Elless400

I am having a hell of a time breaking loose the two bolts that run through the front lower ball joint.

So much so that I'm thinking they may reverse thread. Mine aren't corroded in the slightest.

So, simple, are they reverse thread? I can't find information on this. (96 LS400)

Thank you all!

valex

No, they are regular bolts.
Try a long breaker bar, 18" at least. Spray penetrating oil and let it work for a few hours (overnight).
If the bolt is getting rounded, you would need a special socket for rounded bolts, it grips bolt harder without slipping as you undo the bolt. You would need new bolts then, as the special socket really chews up bolt heads, but they are rounded to start with anyway.

bradland

Valex is absolutely right but if you are having trouble don't mess with 18" go straight to a 24" breaker bar. It'll make quick work of the problem. Also use a 6 point (not a 12 point) socket if you can.

Elless400

Nice replies. Thanks for thread confirmation.

Yeah, I soaked em' in penetrating oil last week and this week. I tried with an 18 inch breaker already, and promptly ordered a 30 inch in retaliation. I also ordered replacement bolts in case things go sour. 😀

The 24mm nut and the brake calipers came off without much fight, but damn are the 2 lower ball joint bolts tight!

bradland

Wow 30 !!! That's a LOT of torque. Proceed with caution as there is such a thing as too much. A 24" bar will twist a bolt in half if you're not careful.
Good luck

Losiracer2

its best to use an impact gun on them if they're that tight. You don't want to be bending other suspension components unnecessarily. The nice thing about impacts is they don't induce torque on the assembly, just the nut typically

Elless400

I'll definitely be careful.
Yeah I did try my cordless impact wrench, but it's too weak. I should have bought a better one. Every time I don't throw some coin at something it screws me.

Moarpower

Use an airhammer and some heat if its available to you. Made my life easier.

Losiracer2

Oh, no. Yeah, you're going to need a good size air compressor, and 1/2" impact. I've got a 22 gallon 5hp Buffalo tools compressor and IR 2131 impact gun. Not the greatest compressor, but the gun is good quality which I think makes the difference. But I got both for 100 bucks on craigslist, so its a good DIY setup. Working fine for 7 years so far.

Elless400

I popped out the bolts with the breaker bar.

But guess what? The Moog ball joints I bought came with nylock nuts. The first one I tried to seat just kept spinning the joint, even with a good bit of pressure applied to the joint. So I used my impact driver to finish seating it. But the joint spun when trying to actually torque it.

Trash. I backed off the nut with my impact driver then reseated it. Same issue. Back it off again and gave it one last shot. This time nylon shavings came out of the nut.

I didn't feel I could trust the nut to stay on long term at this point, so I grabbed a new nut from the other ball joint and oiled it (I used motor oil). This time I got it seated and torqued without issue. The threads are lubed though, and the more I think about it, the less comfortable I am with it.

The moral of the story? Don't buy aftermarket ANYTHING, EVER. As far as I can tell, it's all trash, regardless the reviews.

bradland

So the Moog part doesn't have a hole through the stud to accommodate a cotter pin and castle nut?

Elless400

No. Just a self locking nut. That would be great if you could actually thread the nut on and torque it without oiling the threads. I know, I know "you can just drill a hole for a cotter pin", but that doesn't sit right with me either. I'm going OEM for peace of mind.

bradland

Man that really stinks! Sorry you had to learn it the hard way.
Shame on you MOOG

Elless400

Yeah. For the LS, Moog is just like any other trash ball joint these days. Oh well. Fortunately it's not a tough job by any stretch, assuming you don't have any stubborn bolts. 😉.

Losiracer2

Yeah, I think Moog really doesn't make good parts for our Lexus LS400s. I looked into them when mine were bad at 253k and even though they were half the price, I didn't take a chance on them and just bought OEM Lexus at the dealer for $145 for the pair. I think moog was $75 on Rockauto plus shipping.

A little embarrassing since I work for Federal Mogul who owns Moog, Fel Pro, Anco, Champion etc. I was about to buy some Moog upper control arms through work but am now considering just replacing the ballpoint boot and regreasing since I think it just tore recently and isn't making any noise. I found out the Lexus Arms are considerably beefier near the ballpoint area. But at 550+ per UCA, I'm not about to spend $1100 on control arms, that's outrageous to me.