Busted Lower Ball Joint - Anyone been through this nightmare??

Scott Jackson

Recognized Member
Jan 10, 2017
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Salt Lake City, Utah
As you can see.. they Are not interchangeable.

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Scott Jackson

Recognized Member
Jan 10, 2017
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Salt Lake City, Utah
oh really? i thought that clamshell around the bushing helped reinforce it. sorry for being dense.
Ya, its just a dust boot to keep debris out, it might.. if the boot tears I suppose. But ya, I totally understand you wanting to upgrade, I finally found a set of Junkyard spindles from 05 tundra, so I will soon be upgraded on my 2002.
 

TopGunMD

New Member
Feb 19, 2017
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Harford County Maryland
Are you saying the one i'm showing in my picture is not compatible because it seems like we're talking about something different. like i had said both of the lower ball joints in my picture were mounted on my lower control arm. i know the "new updated design" wouldn't fit but in the first page of this thread there are 3 images of LBJ's and 1 is old, 2nd is revised, and 3rd is the new 2004+ design, i'm not trying to get the 2004+ i'm just trying to get the 2nd image Revised ones but your telling me the dust shield really doesn't do anything for the structure of the design? It was you post from April 4th of 2017. It just seems like you keep telling me the new design wont fit but i know this im just trying to find the revised one.
 
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Scott Jackson

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Jan 10, 2017
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I think the Dust boot is throwing you off, they added it to the early, and 03+ so its really hard to tell the difference unless you pull them off. There is only one revised design that I am referring to in this topic and its the one in the pic above. Sorry for confusion.

Sequoia did not get the new inverted (2 bolt) design until 08 (second Gen), and that is a completely different setup, and will not work on First Gen Sequoia without pretty much cutting off the front of an 08 and welding it to first gen.

03-07, as well as 03-06 tundra all have 4 bolt setup that is a REVISED version of the 00-02 (which is same as 96-02 4runner)

Hope this clears things up.
 
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SmithD

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Nov 28, 2018
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My left front lower ball joint just failed while my wife was taking my son to school (‘01 Sequoia). Luckily they were driving slow and nd no one was hurt. Why is there a recall for ‘01 Tacoma’s (essentially the same equipment) but Sequoia recall starts with ‘02? Seems like a real safety issue. Guess I’ll be getting my hands dirty weekend.
 

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Scott Jackson

Recognized Member
Jan 10, 2017
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Salt Lake City, Utah
My left front lower ball joint just failed while my wife was taking my son to school (‘01 Sequoia). Luckily they were driving slow and nd no one was hurt. Why is there a recall for ‘01 Tacoma’s (essentially the same equipment) bu
I'm pretty sure it does include 01, have you checked with Toyota?
 

Disco_Kai

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Feb 22, 2019
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I have a 2001 and called Toyota, my model year was not included in this recall.

Will the upper ball joint and tie rod ends for the 96-02 4runner also fit? I see lowrangeoffroad has the 555 versions too.
 

OldManTan

Active Member
Apr 7, 2020
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So, after reading through this last night, and essentially keeping myself up all night imagining a worst case scenario I started thinking of solutions for my 02’ Sequoia.

A) Just replace with new OE balljoints ($200)
B) Upgrade to 04+ spindles, control arms, ball joints and replace the bearings since I don’t trust junk yard wheel bearings ($1250)
C) Solo Motorsports spindles and the required but separately priced inner and out tie rods ($3,000)

Not going to lie; Solos Kit sounds great, but they are out of stock and I’m not a fan of having three listing for REQUIRED items (you have to have the spindles to run the uniball, and the inner tie rod kit to run the uniball). Just have one total price and stop making things difficult. /endsmallrant

Now the whole point of this is simple; don’t have your ball joint fall off and have your front wheel go under or off the car. Well it seems that no matter what direction you take, it’s going to be possible. So rather than spend tons reinventing the wheel, why not make a bracket with elongated bolts that prevents the control arm from separating from the spindle? Obviously it would have to be made in a way that doesn’t interfere with front suspension geometry but I’m wondering if this may be possible?
Failing that, what is the actual difference in joint size from the 03-04+ ball joint redesign?

Just hashing out some thoughts, and trying to keep the old truck less butt puckering when in the trail and at highway speeds.
 

Scott Jackson

Recognized Member
Jan 10, 2017
76
45
18
45
Salt Lake City, Utah
So, after reading through this last night, and essentially keeping myself up all night imagining a worst case scenario I started thinking of solutions for my 02’ Sequoia.

A) Just replace with new OE balljoints ($200)
B) Upgrade to 04+ spindles, control arms, ball joints and replace the bearings since I don’t trust junk yard wheel bearings ($1250)
C) Solo Motorsports spindles and the required but separately priced inner and out tie rods ($3,000)

Not going to lie; Solos Kit sounds great, but they are out of stock and I’m not a fan of having three listing for REQUIRED items (you have to have the spindles to run the uniball, and the inner tie rod kit to run the uniball). Just have one total price and stop making things difficult. /endsmallrant

Now the whole point of this is simple; don’t have your ball joint fall off and have your front wheel go under or off the car. Well it seems that no matter what direction you take, it’s going to be possible. So rather than spend tons reinventing the wheel, why not make a bracket with elongated bolts that prevents the control arm from separating from the spindle? Obviously it would have to be made in a way that doesn’t interfere with front suspension geometry but I’m wondering if this may be possible?
Failing that, what is the actual difference in joint size from the 03-04+ ball joint redesign?

Just hashing out some thoughts, and trying to keep the old truck less butt puckering when in the trail and at highway speeds.
It's a great idea, I have couple designs in mind, but haven't had the chance to build anything. I don't think it would take much to prevent separation. .
 

OldManTan

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Apr 7, 2020
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It's a great idea, I have couple designs in mind, but haven't had the chance to build anything. I don't think it would take much to prevent separation. .
With the advent of 3-D printers I think now would be one of the easiest times to, at the very least, make a prototype and have it CnC machined out and tested. Another bonus would be that it could also be useful for earlier Tacoma and 4Runner guys. I researched the tacos and runners for other possible options/solutions ons and found nothing.
With the “stay at home” orders still being active I’m going to see what kind of articulation is seen around the ball joint and if a bracket is even feasible when I have some time.
 

Scott Jackson

Recognized Member
Jan 10, 2017
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Salt Lake City, Utah
With the advent of 3-D printers I think now would be one of the easiest times to, at the very least, make a prototype and have it CnC machined out and tested. Another bonus would be that it could also be useful for earlier Tacoma and 4Runner guys. I researched the tacos and runners for other possible options/solutions ons and found nothing.
With the “stay at home” orders still being active I’m going to see what kind of articulation is seen around the ball joint and if a bracket is even feasible when I have some time.
Now is the best time for sure. But, yes, there are so many Toyotas out there that could use it. All first gen Taco's, 3rd gen 4runners, first gen tundra, and seqouia.. not to mention the available practically worldwide Landcruiser Prado. Even though I have the larger ones, they can still separate, hell even the heim replacements could too. Why Toyota engineers flipped it around, on well.. Prado was the first.
 

tekem

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Sep 17, 2017
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I just proactively replaced the lower all joint myself. I used OEM because its highly recommended by everyone i speak to. The differencd between moog and oem is so clear...the ball joint looks like a larger design now on OEM. Also, the moog was leaking grease like crazy and it was only two years old.
 

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tekem

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Sep 17, 2017
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I just proactively replaced the lower ball joint myself. I used OEM because its highly recommended by everyone i speak to. The differencd between moog and oem is so clear...the ball joint looks like a larger design now on OEM. Also, the moog was leaking grease like crazy and it was only two years old.
 

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tekem

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Sep 17, 2017
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It's a great idea, I have couple designs in mind, but haven't had the chance to build anything. I don't think it would take much to prevent separation. .
I just replaced with OEM, but I will probably proactively replace these lbj after two years. I drive on the highway alot and this weekend the ride was great. Only issue left is my steering rack bushings need to be stiffened. But when i replace the lbj, i will autopsy them and see if the ball is larger in the oem vs. moog. It just appears to be the case looking externally...
 

smtx_sequoia

New Member
Apr 19, 2020
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San marcos Tx
I just replaced mine on my 03. Everything matched up but the hole for the tie rod end is smaller than the old one. I ordered 43330-39466 & 43340-39356.
 

OldManTan

Active Member
Apr 7, 2020
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I just ordered everything for the swap over to 04+ ball joints. Going ahead and replacing the wheel bearings and having the spindles gusseted at the same time for extra security when on the trails.

Managed to get everything for under $900 including the gussets. I’m quite excited to completely refresh the front end on my 2002 Sequoia and will be using all OEM parts since the originals lasted 140k miles easy.