Lower ball joint replacement

Looking for advice on lower ball joint replacement... my gf's 2015 sr5's driver side lower ball joint is shot, so im looking into options to replace both. I've read that toyota considers the lower ball joints non serviceable, and would recommend changing the entire LCA, is this true? Would you change out just the lower ball joint, or replace the entire LCA if you were gonna do it yourself? Also would it be worth the extra money to go oem if you were doing the LCA, or would aftermarket be fine? Might also bang out the upper ball joints and some other suspension components while I'm at it just to freshen everything up... any advice would be appreciated

 

Yes Toyota says to replace the whole LCA.

I always say OEM because I don't want to waste time if something doesn't fit.

I don't think they even list a PN for the lower ball joint so even finding aftermarket may be tricky.

 

This is such a fun topic because where does it end? Once you get in there, everything could need some fine tuning.

 

Definitely go OEM on all of it.

 

Gotta replace the entire assembly if you want to stick with OEM.

Or pull the trigger on some serviceable dirt kings... But that price tag is wild.
https://dirtking.com/products/perfo...yCn4wJ7yGN024tVRmY1O9PxjdGn4mEmWQOF8t5Fx1SPAv

 

Haha, yup definitely probably opening a can of worms. I've been telling my gf, that it's about that time that she's gonna need to drop some cash if she wants to keep everything going for a lot longer. I'm already looking at lca's, upper ball joints, tie rod ends, and front and back sway bar end links, and that's with just a visual inspection without taking off the tires

 

I've seen that moog makes a replacement

 

Go with a Moog whole LCA. IT’ll be worth it.

 

how many miles did it last. My originals on my 2011 started showing their age at 156k.

 

define "shot". old rubber boots show sign of deterioration. should be inspected annually and boots easy to replace. uppers, lowers and tie rods

 

MOOG has turned into garbage. Not the MOOG of yesteryear.

 

This. Who said it's shot?

 

The OP did

 

O.E. lower arms are the best bet. They're the ones I'd be most comfortable with but they're four times the price of aftermarket. But then again, aftermarket arms can cause lots of headaches from squeaking to persistent alignment problems. I've changed out my lower ball joints with Sankei 555 joints but they're hard to change without a ball joint press kit (which I have).

 

Her 2015 has almost 90k. Surprised they are worn this fast

 

Boot is torn, and flung grease on the inside of the tire and lower control arm. Not sure if the joint are fully blown out, or if I could change just the boots and re grease. Would you use just generic boots?

 

yep. Weird but only you knownher driving style.

 

Being 10 years old, jack up the front end by the frame to unload the suspension, then check if the cam bolts will turn. If cam bolts are seized, replace only the ball joints. If cam bolts are free to rotate, replace the whole arms.

 

If the cam bolts are seized, its time to cut them out and replace everything (cam bolts and lca) so you can maintain alignment and get rid of the slop in the lca. I recommend SPC cam bolt kit.

 

No. If cam bolts are seized but the bushings are OK, leave as-is and replace the ball joints in-situ. The SPC cam bolt design is crap - the D-shaped holes round out in short order and cause alignment to drift. OEM cam bolts are designed differently, but quite expensive.

Of course, replacing the ball joints in-situ takes a bit of work as well. Likely need to heat the LCA with a torch while wailing at the ball joint with a BFH, at least that's what the Toyota specialist shop had to do with mine. Their C-clamp style ball joint press couldn't get it out.

 

interesting about SPC cam bolts. Mine have been on for 4 years and never shifted out of alignment. Maybe people are not torquing them to 150 ft lbs as instructed.

 

OP: if Boot is torn, just replace it. Febest has it.

 

My C-clamp style ball joint press got them out. I cleaned and lubed the screw with gear oil and used a 40" long 3/4" drive breaker bar. They let go with a CRACK! A 1/2" drive impact gun did nothing.

 

I bought a set of Moog lower control arms not too long ago for my mustang, replaced them myself and took to alignment shop. They had a ton of play in the ball joints, way worse than than the worn out ones I replaced. Talk about a hard lesson learned. I will never buy their Chinese product again, I still have them in Chinese box they came in. I used Moog several year ago before they sold out to China and they were good, not anymore.
If your considering Moog, simply go out into the garage and beat your head on the wall a few times to save time. Hello

 

i guess they dont make them like they used to. My 2021 versions were nice a snug, no play. I guess the lesson is, if you can afford the oem from the dealer or reputable toyota parts place, go with them.

 

Rock Auto lists 10 aftermarket lower ball joint choices for a 2015 4Runner.

 

I always thought moog was a good aftermarket choice, but I've definitely heard not good things lately

 

I bought a new boot, I'm gonna check the ball joint to see if it's still good, and if so just replace the boot for the time being

 

Didn't even know you could replace just the boot.

 

Cool I don't even look at rock auto because they tried to charge me $500 shipping on brake parts to Hawaii.