2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Is this reasonable for a frontend rebuild?

[BNeathery]

Closing in on 98K, ball joints, track bar and steering stabilizer are wore out. A local mechanic quoted me $1100. 00 the replace all with aftermarket parts (lifetime warranty) and grease zerks on the upper and lower. He said I have been lucky to get as many miles as I have, that mine are bad but not as bad as most he sees. As far as doing the job myself I do not have the tools, also would not want to screw it up... Is this a fair price?... Thanks, Bill

 

[wmorden]

I can't comment on the whole thing, but I just paid $344 for a front end alignment, replacement (moog) track bar, Rancho steering stabilizer, and tire rotation... my ball joints still looked OK at 150K miles.

 

[BNeathery]

Can anyone tell me how much play is allowable for ball joints. Mine have 1/4"+ on the passenger side and about 1/4" on the driver side... Bill

 

[Kirwin]

Ball joint play

When you say play are you referring to: with the truck jacked up off the floor that you can move the tire/wheel assembly 1/4" back and forth top and bottom? If you can thats wrong. It should feel very solid in this direction. There should be no "freeplay" in the joints. When the truck is setting on the tires this is very difficult to judge as the weight of the truck tends to keep any "freeplay" taken up in one direction and I for one ain't strong enough to move the suspension to check for motion. All these items wear over time especially since they are sealed for life (read no grease fittings) so play is bound to develop somewhere after enough miles. Some one has posted that the dealers say the limit is 0. 060 on the 3rd gen trucks but I'm not sure where they measure that number. Ken Irwin

 

[DBentley]

I would say 1100 is a fair price to pay. Parts are 350-500 aprox plus labor and overhead for a shop.

 

[LDPetersen]

I just did my 95' ctd front end rebuilt . Local front end shop. Trac bar, all ball joints alignment and life time warranty and grease fittings on all. $900. 00 and change. 160k on truck. All was well until just before I had it done. Tires started to wear fast then. Larry.

 

[BNeathery]

Thanks for the reply guys. That is correct the play is with the front tires/wheels off the ground using a pry bar to lift the wheel, the 1/4" play is the distance the joint separates when the tire/wheel is lifted. One more question, should I see a longer life in the new ball joints since they will be greaseable both top and bottom? Again thanks, Bill

 

[Kirwin]

Greasable joints

You will see longer life providing you grease them! Metal to metal causes wear. This is the reason the factory joints don't last. I picture it this way, some woman in China is given a small bottle of grease and an acid brush when she comes to work each morning at 6 AM. Her job is to apply grease to the ball joints and universal joints as they come down the assembly line. She works dutifully until her first break. While she is on break, 25 ball joints and 50 universal joints go by without grease Oo. She comes back but left the bottle of grease in the break room 15 more joints go by as she goes back and retrieves the bottle. They shut down the assembly line at lunch but she's late coming back from lunch and 37 joints go by without grease. Due to just in time delivery her bottle runs out of grease at 2:45 and the rest of the joints on her shift don't get any grease. Oo. Oo. Oo.



PS she's working 12 hours days!

 

[DLMcpherson]

02 Ball joint replacement

got my dealer to cover my ball joints under 3/36000. could not get the spindels out so he cut them out! replaced both spindels, 4 ball joints plus put in all new wheel bearings... . Dealer: Bill Forbs, Mew Martinsville, West Virginia..... found a keeper Dealer!!!!

 

[robiR]

I am in the middle of changing my ball joints myself. Is a pistol of a job. I have done 2wd ones before, not much problems doing them, but this one is a job. I also noticed a big diference in prices, most want around 300 for the joints, got mine at NAPA for 32 each. If you are gonna try yourself, have a good dead blow hand sludge, with a good drift punch. plenty of time and beer.

 

[master1578]

We just had our '95 done at work after 264,000 mi. The mechanic said that the uppers weren't even bad :--) They replaced upper and lower ball joints, trac bar,sway bar end links, sway bar bushings, adjusted play in steering box, and alignment. Looks like we'll need a tube of grease just for the front end :-laf Total=$1389

 

[kbarlow]

A friend asked me to post this "Could you ask if, when all these people are replacing their ball joints, are they replacing the right AND the left, upper AND lower?"

Thanks Ken

 

[robiR]

Both of my upper werre bad, so while I am doing it I will replace them all-too much work to just change the uppers