anybody trymoog problem solver balljointsand have any luck. my 89 burns balljoints every 6-9 months. i do haul a slide-in camper now and then,i do spend a lot of time off-road, but i'm getting tired of changing all four joints in my back yard without the proper tools for the yearly inspection. has anyone found a good joint that lasts. the rest of the suspension bushings, including the a-arm and stabilizer bar are good so that does'nt contribute to the problem. the tie rod ends are a year old and tight and i grease thetruck every 2 months. i've tried joints from just about everyone with no luck, i know the camper is hard on them but i would like to get more than 3000 miles out of a set.
thanks Paul
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If your going thru ball joints that fast, the ball joints aren't the culprit, something else is definitely wrong. Is your truck lifted at all? Alignment good? There's something putting stress on the joints if your eating them up. I've got a '95 with well over 200k and I just put new ball joints on it for the first time
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'95 Dodge Dakota 4x4 5.2L club cab - 233k mi - Dual Exhaust, Filtercharger, Duals, sh--load of lights
'93 Dodge Shadow 2.2L 5spd. - 113k miles - no options!
something else is definatly wrong, ive had several dodges over my lifetime and the older ones lkie the early 70's would eat them but they still lasted a couple years. maybe start with a good alignment and find a place that can do frame straightening for that alignment. you have something definatly wrong. usually its just the lowers that dont last long in my experience and that was with an old dart that i lifted and really pushed it hard on curvy back roads.
thanks for thehelp guys.i went back out and checked every possible bushing, tie rods, idler arm, pitman arm, axles, shocks,i adjusted the torsion bars a few years back,i even measured the frame, it's all tight. when i put new ball joints in, it will run straight as an arrow on the highway without touching the stearing wheel, it doesn't pull to either side.
i think i have figured it out though, when the campers on the back (it's an old heavy one), the front rises up about 2 inches and the steering feels light, like theres no engine in the front, but when i hit a bump the truck rocks back and forth quite a bit, i'm going from a low preload on the joints to a heavy preload fairly quickly back and forth. i also had 2 leaf springs installed on each side at the back which raised it up 2 inches but drops to factory ride heightwith the camper in. i have monroe heavy duty truck shocks in it that are
only a 2 years old, but it still rocks. also add that dodges are hard on ball joints at the best of times.
i don't think i can haul this camper and keep joints in it, and i'mREALLY not giving upmy slide in camperand fishing,so i think i'll put heavier shocks and the best possible joints in it i can get.
anyadvice on a good shock and ball joints would be appreciated, and if anyone has tried theMOOG problem solvers i would like to hear from them.
if you check out the place that Crazy4x4RTrecommended they can also customize shocks for different heights, they made me a set of coil overs for the front and airs for the back, the coilovers up front really stiffen things up.
thanks again guys, just thought i would update. didn't hear from anyone that tried the problem solvers, so i bought a set to try. the uppers where $ 60 canadianand the lowers where $ 75. took the uppers and lowers off one side and compared them, not even close. the ones i took offwhere heavy duty napa and where more expensive than moog. the problem solvers balland casing is much bigger and thickerthannapa or any other joint i put in by far, and i've tried just about every one from cheap to expensive. the boot is heavy duty to say the least, and even come with a channel that allows excess grease to come out if you overfill them then seals back up to keep dirt out,better than blowing a hole in it.even the grease nipple is top of the line.
they look good but i won't know how good they reallyare until i put some miles on them, but if you have to replace your joints give them a look, you are not going to be dissapointed.
great ideas with the rear air shocks and coils on the front. should solve the problem.
forums like this save the averagejoe time and money andyou can't beat that with a baseball bat. thanks again guys.
moog problem solver balljoints?
