03gs3

allright gonna do my lbj & tierod, anything else while im in there? thanx in advance. 2003 gs3 160k.

matt21484

I have an 01 GS 300, how can you tell if you need the LBJ or the UCA changed? I was at NTB getting a tire patched and they said my passenger side UCA needed to be replaced. I know that there are tons of forums about the LBJ, but not as much about the UCA, I'd like to test each this weekend and replace if need be. I've never done more than drain and replace the transmission fluid/filter on my Jeep WJ. Only lexus work I've done is oil filter/fluid and air filter. This seems easy enough though. BTW, I have 200K miles and I don't have a clue if either the LBJ, UCA, struts, shocks, tie rods, etc have been replaced.

salimshah

Did mine last night.

Few tips:

Loosen the two bolts (they run vertically up) on the piece that has the ball joint while the vehicle is on the ground. Once the wheels are off the ground, you will need to temporarily put in the tie rod to counter the torque and put pressure on the steering lock.

Loosen the castle nuts to create 1/4" gap. Keep the nut on the ball-joint/te-rod-end and make sure it does not stick up higher than the shaft. Then put the separator tool on and break the joint. Once separated you can undo the threads and clean them off. If you damage the threads too much and the ball joint is spinning freely, you may have to wedge it in again to clean the threads.

Use the pickle to create the room for the ball joint separator.

Thank you all who contributed to this DIY thread.

Salim

AShepherd

200k miles is quite a bit, you should consider getting it changed since 2GS LBJ failures seem to occur commonly at 100k miles if you are running an aftermarket suspension (seems to occur more often if it is aftermarket from posts on this forum)

AutoShepherd.com has the lower ball joints by Beck/Arnley (OE quality) for around $50 each for the 2GS

http://autoshepherd.com/beck-arnley-...all-joint.html

remember to use LEXUS10 to save 10% on the order.

s6arface

this is a great DIY wrirten. i been trying to get more info to see if i should replace my LBJ as well as my tie rods (i saw videos on ways to check and plan on doing it soon (currently at 115k miles). but to your point, i have seen a lot of GS's prior to 2000 with LBJ issues as well. is this somethign that was addressed by lexus for GS's 01 and up? i am currently running everything stock but dont want to run into issues (especially from all the posts from members with their LBJs giving out).

WLGS01

I just lowered my car for over a month now and I just finally placed an order for the ball joints. That clunk is starting to worry me, might be bushings only but I'm slowly hitting 100k. Should get new bushings soon too. Want wheels but I guess safety and a good ride should come first

AugDaug2GS

Good write up. Im doing mine as soon as it cools down a little bit out here in Nor Cal. It's too damn hot!!! Looks pretty simple to do. I can pretty much mess with anything I'm just not certified. Garage Society!!!

shinzgs4

this is a great write-up!! I will be doing this in a few days so this will help me sooo much!! BTW Luis over at Carson Toyota got some great prices for these as well if anyone's planning on doing this soon.

Bmam

Can someone post the part numbers for the lower ball joints and outer tierods please?

shinzgs4

Just finished this install just a couple days ago and this write up was a life saver!! (especially the torque specs.)

For anyone doing this install soon this is my 0.02 I would add (i know some of you added this already but since i just recently did it i might as well):

- Replace the Tie Rods at the same time. I wasn't going to originally but when I was popping out the tie rods, one of the sides punctured at the joint so I had to get it replaced.

- When installing the ball joint, you don't neccessarily have to remove the caliper but just remove the bolt from the bottom part of the caliper bracket and raise the caliper when tightening the tie rod to ball joint bolt. (don't make the mistake i did and try to torque this bolt to 83lbs..... just hand tighten this bolt if you go this route!!)

- tools to keep handy during this install are a torque wrench, power tools (if possible),and a pitman/tie rod puller

any questions feel free to ask while it's still fresh on my mind.

Pakyaw

PLEASE HELP!

I'm having trouble removing these 17mm bolts attached to the knuckle. I'm trying to remove them @ Counter clock wise position from directly below the ball joint looking up but unfortunately it won't budge.

So far I have used the following tools and deadly chemicals:
- Sprayed with CRC Freeze-Off, Gunk Penetrating Oil and, PB Blaster
- Bosch 22612 12-Volt Impactor Cordless Impact Wrench
- Breaker bar

If anyone can assist I would truly appreciate it!

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

There is no need for a puller, pickle fork, or any craziness like that...

the easiest way to remove the tie rod end from the ball joint piece, is to simply hit it with a hammer, no, not the threaded part, in fact, you don't hit the tie rod end part at all, you hit the ball joint extension - one or two solid blows and the tie rod will fall right out... once you have the tie rod end out, repeat the process with the ball joint itself... there is no need for a pitman arm puller, unless you are pulling a pitman arm - notice the name... pickle forks are terrible - they destroy boots and can also actually damage the joint as well...

Seriously, I either do, or supervise replacement of these parts on a daily basis, no less than 5-10 a day, and we NEVER use a pitman arm puller, except when we need to pull a pitman arm...

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

for those that doubt me, here ya go:
Makes ya feel kinda silly using one of those pitman arm pos's, when this is all it takes...

Blanco

iTrader: (8)

SWEET!! Going to try do these this weekend.

boosteddsm

I must have been doing something wrong then, this didn't work for either side, ball joint or tie rod. Ended up using pickle forks, worked great, didn't care about the boots/joints since I was putting all new ones on anyway.