05 4runner upper ball joint replacement WTF! (1 Viewer)

[Slow85]

First off not my first replacement of a ball joint. Dad’s 05 4runner said he had some play in the front end. Truck has 400k I do all the work on it. I have replaced the ball joints a few times upper and lowers. He brings it over with some upper BJ’s I order him awhile back. I determined the passenger was bad (doing both anyway) started on the passenger side got it off had to be pressed out the top. Opens up the parts and went to put it in and hmm strange! Different design than what came out. What came out was a top load press down. These look to be a bottom load press up. So ouch must be wrong Japan 555 p/n on box SB-3842 2 pcs. So I orders 2 more from Napa had to use 2 different stores so one store got another SB-4841 bottom load. And the 2nd store got a SB-3841 Top load. The boot on the top load has part number 76-35631-60. The boot on the bottom load has p/n 76-38832-60. So did the design change have any of you install a bottom load upper ball joint. Have this even happened I don’t see anywhere on the web of a bottom load design for the 3rd gen.

 

[Slow85]

So I tried to install the press from the bottom and could not get the correct configuration of spacers to fit my tool. So I used the press from the top same as what was in there. I removed the upper control arm and put it in a vice and installed the press down style. Packed the boot with more grease. Installed the lock run and installed the boot. The supplied boot lock wire ring is tricky take your time and roll it around like threading a nut.

 

[Slow85]

Boot and wire.

 

[taxz]

nice. any reason you did all this instead of putting an aftermarket on?

 

[Slow85]

nice. any reason you did all this instead of putting an aftermarket on?

Well yea the truck has a mild 2.5” lift. 5100 and 885s up front and 2” all pro lift coils in the rear and 33s.. And the alignment is good well has been good for 350k+. So in my opinion the aftermarket uppers are junk unless your talking about Total Chaos or the SBC adjustable. I have had both, and put 100s of thousands of miles them. They both serve a purpose and this is not it. So on a high mileage daily I always try to run factory parts. “Chrome don’t get you home toyota parts will”!

 

[Slow85]

I added some new extended travel shocks and new sway bar end links so my dads truck will ride nice and tight!

 

[taxz]

Well yea the truck has a mild 2.5” lift. 5100 and 885s up front and 2” all pro lift coils in the rear and 33s.. And the alignment is good well has been good for 350k+. So in my opinion the aftermarket uppers are junk unless your talking about Total Chaos or the SBC adjustable. I have had both, and put 100s of thousands of miles them. They both serve a purpose and this is not it. So on a high mileage daily I always try to run factory parts. “Chrome don’t get you home toyota parts will”!

there may have been some big changes in the market since you last looked, but SPCs are not what they once were, tons of ball joints failing prematurely, and TC are just way too expensive.