Ball joints

[tjs4x4]

Ok ill check it out.

 

[tjs4x4]

Well, they were right. The right front wheel is loose up and down pretty good. Should I do both sides at the same time or just replace the ones that are bad?

 

[K-Slice]

I'd do both ball joints while I had the nuckle off. Getting the whole thing apart is a time consuming job so replacing them both will save you time in the long run. Especially if they're both old.

 

[tjs4x4]

The whole vehicle is old lol. I do not know anything about the history of my rig. All I know is everything is needing to be replaced lol. I will have to find out how much more it would be to have the shop do both at the same time.

 

[Shran]

A shop will charge you at least several hundred dollars to change out two ball joints on one side. Buy the press, axle nut socket, torque wrench, and ball joints yourself and still be at least $100 ahead.

 

[tjs4x4]

I have a neighbor who has a press, he said if I needed any help to just let him know. If I can get him to help me do the ball joints, I won't need to buy much if anything.

We have a big huge socket to remove the hub/spindle I believe. We also have a torque wrench

 

[K-Slice]

:icon_rofl: I'm not gonna say it.

 

[ashleyroachclip]

moog ball joints cost me 65 each , I would also do the inner u joints at the knuckle at the same time.

I spent about 300 on parts when I rebuilt mine , that included bearings , seals , the afore mentioned u-joints , ball joints, brake pads, break hoses

A shop will charge you that much in labor easily, just for one side.

 

[tjs4x4]

Front brake lines have already been fixed. Man, you're talkin' about a lotta parts and a LOT of work lol. I would have to read up on all those that you just mentioned, not to mention get tools that I don't have that I need.
I will do all the brake pads at once, not gonna do them two at a time, unless the rear ones are good.

 

[adsm08]

Lift the wheel off the ground, shake it from side to sid, then up and down. If there is any movement or if you can feel/hear any poping then something is broken. Could be a ball joint, tie rod end, or wheel bearing.
If you do feel that loosness then go behind the wheel while someone else shakes it and look for the source of the movment.

This, except use a pry bar to move the wheel straight up and down. It's easier to find ball joint play that way. Rocking it by hand can throw bearing or tie rod play into what you feel and give a false positive.

 

[Shran]

This, except use a pry bar to move the wheel straight up and down. It's easier to find ball joint play that way. Rocking it by hand can throw bearing or tie rod play into what you feel and give a false positive.

Usually I can see a bad ball joint just by looking at how the knuckle moves relative to the beam. Ball joint or wheel bearing play are both pretty easy to see and distinguish from each other. Any more than 1/32" play in ball joints equals worn out anyway :icon_thumby:

 

[tjs4x4]

The shop I take my vehicles to said that the max wear permitted is 0.030, the right side is at 0.045 and the left is at 0.010. I'm going to buy the ball joints myself and when I get a weekend off, which for me is tuesday thru thursday, I will hopefully be able to get my neighbor with the press to help me take care of both sides. I know I've had wheel bearings done, but not sure if front or back, left/right. I can't remember. Will see if I can get the coil spring isolators from the shop that I ordered and have those done as well. If not, then I will have to wait until I can afford to do it at the shop.

How long before its considered unsafe to drive with worn out ball joints?

 

[Shran]

My '96 Ranger had around 1/8" (.125) play in the passenger lower for at least a couple months. Towards the end it was getting worse every day, steering felt really weird and it would pop hard when turning in reverse. Yours might last a while but keep in mind it probably has no grease in it so you are turning a rusty ball in a nylon/steel socket many times with no lubrication, so it will wear VERY quickly... so what I'm saying is change them ASAP.

 

[disciplerocks]

I am replacing mine at the moment. I thought I had damaged something on the trails yesterday so I took it in for an alignment. Turns out all 4 were bad. It was a little squirly over 65mph before, but after yesterday I can't even keep it on the road at 30mph.

Pep Boys quoted me $80 in labor and around $30 each for the ball joints. Price isn't too bad, but I am doing mine myself too. Just rented the tool from Autozone. I would suggest replacing your wheel bearings while you have it apart.

 

[tjs4x4]

I've never done wheel bearings...nor have I done anything else involved in suspension before, I'm learning through these forums and by books and from friends/neighbors. If I take the truck apart to do the ball joints, how much more work is involved in replacing all the inner parts of that area?

 

[xkotyx]

wheel bearings will be cake, ESPECIALLY after doing the friggin ball joints. just remember grease is your friend. and they are super cheap anyways, so why not do it while youre in there.

 

[tjs4x4]

moog ball joints cost me 65 each , I would also do the inner u joints at the knuckle at the same time.

I spent about 300 on parts when I rebuilt mine , that included bearings , seals , the afore mentioned u-joints , ball joints, brake pads, break hoses

A shop will charge you that much in labor easily, just for one side.

Ok what about the u joints and seals? What kind of seals are we talking about? Probably will need to replace the brake pads as well. What's the process to replace the u joints?

 

[tjs4x4]

Where can i find measurements for the u joints? I have many choices on autozone.com. What's the deal with the the inner and outer wheel bearings? Do I need both sets? Do I need to buy boots for the tie rod ends?

 

[disciplerocks]

Finished mine this morning. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. You need 4 wheel bearings. 2 for each side, inner and outer. They are all the same part number. And get some grease and pack them. Very easy and you have to remove them to do the ball joints anyways.

 

[tjs4x4]

Ok but what about the tie rods? On the AZ website, there's some that are measured? And the u joints I have to find measurements for them...