mr_rafi

Hey All!

New here.

I've got a pretty rad 88 p/u that needs some love. I know the upper ball joints are worn, and the driver's side CV is ripped.

Going to place a parts order for the Moog ball joints and the CV.

While I'm there taking things apart, is there anything else that I should go ahead and replace?

Thanks!

RAD4Runner

Before you buy Moog BJ's search first. I heard bad things about Moog.
OEM is not too expensive from Toyota Parts Deal.

old87yota

^^ I agree with RAD4Runner. Moog's quality isn't what it used to be.

See this video from member arlindsay1992 (TheAlexManVideos):


I would also check your tie rod ends while you are in there. See if there is any play in the joints. If there is no play, the tie rod ends should be fine.

If there is play, replace those as well.

Then just have a good look around and see if there is anything out of the ordinary.

High Alt Gold Miner

I recently picked up an '88 pickup as well and have been chasing out all of the Gremlins, one at a time. Kinda fun I must admit. This forum has been extremely helpful. I too had a ripped CV boot and replaced the axle assembly, good advice above. I would add - replace your swaybar links while you're at it. Not expensive, and you'll want to disconnect anyway while you're doing the CV. Mine flat-out broke from corrosion when I tried to remove them. Inexpensive and very easy to do while you're fiddling around down there.

mr_rafi

Cool - thanks all!

I'll go OEM all the way, check things out, and see what's next!

gyates93

Just have a look at the front end and replace anything that's loose, check your wheel bearings and repack if necessary. I second using OEM parts, Beck/arnley is OEM for ball joints. Got mine on rockauto for half the price that the dealer wanted. Definitely have the sway bar links on hand, I had to cut mine to get them out. Also have a look at your steering stabilizer, if it's worn out you may find your truck wandering or following ruts in the road.

89fourrunner

Did the CV just rip? Outer? I ask because you can do a "EZ boot" if the grease is still present. I would rather save an OEM cv than replace it with a chinese one. I did this years ago and the joint lasted. It is still on the truck. If the joint is already dry from the elements then it may be time to replace it.

People frown about installing a quick boot but CV joints are not magic...if the grease is present then it is still okay to reboot. It is also extremely easy to do on this truck because there is so much room to work down there.

I second grabbing some beck/arnley ball joints as they seem to be the AISIN OEM. "Sankai 555" are also bullet proof. I don't know what happened to TheAlexMan with that.

Finally, the upper ball joints seem to be replaced on these things more than the lower, and it is usually for one reason: No "mechanics" know how to grease them anymore. To grease them the suspension must be off the ground, with the upper control arms resting onthe droop stops. Grease will pump easily into them. On the ground they are loaded and one will think they are greasing them, but they are not greasing them at all.

If you do the lower ball joints get some 90 degree zerks.

gyates93

This for sure. Make sure they're oriented in the correct direction so that they can be accessed by a grease gun.

RAD4Runner

Got my OEM BJs from Toyota Parts Deal. I think for good price.
No to Beck-Arnley FOR CRITICAL PARTS.
I've had experience with its poor quality. B-A ignition switch blew apart as I was installing it. Assembly was not pressed together properly and when I called the company it would not cover under warranty. I threw that away and bought OEM from Toyota Parts Deal.

Yes, partly due to poor greasing. But mostly I think it is because the upper BJ is the major load-bearing BJ. The weight of the truck rests on it. The lower BJ does not support much vertical element of the weight but simply holds the knuckle vertical and follows the upper BJ as it moves.

EXCELLENT POINT on greasing! Thanks. When the truck is on the ground it would be more difficult for grease to penetrate into the contact area where the weight rests because it is getting compressed.

scope103

As soon as the boot tears, you're not just flinging out grease, you're sucking in sand. So what you have is now "grinding paste." And those cherished OEM CVs are being steadily turned into filings.

Using an "easy boot" doesn't save much (if any) work over replacing the half-shafts -- as long as you know the "secret." (I only call it a secret because so many folks on this forum seem to have missed it.) To remove the half-shafts, you MUST compress the suspension as though the truck were sitting on the ground. Then the half-shafts will come right out. If the wheels are dangling, the angle is wrong and they will never come out. Do it correctly, and you don't need to remove the ball joints or shock absorbers or take a sledge hammer to the tulip joint.

I've replaced the boots themselves before, and I've given up on that. It's an awful, messy, job, and you can buy a professionally rebuilt half-shaft for about the same price as the two boots you need to buy (the outer boot, which is the one that usually tears, comes off over the inner end, so you need both boots). Yeah, yeah, it's possible to get a bad rebuilt (hasn't happened to me, but I'm sure it can happen), but I'd rather have one professionally checked and rebuilt than one that someone let swim in sand for a few years. Your choice.