New Carli lower issue - check this out!

[BILLVO]

What kind of grease? I heard it had to be Redline or something like that.

Yep the grease they came with was redline. Got it in a seperate greae gun just for these joints.

 

[AlaskanCummins]

Update on my set. I have a lower that I have to grease about every couple weeks to once a month otherwise is squeaks while turning the wheels. No other issue just the one that squeaks. Jack it up grease it turn back and forth a couple time and good for a couple weeks to month again.

Hi Billvo,



Not that I'm claiming to be a metalurgy engineer or anything, but from personal experience, I'd bet that if you were to take the ball joint apart, you'd find all sorts of deep gouges in both the ball and cup of the joint. The second set that I got in the spring did the same exact thing that you're describing here.



Since the squeaking is unacceptable in a ball joint that costs $225, I'd remove it and have Carli replace it under their lifetime warranty. Not to mention that Carli themselves say that you shouldn't ever have to grease the joint. I may be misinformed, but greasing it ever couple of weeks to a month or so is UNACCEPTABLE.



Supposedly if you received your ball joints after about September 15th, 2010, then you have the updated version; what I call second generation. If you bought them in the spring of 2010, I'd STRONGLY recommend you get a new set sent to you IMMEDIATELY and replace them ASAP.



If you did purchase in the fall of 2010 (second generation) and you remove it to be replaced, take it apart and let us know what you find. I'd DEFINATELY be interested in what the ball/cup look like. Take some pics and share them with us.

 

[BILLVO]

This is already a warranty set as both lowers broke with the weight of the truck sitting on them right off the hoist aftetr the install as posted in this thread with pics, the ones I got are last of the old style just before the total revamp of joints posted above.

 

[AlaskanCummins]

This is already a warranty set as both lowers broke with the weight of the truck sitting on them right off the hoist aftetr the install as posted in this thread with pics, the ones I got are last of the old style just before the total revamp of joints posted above.

Oh, my bad.



I didn't go through all the old posts, just what I saw today. Just trying to help a fellow TDR member. Good to know you have the old joints.

 

[ENafziger]

This is already a warranty set as both lowers broke with the weight of the truck sitting on them right off the hoist aftetr the install as posted in this thread with pics, the ones I got are last of the old style just before the total revamp of joints posted above. <!-- google_ad_section_end --> <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I apoligize for my confusion... are the ball joints that are currently squeaking the new second generation version?

--Eric

 

[BILLVO]

I apoligize for my confusion... are the ball joints that are currently squeaking the new second generation version?



--Eric

No I got the end of the previous version that was supposed to have been hand inspected before shipping to make sure they were good to go. Guess not. I will put up with it for now until the extra greaings won't cure the squeak any more.

 

[BILLVO]

Only took about 4 years for the lowers to quit squeaking but the uppers now have about the same amount of play as the stockers did when I replaced them with the Carlis and thinking I only have about 30K on them roughly, have not been on TDR for several years and thought I would check back and see what progress has been made and looks like it ended at me lol.
Will have to get hold of them and go through the whole process all over again.

Looks Like Carli quit showing up here about 3 years ago too from their last activity.

 

[AlaskanCummins]

I sold my truck last summer. What I ended up doing was installing Dyna-Trac uppers/lowers in September of 2010 and to be brutally honest, never had any issues after I did. I even purchased the rebuild kit for them and never used it. So, after almost 4 years and at least 100K miles (I used that truck in my business) I can say that I was completely satisfied with Dyna-Trac ball joints.

 

[BILLVO]

Did Carli refund you for them? I have not driven my rig that much since the install and last time I had it on the hoist checked for play in the front joints and was surprised to see the uppers felt just like the factory ones already, think I maybe have 30K miles on them +-. Wasn't impressed when I felt that.
I think next week I will give them a call and see where they want to go with this.

 

[AlaskanCummins]

Did Carli refund you for them? I have not driven my rig that much since the install and last time I had it on the hoist checked for play in the front joints and was surprised to see the uppers felt just like the factory ones already, think I maybe have 30K miles on them +-. Wasn't impressed when I felt that.
I think next week I will give them a call and see where they want to go with this.

As a matter of fact, they did. I have to say, their customer support/service was above par and I'd recommend them to my friends. Hopefully they've got this issue with their ball joints squared away. Keep us posted on how they treat you next week.

 

[Regcabguy]

I sold my truck last summer. What I ended up doing was installing Dyna-Trac uppers/lowers in September of 2010 and to be brutally honest, never had any issues after I did. I even purchased the rebuild kit for them and never used it. So, after almost 4 years and at least 100K miles (I used that truck in my business) I can say that I was completely satisfied with Dyna-Trac ball joints.

Same experience the shop I use has had with Dynatracs. Not one complaint,not one rebuild kit ordered.

 

[Karter]

I just read all 8 pages of this damn thread, and 4 pages in, I was ready to get the Carlis, now I'm on the fence again, and even leaning towards the Dynatracs. Is there anyone out there that has 100k on either of these brands? My last set of cheap BJs only lasted 30k. I don't want replacing them to be an annual chore!

 

[Superdawg]

In 6/12, I had a set of the earlier Carli ball joints replaced under warranty, no problems. Great customer service as they stood behind their product. I now have 50k on that set and they are just fine. Mostly street and towing, very little off road. Easy to take apart the uppers and clean them.

 

[Ozymandias]

I just read all 8 pages of this damn thread, and 4 pages in, I was ready to get the Carlis, now I'm on the fence again, and even leaning towards the Dynatracs. Is there anyone out there that has 100k on either of these brands? My last set of cheap BJs only lasted 30k. I don't want replacing them to be an annual chore!

Don't forget that Carli improved their product over the years this thread is old.
I Owen the carlis to and perfectly happy.

 

[BILLVO]

I forgot I was subscribed to this, have not been around these parts for a few years but to update, I need to get hold of Carli, my second set from them which was still not the best version have developed looseness in the upper ones just like the factory ones are known for, I know the uppers are loose and the lowers had galled up because they squeaked as soon as I installed them and for about a year after installing them so I greased them liberally for the entire duration until they finally stopped making noise but until other issues developed I was not too worried but seeing the looseness of the uppers will get hold of them and hopefully warranty out and replace them for the last time, I do not have many miles on them rough guessing 30K or so.

 

[BKWelliver]

MAN I can't believe this thread is still going. I had Sage do a full install of his 2.5 system on my one ton dually 4x4 5 years ago to include uppers and lowers BJ along with reverse bump stops up front and steering box stablizer and sway bar. at 100k I had a few issues with the shocks leaking up front and ball joints showing signs of wear. I'm sure that my heavy bumper and 16k winch on the nose did not help the already front end heavy truck. I send Sage an email and I have an apptmnt for my truck a week later. he fixed everything. rebuilt all 4 shocks and all new BJ. His shop did it all in one day and they worked through lunch and stayed late to finish it for me. no one else would ever do that. to top it off they re-valved my shocks with better performance for free and he even upgraded the end links on my sway bar. what I can tell you is I have 150K on big blue now and it still works perfectly. both times dealing with him and his shop my concerns were dealt with immediately and with a smile. I also work in the aerospace industry so I can spot crappy parts. we NDE all of our parts to verify there will be no failures. Sages parts are next level stuff and so is his pride in his company and attitude towards customers concerns. His workers at the shop made me and my wife feel like family the whole time we were there. His shop is highly impressive along with all the work going on with his workers. He has my business for life. The only thing I will miss is looking at his black race truck. It is the coolest Turbo Diesel I have or ever will see. unfortunately some crazy Russian Zarr had to have it. Must have been a Butt Load of cash because that truck was his baby. If I ever hit the lottery I will have him build me that truck.

 

[Karter]

For what its worth, I did go with the Carli ball joints and the install went fine, although a printed copy of the specific install instructions in the box would've made it easier, since its a little different process than normal. Purchase from 8 Lug in MI and shipped quickly.