Struts / shocks and ball joints for dummies…

My truck seems to move around a bit more than I recall when driving over bumps and specifically dips on a highway. Truck has almost 300k miles. I bought it with 206k. Shocks are Toyota, but I have no idea if they are original or have been replaced somewhere along the way.

I know from searching here, there are answers anywhere from shocks “could last indefinitely” to “they should be replaced every 100k miles or so.

So in short, I am trying to answer these two questions.

1) Is there a simple way to know if replacing shocks are needed? My truck doesn’t appear to sag so I don’t think there is a spring issue.

2) How do you know if ball joints are bad? I have no vibrations at any speeds. With the wheels off the group there is no play at 12 and 6 or at 9 and 3. Not sure if that is a valid check for worn ball joints on a truck. That used to be all I needed to do on a passenger car.

3) Regarding an alignment. I'm under the impression that an alignment is not needed since it is not a MacPherson style strut. Maybe I am wrong on that though.

Thanks!

 

1) Shocks do not last indefinitely. 100K is likely a decent rule-of-thumb, with any number of variables. What I noticed most as my OEM shocks got near that magic number was the truck tended to 'float' over irregularities of the road, especially with even a relatively light load in the bed. With new Bilstein 4600s, the truck feels more 'planted' and stable.

2) Gonna leave this for someone with better knowledge.

3) That really has nothing to do with it. Tire guys will say get it aligned every time you get new tires. I won't argue with that... but neither do I adhere to that. I monitor my tread depth regularly and watch for abnormal tread wear. If that looks good, and the steering doesn't pull to either side, I'll skip the alignment. If you have doubts, it's worth it to have the alignment checked, and have them give you a printout. The shop might find other issues, such as ball joints that you mentioned.... or worn out steering components, for example.

 

I had a super sloppy feeling front end felt like the truck way swaying back and forth in the front, new wheel bearings while I didn't have any play they were both shot.

what is your mileage on your truck? I'm a firm believer in if you have made 100K its time. inspect your shocks on the truck any leaking oil or wet spots or pitting or rust on the piston rod itself its time. im at 185k and my truck had the OEM Billsteins on the back, and I had a set of 2020 take off given to me they are on the Truck., my fronts were upgraded already to a 51XX or something with some HD springs, so i didnt worry about that yet but again I'm already shopping around looking for even a full lift kit to improve my rear leafs as well.

 

Forgot to include that. I updated original post too. I have almost 300k. Bought it with 206k miles. Shocks are stamped Toyota. Not sure if they are original or have been replaced somewhere along the way.

 

300K, my friend you should swap the shocks out asap. unless they are super clean and look new its just good to make sure its fresh.

also those Ball joints id get done. cheap insurance to keep the truck on the road!

 

At 300k total and 100k under your tutelage, you need 4 shocks at a minimum.

Ball joints are worth replacement at that mileage as well, as it's high odds they've not been done.

 

Thanks. I’m going to look into pricing on Bilsteins 4600s. Seems like folks recommend these for stock ride height. I don’t think I will consider Kyb. I used their GR2s before on a passenger car and their plastic bellows broke apart and disintegrated in a couple years.

 

I also need to do some research here on ball joints and if OEM parts are the only way to go.

 

To see if your shocks are bad try to jump on the bed of you truck. If it keeps bouncing then they are bad. For the front just push down on the front of the truck and see if they still move up and down. Good shocks will not allow your truck to bounce up and down. You will see it will move down and back up once and it will stop there.

For your alignment will be affected by many things. If your ball joints are bad it will throw off your alignment. Same if the rubber bushings on your control arms are going bad. So I would go ahead and change the ball joints first before you get an alignment. I don't know how to check it they are bad so someone else can chime in on that.

If you want to go with OEM just note that in the USA Toyota stealerships don't sell the ball joint itself. You will have to buy the entire control arm unit which is expensive. If you don't want to buy the stealership price the you can go on TW trade & buy, Facebook market, or Craigslist to see if you can find any 3rd gen take offs. 3rd Gen tacomas have the same suspension as 2nd gen. They are sold relatively cheap there and can find some with low mileage. If you really want to buy the oem ball joints themselves then you can go to Napa and buy Sankei 555 balljoints as they are the same manufacturer that Toyota uses for their balljoints.

If you want to go aftermarket then there some decent choices. Mevotech is a decent choice. Stay away from MOOG. Their quality has gone downhill after they were bought out by another company. ACDelco and Delphi are OK. If you want to buy a really good one then you can probably go ahead and buy some JBA off road upper control arms.

 

That's how we used to check for bad shocks but I'm not sure it's a valid test on our Tacomas. FWIW, I tried that on my Tacoma and couldn't get it to bounce at all, and that's with OE shocks with ~100K miles on them. They were pretty well worn out though, and the new Bilsteins made a very noticeable improvement.

 

They were probably still good then. I've seen Toyota shocks last 180k miles and still be good.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of "good". As I have posted before, with the OE shocks, the truck would 'float' over road irregularities. It was especially bad with even a light load (groceries) in the back of the bed. With new 4600s, the 'float' disappeared almost entirely and the truck feels much more planted and stable. To me, the evidence strongly suggests the 18-year-old OE shocks were worn out.... or at least well past their prime and ready for replacement.

 

I think I am leaning towards the 4600s. Looks like I can get all 4 for under $400 from Rock Auto whereas Amazon is closer to $450. Toyota OEM shocks, even if ordered online, are closer to $150 each. I think I am going to pass on the ball joints. for now. I don't need anymore projects that turn into a nightmare.

 

I just replaced mine yesterday with 4600s all around (truck is stock, first time replacing them) and the front mounts (went with KYBs) and had it aligned today. I bought the truck new, am at 134k miles, so it was time. It's my daily driver, sees dirt roads and mud, but nothing extreme. Just a note, yesterday the truck was almost level, but things are settling and it's almost back to the original rake. I was a little concerned yesterday but happy how it's turned out.

 

How does it ride now compared to before?

 

It's like the tires are glued to the road. And that's a good thing. The minimal bounce that was present is now gone. I was struggling with what shocks to buy, am very happy with my decision.