lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

mods , if you can leave here for a day or 2


folks, i finally decidied to change my front lower ball joints this morning, kinda woke up this morning feeling exceptionally blessed and good so i dove into the front end ..


took me all of 30 mins to do both sides .. you should have seen my drivers side joint. once i removed it , it nearly fell apart in my hands.. the entire joint was busted and bobbling around. i did not use a pickle fork. i have a good stock of tools in my home garge , air compressor etc etc ,so i used a good pitman arm puller and popped the tie rod ends off in like 30 seconds , then popped the ball joint out in about 5 mins.. now i have only 65k on my 99 and my car was born and driven in south flotida all its life.. i bought her with barley 40k miles on her 2 yrs ago..


the reason for this post is, i cant beleive how tight my front end got, it feels like a brand new car again in the front end.. tight , responsive , AND NO SHIMMY , OR VIBRATIONS ..gone , completely gone .. smooth as silk..i have all possible susp braces and coilovers and running a 2in + drop up front with 19in and smooth as glass now..


my theory which i always suspected is , we put a tremendous amount of stree on outr front ends with 19-20in wheels , stiff/firm coilovers and big brakes .. the energy has to be transferred/absorbed somewhere.. well it finds itself down to your ball joints and tie rod ends rather quickly..


my advice to those who are getting a understeering , swaying type sensation while driving , on and off again vibrations and shimmy, clicking noise when you sit in car, and just overall bad tracking in the front end , spend the 75 per side get the joints and change them out and spend the extra 80 and get the outer tie rod ends to go with it as well .. after your done get a good wheel alignment and your front end will bring back that smiling feeling again


just wanted to let you guys know for what its worth

jroosh

If you have stock 16" wheels like I do, you probably aren't putting as much stress on the front end but I do have some of those symptoms at 60k miles. Based on how much time you spent doing the work, what do you think it would cost to have the dealership do the work?

GS300Rich

Thanks for the great info. I dont have access to all those tools so has anyone priced what the dealer will charge to do this work I know it will hurt My car is also a 99 and I have about 65k miles on it and I am beginning to feel all the symptoms you described. I think it may be time to do the new ball joints and maybe the tie rod ends, if needed. No the price you quoted was from your local lexus dealer or a vendor here on CL? Also was the $80 for the tie rod ends for each or for both? THanks again for the great info

Rich27

iTrader: (9)

I'm difinitely getting all those symptoms. Everything seems out of place. Not sure if I should take it to Luxury Motorworks or my local mechanic.

chuckb

can the dealer check to see if your ball joints are bad by inspecting them visually or do they have to be taken apart to find out condition?

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Nice info Ed. Too bad you and your tools are not nearby.

stckyfngz

I'll have to second this

I was stunned how much better it felt when I got back in the car

(I think the dealer quoted me something like $550 )

TLW

no pics ???boooo lol

congrats Ed

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

thanks guys


the tools req can be bought at any autozone for under 15 dollars.. the stealership will rape you on the price .. it is in the neighborhood of $500 for them to do it


the tie rod are about 40 each side and ball joints about 75 each side..


i was just driving around town at 100+ and man when i tell you the car just feels so planted .. no swaying or constantly correcting steering just plain smooth and tight


i will post up a pix of the inside of my damaged joint on tues am

edfrsd

Had mine replaced at Luxury MotorWorks .. Fells much better now.

Rich27

iTrader: (9)

How much did they charge you?

I want to go to Luxury Motorowoks, but it's a drive for me.

NT2SHBBY

my lower ball joints were shot when I bought the car with 38k on it(due to NYC roads). I replaced them, along with my strut mounts and my shocks/springs all at the same time.

After the replacement believe it or not, that is when I felt the vibrations off and on..

maybe I should do the tie rods?? anythign else you suggest I change lex??

how bout bushings???

let me know your thoughts

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

if ball joints were bad chances are 80% outer tie rod ends are shot too for the movement in the ball joint will transfer down to the tie rod which is attached to the ball joint assembly

i also changed the castor arms as well a few months ago due to the bushing being cracked and split

SoCalSC4

I have to wonder if bad ball joints contribute to tire wear- I am sure they do. With my car as low as it currently is, it eats the inside of the front tires pretty rapidly, even with the factory camber cams set as positive as we can make them (it's still about -1.8 degrees!). The ball joints likely cause the slight feathering I am seeing on the insides of the front tires...

You have talked me into replacing mine... it's about time for an alignment anyway!

edfrsd

Not too sure, I need to find the receipt. But I had a 90k service dont that day also, so I am unsure of the price. Give them a call tomorrow, Im sure they can give you a quote.