3rd Gen Owner

I recently purchased a 96 SR5 4WD, and I would love some advice. It currently needs some front end work, upper and lower ball joints (right side failed), CV axles, Brake lines, ABS sensor, etc, and I am wondering where I should go OEM, where I should upgrade, and where I can go budget. Also wondering where the best places to get parts are, stealership, ebay, etc. Any tips? Getting it moving quickly is #1 priority since it isn't drivable until I get the front right wheel attached again. I'm on a budget, but I don't want to waste money on cheap parts that break. Thanks in advance!

 

welcome

 

Moog is generally a good cheaper option for balljoints and tie rods and such.

OEM for CV axles

I did Stainless Steel brake lines on my 4th gen, but for other brake components i would stick with OEM. Pads and rotors can be OEM or a reputable brand like Brembo or Powerstop... whatever is cheaper.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Those ball joints are under tension, the weight of the vehicle is pulling the ball joint out of its socket and when the ball joint fails the front end collapses.

For this particular application the ONLY one i recommend is the OEM ball joint. They are by far stronger than every aftermarket available. This same design is used on the 2000-2006 Tundra and with their extra weight, they wear ball joints out much faster than the Tacoma and 4R that use this design. The general consensus on the Tundra pages, with all the failures that have been recorded over the years is that the:
OEM ball joints will go 120,000-200,000 before they fail.
Moog ball joints will go 50,000-80,000 before they fail.
The cheap auto zone ball joints will go 30,000-80,000 before they fail.

In the lower ball joints i would ONLY use the OEM ball joints because they are built to a different standard and outlast the aftermarkets by double or more. This is on the much heavier Tundra, so the mileage will likely be much higher on the 4Runner but the same principle applies. The cheaper the part, the shorter its lifespan.

Ourisman and Fred Anderson Toyota are the cheapest places to get Toyota parts online.
Occasionally you find deals on NOS (New Old Stock) parts from dealers on Ebay but sometimes you are actually buying scams and look-alike parts. There is a LOT of that going around on Ebay now, they have the boxes copied and packaging copied to look like OEM Toyota but they are using cheap parts. For this reason you should NOT trust Ebay for mission critical parts like the lower ball joints.

The CVaxle is less mission critical, you can use an auto parts store brand with little to no worries. Same with brake lines. The only mission critical would be the lower ball joint and i would ONLY use OEM Toyota. These two websites below have deep discounts on OEM parts, these two are the highest online discount you will find. 31% and 32% off retail.

https://autoparts.fredandersontoyota.com/
https://toyotaparts.ourismantoyotaofrichmond.com/

 

Welcome

 

Welcome

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

Thanks to you all...