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mountainhick
04-28-2014, 02:46 PM
Front end time... Any preferences for ball joint and front suspension bushing brands for previas?



Successes/horror stories?

TheMAN
04-28-2014, 10:59 PM
I stick to OEM Toyota if I care to keep driving the thing till the wheels fall off
otherwise, I'd go with Beck/Arnley

no, not a fan of Moog... that stuff is for good ol' boys domestics with crude leaky zerk grease fittings that are a pain to deal with

mountainhick
04-29-2014, 09:09 AM
Ah well, didn't see your post in time. Moogs are on order.

Oh, I don't mind pumping a little grease each oil change. Does that make me a good ol boy? :rol:

Boomyal
05-02-2014, 07:25 PM
..... Oh, I don't mind pumping a little grease each oil change. Does that make me a good ol boy? :rol:......

If you'd have been able to do that from the get-go, you probably would not be faced with having to replace them.

TheMAN
05-03-2014, 02:31 AM
if you had to do that, then it wouldn't have lasted 200k+ miles, but crap out in less than half that
sealed for life ball joints are far better than greaseable ones good ol' boys love

Boomyal
05-03-2014, 10:30 AM
if you had to do that, then it wouldn't have lasted 200k+ miles, but crap out in less than half that
sealed for life ball joints are far better than greaseable ones good ol' boys love

Toyota made provisions for installing zerk fittings in their OEM ball joints, tie rod ends and U-joints. I ran a large Toyota Parts Dept back in the mid eighties. We would sell the shop grosses of zerks that were being installed on mid mileage vehicles.

mountainhick
05-03-2014, 01:00 PM
it wouldn't have lasted 200k+ miles,

Not sure where that came from. 144K on this vehicle, not 200K+ miles.


I don't have a bias one way or the other. Just want parts that work and last. Duke it out guys!

Boomyal
05-03-2014, 06:03 PM
.....Duke it out guys!.....


No duking necessary mountainhick. It is a known fact that whether sealed or not, grease dries out and retracts back away from the contact surfaces. Once that begins to ocurr, (mid, high miles and time) a little extra grease shot into them will prolong their life.

I suspect that is why our oriental friends made all those joints with removable plugs, to be able to install zerk fittings.

TheMAN
05-05-2014, 01:20 AM
the thing is, there are ZERO removable plugs by the time the previa came out in 1990

Boomyal
05-05-2014, 09:23 AM
the thing is, there are ZERO removable plugs by the time the previa came out in 1990

that is disappointing. I just assumed they carried on that tradition. My '91 (23 years old now, eek!) has 140k on it and I was counting on having that done soon.

mountainhick
05-05-2014, 11:51 AM
They arrived. made in Japan and sealed. no zerks.

mountainhick
06-06-2014, 04:42 PM
Received Beck Arnley #101-4508 front control arm bushings ordered on line. Not too pleased. Two differently manufactured parts in two different boxes. Looks like an older one is better made with heavier gauge steel inner tube but rubber is considerably firmer than the other, and the newer bore does not look well centered in the rubber. Concerned on both counts.

I bit the bullet and ordered OEM. these B/A are going back

timsrv
06-06-2014, 04:56 PM
There's a German company called Febest that's been flooding the market with bushings for all types of vehicles. I haven't tried them yet but have heard good reviews. Most people say they are better than OEM. They are priced well and easy to get (Amazon has them even). Not sure how to look them up for specific vehicles though. I took a quick peek but didn't see anything listed as specific to Previas. I'm guessing they make them though (they seam to make them for everything else). Tim

mountainhick
06-06-2014, 05:02 PM
Ah sheesh! Just after I spent triple what febest would cost

timsrv
06-06-2014, 10:16 PM
I bit the bullet and ordered OEM. these B/A are going back

Lol, looks like you edited your post above to add this statement at 2:54 pm. At that moment I was typing and hit enter at 2:56 pm. You must have asked your question then purchased OEM in the space of 10 minutes :lol:. I only laugh because it sounds exactly like what I would do :wnk:.

Other than a little pain in the pocket book you can't go wrong with OEM. Who knows if the Febest are all people make them out to be. I did some research on this company when they started flooding the market & couldn't find anything bad about them. I did however find people leaving reviews like "better than stock" "thicker/more solid metal parts", etc. Of course what we don't know is how the rubber will hold up. Time will tell I guess. Next time I purchase bushings I think I'll try these. Tim

mountainhick
06-06-2014, 10:27 PM
Impulsive it was, though not without forethought.

How about that dancing banana? :dance2:

timsrv
06-06-2014, 11:32 PM
:LOLabv:

psychedelicode
06-11-2014, 06:00 PM
I just did my entire front end minus the tie rod ends. I still have to order those. I ordered the kyb gr-2 struts, and the matching shocks for the rear, The moog BJ's, empi CV's, timken bearings (only after they blew 800mi after installing the CV's. I over torqued the wheel nut so the cotter would go in), and a new knuckle from the local toyota dealer because a bolt broke off in the old one.
The kybs are great! I like them much better than the monroes I put in five years ago when it was still owned by my friend.
The front end was sounding like it was going to fall apart whenever I hit a crack in the road. It was terrible. Now I cant hear a thing out of the suspension no matter what I hit.

I agree that the factory Toyota ball joints are best. When I had my 87 4runner, I lived up the side of a mountain with the nearest pavement 40 miles away. I had tried becks, moogs, delcos. They barely made it a year. I went an paid $87 a piece at the local toyota dealer (there were 4 on that truck).
I dont live up the side of a mountain anymore, and my van is rusting apart so I figured moogs would be fine for me.

TheMAN
06-13-2014, 01:11 AM
the KYB gas-a-just rear monotube shocks are way better than the GR-2s... they have lasted much longer than the GR2 front struts have