Ball Joints

[Scout1067]

I replaced my suspension in November and had it up on the rack for the first time since last week. When I did I noticed that both front upper ball joints now have some play in them, almost 3/8" on the driver side. Is this normal or did the new suspension expose ball joints that were shot anyway? My ball joints are the sealed type so I don't even have a lube point on them. The lowers seem a little loose but the uppers are by far the worst.

 

[CJ]

I believe you had the ball joint problem before but did not know it.

What is 3/8" (.375 - 9.5mm) play mean? Is that the ball in the cup? If so there is never any allowance for ball joint - cup play. FYI - Tie rods are the same way - NO PLAY...

 

[Scout1067]

I believe you had the ball joint problem before but did not know it.

What is 3/8" (.375 - 9.5mm) play mean? Is that the ball in the cup? If so there is never any allowance for ball joint - cup play. FYI - Tie rods are the same way - NO PLAY...

You are probably right about the ball joint problem being pre-existing. What i mean by play is when I it up on jacks I can wiggle the tire in and out and it it looks like the ball joint is moving back and forth in the steering knuckle.

 

[Scout1067]

The circled area is where I am seeing wiggle.

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[JohnKcj5]

In your last post, what you've done is the classic test for worn ball joints. Replace them.

 

[hole]

Start spraying them daily with penetrating oil now, will help taking them out later! You should notice a significant handling difference at highway speeds once you change those out.

 

[Scout1067]

I figured I would end up replacing them. The question is what brand? Alloy makes a set but it is pretty pricey, I am leaning towards Duralast, I have had good luck with those parts and they have a lifetime warranty.

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[cglax6]

I figured I would end up replacing them. The question is what brand? Alloy makes a set but it is pretty pricey, I am leaning towards Duralast, I have had good luck with those parts and they have a lifetime warranty.

I've actually had my eye on the Alloy set, but haven't pulled the trigger because from what I can tell, they're made by OMIX...

I haven't been impressed by their products in the past, but from my research, folks seem pretty happy with how they hold up. But yeah, pricey...

 

[mriplaybass]

I pretty much use Moog whenever I do steering components. I've never been disappointed.

 

[Scout1067]

I decided to go with the Duralast ball joints from Autozone. Not only do I save about $30 in shipping the Duralast have a lifetime guarantee while the MOOG and Alloy ones only have a 5 years. I have yet to be let down by Duralast parts on any of my vehicles. I ordered them yesterday so hopefully they will be here next week and I want to put them on by the end of the month. I have to get it done by spring because I am due for inspection in April and I have to get my exhaust and fuel tank replaced before then as well.

 

[Scout1067]

I got my ball joints Friday and I was looking over the FSM today. Am I reading it right that I have to pull the axles to replace the ball joints? Wouldn't I then also need to replace the axle seals?
I don't want to get started and find out I am missing a part I have to order. My CJ is my daily driver, I can't let it sit on jacks for two weeks waiting for parts.

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[cglax6]

If you're careful about pulling the axles, you won't need to replace the seals. Might be a good idea to replace them anyway. If it were me, I wouldn't start the project without them.

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[Scout1067]

If you're careful about pulling the axles, you won't need to replace the seals. Might be a good idea to replace them anyway. If it were me, I wouldn't start the project without them.

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That's about what I was thinking. Guess it's time to order more parts.

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[hole]

Since you have to order everything online, you might want to take an exploratory look at the condition of everything by pulling the hubs and spindles to check the conditions of everything in there first. Not fun, but since you cant just run down to Napa to pick up something you just discovered is bad might pay dividends later. When I did the ball joints on mine years ago, I discovered that the seal on one of the spindles was bad and the needle bearing inside was shot. Not that big of a deal for me because Napa is 15 minutes away and I have another vehicle if something is not on the shelf and has to be ordered. It sounds like you do not have that luxury

 

[hole]

Another random thought, do you have access to a press or a ball joint tool? They can be beat out with a BFH, but the proper tool makes short work of the job and almost guarantees you wont damage the new one on assembly.

 

[Belizean]

I decided to go with the Duralast ball joints from Autozone. Not only do I save about $30 in shipping the Duralast have a lifetime guarantee while the MOOG and Alloy ones only have a 5 years. I have yet to be let down by Duralast parts on any of my vehicles. I ordered them yesterday so hopefully they will be here next week and I want to put them on by the end of the month. I have to get it done by spring because I am due for inspection in April and I have to get my exhaust and fuel tank replaced before then as well.

I've sure had some problems with duralast items. . Both were lifetime but the water pump was the worst. Took 10 years and 2 radiators to get all the metal shavings all out of the system to get my wife's Cherokee dependable again

 

[Scout1067]

Another random thought, do you have access to a press or a ball joint tool? They can be beat out with a BFH, but the proper tool makes short work of the job and almost guarantees you wont damage the new one on assembly.

There is an auto-skills center on post that has all the specialty tools you only use once in a great while. They even have a mini machine shop for some things. My biggest issue is trying to have everything on hand before I start working. It sucks having to stop and wait for parts to arrive from the States. There is an auto store locally but they generally have to order stuff that takes 1-2 days and they are significantly more expensive than shops in the US. For example, I replaced my clutch plate last year and it cost $105 from the states vice over 350 euro if I had ordered from them. I probably will go ahead and replace the spindle bearing while I have it apart. I am trying to decide now if I should go ahead and replace the tie-rods too and what that would cost.

Edit: I went ahead and pulled the trigger and ordered the MOOG tie-rods from Summit as well as new spindle bearings. If i have to tear it apart anyway I might as well replace older parts.

Man, my Jeep log gets bigger every month. I can't wait for spring to really hit so I can start doing some of this stuff in my driveway.

 

[lowcountry]

So, is it agreed that you have to pull the axles to replace the ball joints?

I'll be changing mine very soon...

Also, what bearings/seals are we talking about as far as being exposed when pulling the axels and maybe needing replacing?

What is involved in pulled the axles? Does anything in the differential/pinion need to be removed/loosened to pull the axles?

thanks.

 

[lowcountry]

i pretty much use moog whenever i do steering components. I've never been disappointed.

+100

 

[Scout1067]

So, is it agreed that you have to pull the axles to replace the ball joints?

I'll be changing mine very soon...

Also, what bearings/seals are we talking about as far as being exposed when pulling the axels and maybe needing replacing?

What is involved in pulled the axles? Does anything in the differential/pinion need to be removed/loosened to pull the axles?

thanks.

According to the FSM you have to unhook the tie rods and pull the axle to remove the steering knuckle so you can get the ball joints out. Doing that will expose the spindle bearings and knowing me I will tear up one or the other getting it out so I went ahead and decided to replace the spindle bearings and tie rods while I am at it. My tie rods are pretty rough looking anyway, they are rusty enough that they could be OE and regardless they are rusted tight and I need to adjust the steering wheel anyway and cant because of the rust that even PB Blaster isn't shifting. I am half convinced I will be busting out the sawzall to get the tie rods off in the first place. I won't be doing this until March because I have to wait for the parts to get here.

Right now I am just planning on replacing my spindle bearings and tie rods at the same time as i do the ball joints. I have no reason to think that the axle bearings have issues right now and I am wary of falling down the rabbit hole ordering parts. I am worried that before i am done I will end up reconditioning my whole front axle just to replace bad ball joints. That is not necessarily a bad idea but not what I am looking to do right now. I have inspection in April so want to get this done before then.