I installed SPC control arms on my 2000 Land Cruiser June of last year. Fast forward 1 year & 4200 miles later (I know I should drive it more) and I get a video from the shop doing my annual state inspection showing excessive play in both upper ball joints. Any thoughts? Did I miss something & install incorrectly? I keep them well greased. I find it hard to believe they both failed in such a short period of time. It sees little off-road use other than some logging trails during hunting season. It has a 2.5” OME lift with dif drop. Had it aligned following upper control arm installation & it’s spot on. New ball joints are relatively cheap & easy to replace I just don’t want to make a habit out of it.
SPC Ball Joint Failure (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Cove
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Trunk Monkey
Moderator
Post the video, wondering what they're calling excessive play.
- Thread starter
- #3
Wanted to post the video but don’t think I’m able to.
Upload to YouTube and post a link here.
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- #5
Eyedaho
SILVER Star
I agree. There's a wide spectrum when it comes to how much ball play is too much.
The newer version of the SPC balljoints have a spring washer in them so there is some minor movement that is to be expected. But 4k miles is way to early for a failure- unless you drive washboard or rocks everyday. So either you have a poor assessment, or an unusual condition that led to failure: like they way they were set up, or a defective ball joint. Id reach out to SPC tech support.
Did you notice any driveability issues- wobbly steering- front end vibes etc?
Did you notice any driveability issues- wobbly steering- front end vibes etc?
I have had them for 7 years with no issues. Seems odd.
- Thread starter
- #10
I had the tech show me the play. D side movement is nothing more than the internal spring. P side has significant vertical movement and radial play. I've reached out to SPC & will be replacing the P side this weekend.
Are these the redesigned ball joints or the older? New ones have a grease zerk.
I have a suspicion that my D side might be shot as well. They only have about 5k miles on them. I've done a fair amount of off roading but didn't expect them to fail. What's the easiest way to test and check for movement? Also, did SPC replace yours or did you have to but a new one?
Will need to replace the BJs in my SPC UCAs as well. I've had them on for ~30k miles? They've been making noise for a good while. Some pretty heavy wheeling has been involved. It's not been uncommon to need an alignment immediately following a wheeling trip because I left the trail with front likes like this / II \
Kind of disappointing that they don't hold their position, but maybe it's not realistic to expect a component with the ability to move... to not move.
I'll try one round of replacement BJs. If they don't perform as needed, I'll just switch out the arms for something fixed with the extra caster built in.
For anyone curious, the part number for the BJs from SPC for the SPC arms is #25002. I found this to be the best pricing for a pair: SPC Performance Replacement Ball Joint on SPC Arms 25455/25465/25480/25590, 25002
Kind of disappointing that they don't hold their position, but maybe it's not realistic to expect a component with the ability to move... to not move.
I'll try one round of replacement BJs. If they don't perform as needed, I'll just switch out the arms for something fixed with the extra caster built in.
For anyone curious, the part number for the BJs from SPC for the SPC arms is #25002. I found this to be the best pricing for a pair: SPC Performance Replacement Ball Joint on SPC Arms 25455/25465/25480/25590, 25002
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See post #7
You can test by using a pry bar to check for remarkable play. At 5k its prob something else.
I think 30-50k+ should be reasonable life expectancy; that is depending on how hard and where you drive your truck, as well as how much lift and wheel/ tire size
Understanding that I'm running bigger tires and putting my truck through its paces pretty well, would that same ~30k lifespan be expected using an OEM BJ as well?
$130 annually for new BJs isn't the end of the world, but IMO, it sure is pretty inconvenient.
$130 annually for new BJs isn't the end of the world, but IMO, it sure is pretty inconvenient.
Challenge is , OEM aren't available, and cannot provide the working angles the SPC do- so there's a trade off. I think replacing annually would be excessive for me and I might look to another UCA option. IDK- you might squeeze some aded life from them if maybe dial back your caster a bit- and check your front end height ( fender lip to center of grease cap 21.5"+/-) and slow your pace..
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I dunno. I think 30k for aftermarket BJs is really good considering what we put them through. I have been giving the ones on my 200 hell for a while now and have had no issues. I’ve had some hits that sheared off the alignment tabs on the lower control arms but no BJ problems yet. (I torque the BJs to 200 ft-lbs) It would be understandable if I did though and I would not be upset considering what I’ve put them through.
I agree with @abuck99 . We have to expect and plan for compromises with aftermarket components. The fact that they are so easy to change goes along ways with me.
maxamillion2345
Franken-80
30k is abysmal, 5k is horrid. Even 60k would be a disappointment. If I have to replace the bjs in my dobinsons before 100k I’d be surprised.
maxamillion2345
Franken-80
My dobinsons take 555 sankei bjs and some aftermarket arms take OEM tundra bjs, might be worth looking into but Id expect more than 30k out of SPCs bjs regardless.
Challenge is , OEM aren't available, and cannot provide the working angles the SPC do- so there's a trade off. I think replacing annually would be excessive for me and I might look to another UCA option. IDK- you might squeeze some aded life from them if maybe dial back your caster a bit- and check your front end height ( fender lip to center of grease cap 21.5"+/-) and slow your pace..
Maybe I'm mistaken, but aren't there a few after market UCA options that take OEM Tundra BJs?
IMO, that's probably where I'll end up.
