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Balljoint time, 4x4 any suggestions?

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Need a bolt size ASAP

Is my OH comp. toast?

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97 4x4, right side only, 125,000 miles.



Money is no object,:rolleyes: what is the best brand out there?



Would you guys change both sides, figuring the other is sure to go soon?

Anyone get into a nightmare chnaging them?

Thanks,

Gene
 
Go with Moog ball joints. Quality stuff, and both uppper and lower are greasable. (a small 90 degree zirc has just enough clearance on the upper to remain in place) You'll pay the most for Mopar replacements but wind up with the same questionable items you have now.

I would replace all 4 and also do the steering U-joints while in there, as the stub axles have to come out to get the knuckles off. You may find, as I did that some of the cross ends have started to brinell.



As a matter of fact I did have the oft posted nightmare of removing the one-piece hub/rotors on my 95. That is the most difficult part of the job IMO. With luck yours will easily separate. Otherwise you will need a LARGE puller. Using longer 14mm bolts in place of the attachment pieces for the hub in the back to pound on with a 3 lb hammer also can get it off. A heathy bath of your favorite rust buster(liquid wrench, PB, Kroil) on the big axle nut, the 4 bolts that hold the hub to the knuckle and the ball joint nuts, about a day before starting the job helps. A decent impact wrench removes the axle nut.



Be careful sliding the stub axles out and cover the splines with bearing grease before re-installing helps avoid gooning the axle seals.

Otherwise it's straightforward. Good luck



Tim
 
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Oh, man I hope your wheel bearings come out easier than mine did. I had to COMPLETELY distory mine to get them off. That is the only time I have had to use a 15 pound sledge hammer on my truck. It took some serious amounts of blood, sweat, and tears to get thos f*$%ing POS's off. Good luck! :{
 
Moog, that's the way to go. I honestly doubt there is a better brand out there for steering parts. If there is, we'd all sure like to know.
 
Gene, I just picked up all four (upper and lower both side) at NAPA, with the zerk fittings, for around $140. 00 there sitting on the back seat waiting for me to get the time and Balls to attempt the job.



Scott,
 
Has any body got a puller ??? the one the show in the service manual. How much does the stealer want for it. I think you can rent them also.



Scott
 
ball joints

I paid an alignment shop $460 part s & labor to do the upper & lower, L & R ball joints and the axle shaft u-joints while they had it apart. Well worth the money to watch somebody else fight those things. And I've got greasable Moogs everywhere now.
 
Originally posted by Sled Puller
97 4x4, right side only, 125,000 miles.

Money is no object,:rolleyes: what is the best brand out there?

Would you guys change both sides, figuring the other is sure to go soon?
Anyone get into a nightmare chnaging them?
Thanks,
Gene

I had a lower b-joint fail at 93K. Replaced all four. And since it had to come apart, I had the ujoints replaced as well. And with it *that* far apart, with some fliud leaking out, I had the seals replaced, too.

At least i won't have to be concerned with the front axle for another 100K miles.

Moog are generally the best parts you can get. Since you'l be tearing enough stuff apart to do the ball joints, you might as well replace the other 'wear items', and examine the bearings, seals and diff.

Now don't you be usin' none o' that sintetic grease in them new joints. You know it'll cause 'em to wear out and fail in a tousan' miles. :) :) :)

Now that'd be ironic, if we turned one of *Gene's* threads into a grease war! But please don't do so! It would be nice to have a modicum of harmony here for at *least* a few weeks. :) The previous paragraph is meant only to elicit chuckles. I use Amsoil Series 2K (or 3K) grease on my truck.

Fest3er
 
You can borrow the puller from Auto Zoned. I used a Snap-On from a friend and it took 15 minutes of pounding to get the bearing out. Wear thick gloves or your wrists will be sore from the vibes.



I also had fun getting the lower ball joint out of the knuckle. Tried heat, new swear words and a big pickle fork with a 5# hammer. No go. Ended up placing the 5# on the back side of the knuckle and striking the front with a 3#. It fell right out! Then I got to sit there with a :rolleyes: on my face...



Did I mention a big pickle fork? Yes, I did! As I recall (check against the new parts) you will need a 1 1/4" opening to get the joints seperated.



Enjoy!



BTW, if the axle is stuck in the bearing, you could remove them together and play with them on the workbench. Also, If you have damaged brake shields, now is the time to replace, they're about $12 on discount.
 
I just did the Moog Ball Joints on both right and left on my 97 this past Saturday. I used a pneumatic hammer with a 1/2" square drive bit in it. Loosen all four 12 point bolts halfway out, then shock them with the impact hammer and it will walk that hub out. Make sure you wire wheel all the surfaces and grease them well before you reinstall. It only took me 5 hours to do all four of them, the U joints, all four shocks, the new mag hytec cover up front and drain and refill the rear diff. Just be careful when reinstalling the right side axle. It will leak for a while even if you do it right.
 
What size nut?

Since I'll have to go buy the socket what size is the axle nut?



DieselB59: could you be more specific on shocking the half way out bolts?



BigBad: Where is Rohnert Park?



Anybody got part #s for all these things?

I've got one bad lower ball joint but as everyone here agrees,I may as well change out everything... on that one side anyway.

I've already got a tie rod on order.



Anyone near Santa Maria wanna help?



Jay
 
To be specific, I shock the entire hub assembly loose by first unscrewing the 12 point fasteners about halfway. I then take my pneumatic hammer and put in the chuck a bit that looks like a 1/2 inch drive square, like what you'd put a socket on if it were on a ratchet. Snap On sells them. On the square end, I put a 9/16 12 point 1/2 inch drive socket and I put a lot of weight behind it directly onto the halfway loose 12 point fasteners. I burp them equally in crosswise pattern and the stuck hub begins to walk out from the knuckle. Once they're out I make sure to wire wheel all the contact surfaces and put some heavy truck grease onto all those contact surfaces before installing them, so that they'll just drop free if I ever have to disassemble them again.
 
Thanks dieselB59:

I was confusing the impact hammer with an impact wrench.



Rohnert Park is a bit Far.



Still waiting on the nut size.



Jay
 
I'm almost positive that the nut size is 1-3/4. I'll check which chrome socket I abused tomorrow at work and post tomorrow night to confirm unless someone beats me to it.
 
I believe the nut is 1-11/16". Can anybody confirm?



By the way for the 12pt bolts the 14mm 12pt socket is a better fit than the 9/16. Got this pointer from a brake person.
 
Carquest balljoints are made by Moog, $160.

Carbomet brakes- $43

New Springs??

new seals, bearings U-joints, turn rotor, etc$?$?$?



I don't have time,(and have enough headaches!) have a good shop lined up, going to pop in a new set of springs to get my fenderwell off of my 315s anyway.

Thanks for the input, you guys swayed me from doing it myself, and the springs pushed me over.



Gene:D
 
Pep boys sells Perfect Circle ball joints. A subsidiary of Dana.

Hey, If it's Dana it's Dana right?

Uppers $31. 99

Lowers $39. 99

Still waiting on confirmation of the hub nut size.

THX

Jay
 
Acually it is 1 11/16s

My boy and I took it apart today and the hub nut is 1 11/16s.



The lower ball joint nut was fun. 1 5/16s works but I get the impression it is mm. 33 or maybe 34. went looking for sockets today and only found 32 (too small) and 36 which I knew to be too large.

Took the knuckle to the Co. garage today but the press there is too cumbersome to r&r the ball joints from the knuckle. Aside from taking them to a shop, do the parts stores (Kragen etc. ) know enough to rent me the proper tools?



Jay



P. S. I guess my vise and a short piece of 2 1/2 in. pipe might do the trick?
 
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