ball joint life in general, and sankei 555 ball joints for Yaris

[snowblower]

How long do people typically get out of the original ball joints? I'm considering doing them because I will have the control arms out to replace the bushings. They don't have any detectable play when in the car, but Toyota's spec isn't play. It's a rotational torque limit. I haven't check that.

The car is a 2014 Yaris LE with 290k km (181k miles). It was driven in Canada (winter conditions!). AFAIK the control arms are original.

Does anyone have experience with Sankei 555 ball joints for a 2014 Yaris (or whatever year)? I recognize them as a good brand, but I don't have personal experience with them.

If not Sankei 555, what's a good choce for a Yaris? Toyota don't sell just the ball joint unfortunately.

[WeeYari]

2006 with 390,000km. Original ball joints and bushings.

[snowblower]

Wow. That's great. I'm guessing the ball joints will be fine, then, when I take the arms out. I'll report back when I know. The bushings, however, are well cracked at 290k km. The won't pass a safety inspection that I have to have done on the car.

Originally Posted by WeeYari

2006 with 390,000km. Original ball joints and bushings.

[ex-x-fire]

Toyota ball joints are top notch, I replace a lot of Mazda, Nissan, Kia & Hyundia ball joints. They look like the same size but the just wear out, not on the Toyota though. I don't do many sway bar links either on them.

[komichal]

2007 with 240 000 km. So far I had to change just the sway bar links (they would have lasted longer but I got a pair of quality ones for a funny money) and one ruptured CV joint cover. If only the car was not rusty AF.

[snowblower]

So I removed one of my lower control arms and did the rotational torque test that Toyota specify in their service manual. Which is:

Using a torque wrench, turn the nut continuously at a rate of 2 to 4 seconds per turn and take the torque reading on the 5th turn.

Torque .................... 0.78 to 3.43 Nm (8 to 35 kgf-cm, 6.9 to 30 in-lbf)

And I got under 5 in-lb. The balljoint otherwise feels tight, no play. The car is a 2014 with 292k km (180k miles). When they are in the car there is no noticable play. (I took the control arms out to change the bushings, which are very noticably cracked).

So now I have a condundrum. Replace them, or not?

[snowblower]

My other ball joint has a even lower rotational torque and also has a very small boot tear. The boot tear probably makes the decision. This side of the car also had a bad stabilizer link, so I think it took more of beating (it's the passenger side, left hand drive).

[komichal]

Since you have already taken them out I would replace them.

[snowblower]

I concluded I would replace them. I ordered Moog K-series ball joints (K500118), at $50 CDN each on Rock Auto. I have had really good success with Moog K series suspension parts on other cars, so I'm decided to stick with what I know. I don't like having to grease them regularly, but I can live with it. And just about every other ball joint on the market makes me leary, having seen cheap ball joints get loose way too quickly.

The 555's have a good reputation, but there's also counterfeits (not made in Japan!), and I just don't have retailiers available to me (in Canada) that I trust are going to send me genuine parts. It doesn't help that the retailer that I was considering purchasing from can't do something as simple as reply to inquiries with simple questions such as "where are those ball joints manufactured"?

[snowblower]

The Moog K500118 ball joints installed without problem in my 2014 France built yaris. Time will tell how they hold up....

[bcombel]

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