Zolgar

So, when I took my T100 in and was told the pitman arm and idler arm needed to be replaced, I was also informed that my front balljoints (which I assume are the only ball joints?) needed to be replaced sometime in the seminear future too.

After looking at what it takes to do this, and the fact that I cannot have my truck down for more than at most a weekend, I'm not going to try and tackle the change myself, however, I'm also not just going to blindly hand the mechanic the money and say "replace them."

So the first question is:
What brands of parts are good, and what brands should I avoid? Obviously, I use this truck for offroading, so I want quality parts in it.
The pitman arm and idler arm are both Moog, as the research I did prior to buying them (and prior to finding this place) indicated they were one of the better brands on the market, so I was considering going with Moog again.

And the second question I know is a stupid one:
Are balljoints sold individually or as a pair?
I know they are sold by upper and lower, but I didn't see a R/L indicator, or an indicator that they were sold individually or as a pair... and I would rather look stupid asking, then not get what I need the first time. >.>

Thanks fer putting up with me being uneducated

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Ball joints are the same left to right, but differ upper and lower.

Moog makes good parts, so does Toyota

yotaman85

get the toyota parts. if you want cheaper then with the lifetime warranty stuff at your local auto parts store.

874runnersr5

ask him to give you your old parts back to.... doing the front end is pretty easy... im sure you could tackle it

Zolgar

I'm sure I could.
If I had the right tools and wasn't working in the dirt in the 100+ degree weather of a Tucson summer. >.>

I'm not one of those people who's lucky enough to have a garage I can work in, or even a concrete driveway.

... Also, with the fact that the pitman arm was so stuck I broke tools trying to pull it.. I'm guessing the balljoints will be pretty bad too.

Anyhow, thanks fer the infos.

There's no way I'll go with the cheap parts. I learned from a young age that if you want something to last and be reliable, you buy the good stuff (which is why I have a Toyota that cost $4500, instead of a Jeep that cost $2000 >.>)
So if the mechanic uses stock parts, I'll probably go with their parts (dependign on the price), if they use some random off brand I'll buy Moog or Toyota, whichever I can get a better price on. (Looks like Moog will be a little under $200 for all 4 through where I found the best prices.)

Time for another stupid question:
What's the point of keeping the bad balljoints?

pruney81

If he gives you the old parts then you'll know he actually changed them out and if they were even bad or not. I'm just guessing that was his reasoning.

cws9685

go with moog or toyota mine has all original part 235,000 on them that just goes to show good toyota is but check and see if they are bad first by jacking it up by the cross member under your front diff so your tires drop then shack them top to bottom and side to side and see if you have any play in anything

swampfox

if i am not mistaken toyota had a recall on the t-100 4x4 for for a front end component. a friend of mine took his t-100 in for the recall and the dealership gave him a pretty good deal on other front end work. and i think a front end alignment is part of the recall. might be worth a phone call to ask.

morena67

X2 with everything...

streetlancer

iTrader: (1)

x2, but with 292,000 on mine!!

brian2sun

I just did my lower ball joints with Moogs just a few months ago and they are ridiculous. MOOG HAS GONE DOWN THE TUBES! They used to be good quality (I've used many of their parts in the past), but here's my recent experience...
My OEM BJs lasted 13 years before they started cracking/leaking. My brand new Moogs already look like chapped lips and are leaking grease! 13 years compared to 4-5 months... there's definitley some quality control issues at the Moog factory. I thought that "555" made all these parts (Moog, Beck-Arnley, Sankei, and the OEM ones), but apparently not.

Here's the thing that really got me pissy.. They have a 1 yr. warranty but it's only for replacement with another sub-par Moog part (no $$ back whatsoever), and only after you pay for shipping both ways, and all the while your truck is down for 2 weeks +. Only to install another one after waiting and have it blow grease in another few months. I threw $$ down the toilet on Moog and since their warranty is designed to screw you, this is all I can do to fight back. STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GET OEM ONLY!

And BTW, the ball joints were sold separately so it wasn't just a fluke, they are both chapped and leaking.

874runnersr5

ditto