K90260, Right

$34 K90261 Front Right Lower Suspension Ball Joint for Toyota Tacoma

K90261.

Mark D.

 

bump

 

And you better be realllllll careful driving on those Moog LBJs as well there is a reason they are close out. There have been some purchased and cut open and the whole inner assembly is rusted. I bought some just to check them out and it was metal scraping metal. So just be aware there are reports of failures with those becoming more common.

 

How do they hold up looking to get upper and lowers replaced but have read too many horror stories of lower ball joints failing so I would like to hear from someone that has used a specific part before!

 

It's widely recommended that you only use OEM ball joints. Find the part numbers, and then shop around until you find a dealer or reputable online wholesale site (toyota parts deal, yotashop, etc) to order the part from. Often times, I order from a dealers website and pick up at the counter. It's cheaper than calling and ordering over the phone.

 

I'm just trying to buy upper and lowers ball joints from a distributor that someone els has bought from to have some piece in mind of them not failing in the future. Im being a bitch about it because i drive my truck like a fucking miata so i really want something that would hold up in the sharp turns that i take. Im just looking for someone thats like "I bought these here and beat the shit out of them and didnt fail" but at a reasonable price

 

lot of us have used McGeorge, me included. Usually they are the best price-wise unless you can get them locally for cheaper. If you're getting them from a dealership they will be the best you can get, it's not like one dealer has better OEM parts than another. Just a matter of price at that point

 

OEM ball joints are the only way to go. Aftermarket stuff doesn't hold up.

 

So you would recommend buying from McGeorge right?

https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-suspension-ball-joint-left-front-lower-4334039585?c=bD0zJm49QXNzZW1ibGllcyBQYWdlJms9MQ==

https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota....039815?c=bD0yJm49QXNzZW1ibGllcyBQYWdlJms9MQ==

These specifically?

 

technically yes but the part numbers for your truck (01 - 04 years) are different, due to the bolts used that also hold up the boot protectors. The ball joints themselves are the same however.

These are what I ordered for my 04 which should be identical to what your 02 needs.





I ordered the bolts too because they don't come with the LBJs on the 01 - 04s, not recommended to reuse your old ones.

I know it's confusing, you could order what you posted in your link but I think it comes with the bolts that aren't supposed to be used with the boot protectors. Which you could just leave off, they don't really do much.

 

I ordered both Moog an OEM LBJs and I can assure you the difference in quality is staggering. The Moog joints, or as some say make sure it has 555 stamped on it, was almost impossible to move the joint even in a vice with a pair of pliars. I could feel metal scraping metal. The OEMs arrived and were silky smooth when manipulated. I have had several mechanics tell me "well Moog has grease fittings and toyota doesn't" this is true but the original LBJs didnt have them either and lasted 22 years. I will be the 1st to admit that very little is made as good as it was in 1999 when my truck rolled off the line, however there is NO way I would have put those MOOG LBJs on my truck.

 

Moog is not the same company that it was prior to being purchased by Federal Mogul. Moog parts are now made in just about every country you can imagine in the world. I needed my tie rod ends replaced so I took a shot on seeing how long THOSE parts will last from Moog. I ordered them and just put them on last week before new tires an a alignment so I am curious as to how they will hold up. Tie rod ends (both inner an outer) vs LBJs are a huge difference as far as trusting off brand because unless there is a catastrophic failure in the tie rod ends I think they should be ok. Only time will tell. As many others have said dont trust ANY other company with your LBJs that part is just to critical to be messing around with in my opinion plus how much of a pain in the arse LBJs are to replace I dont wanna ever have to do those again period.

 

I agree with all but the very last part...LBJs are super easy to swap out, unless you're dealing with rusted on parts I suppose?

the inner tie rods are definitely more of a pain in the ass to do though, did that once and hopefully not again for a long time

worse yet are the steering rack bushings, maybe next time I'll just buy an entire new steering rack with new bushings/ITRE included lol.

 

I was not only dealing with rust but a 20+ year old LBJ lol the inner tie rod wasnt near as bad as I had made sure the boots never went bad in them so a heavy pipe wrench and some cursing they came off ok.

 

I had somewhat let things kinda go on my 99 with the fix it when it breaks menatlity vs preventative maintenance approach. Just last year I decided to start investing some money into it and it now has blown my mind how much better it rides. I stayed almost strictly OEM where I could, but figured if I was gonna fix it up I might as well do it right and while you can still get OEM parts which are now rapidly disappearing for a 99.

 

If you drive it "like a Miata" I would make sure your sway bar links are in good condition as well. I know a lot of members may disagree with me on that little piece of advice, as some say just take the sway bar off period. I would not recommend that trying to take corners as if your truck is a Miata. *jokingly* Please dont ever compare your Yota to a Miata again that might get ya arrested in some states hehe

 

Yeah man I'm so confused at this point as I keep reading and trying to look into it. fuck that link i posted because now it comes up that i wont fit on my truck i looked up the parts you posted and the website says they fit so ima go with those and gonna add the bolts to my cart as well.
Do you have the part numbers for the upper ball joints by any chance?
and thank you @eon_blue i appreciate your input on parts knowledge brother

 

Not sure on the uppers, sorry. Got SPC uppers on mine

a good website for reference on part numbers is www.partsouq.com, you plug in your VIN and it will pull up the OE parts diagrams for your specific vehicle

 

If you wanna be lazy just call your Iocal dealership parts department give them your VIN tell them ya wanna quote and then just ask what the part # is out of curiosity

 

I drive like im switching gears and passing queers

Also calling a dealership IMO is more exhausting than just going on the internet but im definitely gonna use the the auto parts reference website from now