I’m getting ready to swap in new front wheel bearings on my LX. It has newer SPC UCAs installed by a Toyota dealer. I’ve been getting a clunking / thud noise in the front and when I hit bumps / potholes. Sounds like a wheel is going to fall off. I’ve checked everything except ball joints. Only think loose I could find is the u-joint on lower steering shaft. I plan to replace that after I get new wheel bearings in. While truck is on stands, I plan to tighten the ball joint castle nut to spec (45 ft lbs of I recall correctly). Does the adjusting nut on top of ball joint / control arm need to be checked also? If so, anyone know torque spec? I’m suspect of the ball joints b/c the original installing dealer didn’t get control arms tightened to spec and I had to take to a shop 100 miles away to get that problem diagnosed. I’m not sure if that shop checked the ball joints.
Checking torque on SPC UCA ball joints (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Indiana80
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For the nut on top of the ball joint on the SPC, you want at least 150 lbs on it. Honestly get it as tight as you possibly can. They're known to slip a little if under tightened and throwing off alignment.
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- #3
The dealer must have thrown away paper install instructions and I can probably find them online, but I seem to recall 150 ft lbs on adjusting nut. Thank you.
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- #5
Oh, wow…200 ft lbs. I’d better be careful I don’t pull the truck off the stands at that torque setting! Thank you!
Glad to see that posted. Iirc SPC may have called for a lower figure earlier and updated due to the feedback. 200 is even better.
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Yeah I thought 200 was surprising too, I remembered 150 as well but can’t find it anywhere. I just used a 3ft breaker bar and put all I had into it lol
Many years ago, I learned about a trick on here to keep SPC ball joints from working loose. I scratched the powder coat down on the ball joint contact area with the upper control arm so that the ball joint parts and UCA have a near metal-to-metal contact. No powder coat or paint under the adjusters to crush under pressure. Note that I do not live in a rust area.
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- #9
I’ll do the adjusting nuts with the tires still on the ground. My only concern will be my nuts getting adjusted. 200 ft lbs isn’t bad to reach with a big torque wrench. Seems like my radius arms on my 80 series were something around 200 ft lbs and I had to reach that laying under the truck. I recall bursting a blood vessel in my eye on that project.
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- #10
Unfortunately I do live in a rust area. Currently the body and frame are 99% rust free and I soak the underside of all our winter-driven vehicles in fluid film a couple times per year.
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- #11
I got my SPC UCAs in Feb 2024 from Slee. They have the sealed upper ball joint. I found instructions from SPC for 2023 and 2024 sealed ball joint versions. The 2023 calls for 150 for lbs on adjusting nut and the 2024 calls for 200 ft lbs. Can anyone on here tell me if I have the 2023 or 2024 variant, or should I just set to 200 ft lbs? Picture attached of my UCA…
Go 200. I've had both versions of the ball joint, and the only one that slipped was at 150lbs (earlier version) I haven't had an issue with the new version at 200lbs.
I suspect the newer instructions say 200 because everyone was having trouble with them at 150 previously.
I suspect the newer instructions say 200 because everyone was having trouble with them at 150 previously.
Does anyone have the replacement part number for the ball joint alone?
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The fitment is for part number specific arms, so just verify fitment to your control arm part number.
