Zirc fittings: How many, where dey be?

[Crunch]

Just did the first oil change at 5000 miles. Easier than I expected except for getting ahold of the oil filter. Went with Rotella-T and the Stratapore and will probably stick to granddaddy's dino oil for the foreseeable future. At 5000 the oil was just still decent but starting to get the cloudy look to it.



I wanted to lube the joints too, but I wasn't sure of the quanity and number of zirc fittings that need to be lubed. There are a lot of joints in the steering column. Anyone know how many zircs there are and where they are located?



Thanks.

 

[lmills]

only one on the passenger side at the steering linkage. DC in their infinite wisdom sealed these for life. Some guys have came back, drilled and tapped the tops of their joints and installed zerk fittings so that they could grease them later on.

 

[Crunch]

Originally posted by lmills

only one on the passenger side at the steering linkage. DC in their infinite wisdom sealed these for life. Some guys have came back, drilled and tapped the tops of their joints and installed zerk fittings so that they could grease them later on.

Thanks. Not sure I like the idea of them permanently sealed, but I like do like the idea of keeping my warranty intact. Surely they will last 5 years until the warranty expires...

 

[RAMINSPEED]

I only found 2. One at each end of the tie rod. seemed very odd to me, especially on a 4x4.

 

[lmills]

It seems as though every year they have taken more and more fittings away. The old ones were all greasable. My 01 had three. One on each of the top ball joints and one on the steering linkage. I have only found and heard of one on the 03. Maybe I will have to take another look to see if I have two.

 

[rbattelle]

There are 2 - one on each tie rod end for 4x4s. Maintenance schedule requires they be lubed at every oil change.

 

[dieselpilot1969]

I'll bet DC figured out they could make more money by building things designed to wear out (schmucks)

 

[y-knot]

I wouldn't say they did there homework, at least not in your, or any new truck owners favor. They just made everything un-servicable, throw away parts. Cheap for them, in the long run expensive for you. It take alot more talient to design something for a long and servicable life, then just screew it and let someone else deal with it. I like DODGE, and this is not about any one automaker, rather it's about a new design philosiphy of build it cheap. It seems we live in a throw away society, where immediate gratification overrules long term commitment.

 

[chipmc]

Ford has been doing this for many years now... (at least 14) I found on my 84 and 85 Fords that the linkage wore out around 70,000 mi. I replaced them with Moog parts (w/zerks) and the 85 Ford is still running around with the replacements at 430,000 mi.



Some people use a needle style fitting on the end of the grease gun to get under the boots of the Fords, but I don't know how well its working out for them.

 

[NC_Mog]

Not that I agree with what D-C is doing, but I bet one reason is that people have a tendency to not service their vehicles properly anyway. I have a 36 yr old truck where everything is serviceable. However, it takes time to do all the required maintanence. Most people just don't want to take the time to do what is required to maintain a vehicle for 200k or 300k+ miles.

 

[Crunch]

Originally posted by y-knot

I like DODGE, and this is not about any one automaker, rather it's about a new design philosiphy of build it cheap. It seems we live in a throw away society, where immediate gratification overrules long term commitment.

I agree. Planned obsolescence is now a fact of life for all products, not just vehicles. Gas stoves with few moving parts are now designed to wear out after 10 years or so. Plastic is intentionally manufactured with minimal UV protection for some products so they wear out in the sun. That's too bad because cheap shortcuts like that are what kept me from buying a new vehicle until now--they just look like they are built to fall apart. Like others, the Cummins engine was the selling point for me. And, like others I found myself muttering, "If that Cummins was in the Ford... " I bought the truck because I knew that the engine would outlast it by a longshot, but I'd be more inclined to go back in a few years and buy another if I thought the interiors and exteriors could easily last 10-15 years. From my perspective the manufacturers are screwing themselves by doing this because I'm more inclined to buy used vehicles and pay for non-dealer service.