1993 Dodge Dakota LE, 5.2L, Auto Trans, 2WD, 180,000 miles, original owner

I had my truck jacked up and off the ground to do some other work. While I was off the ground I checked the tie rods and ball joints using the wheel shake method. 3 and 9 o'clock for the tie rods and 12 and 6 o'clock for the ball joints. The tie rods on both sides shook maybe a 16th of an inch. Definitely moved but not much. The ball joint test on the left yielded no movement. On the right, it shook about a 16th to an 8th inch. I tried shaking the wheel while looking at the joints to see if there was any obvious movement. Pretty hard to do with one person so I put zero stock in that test at least until I get another person to help out.

I know they are not supposed to move at all but is there some amount of "shake" that is acceptable? Thoughts? Next steps?

 

Next step.

Order inner AND outer tie rods and rack bellows for both sides.

Also, new upper AND lower ball joints.

Buy the upper ball joint socket (if the current ones are threaded in, and as I understand it, all OEM ball joints are).

Buy quality parts; do remember most brands now have a cheap crap line and a good line if they have a good line.

Remove the inner and outer tie rods as a set, adjust the replacements to the same distance to the center of the shaft, and put them back on as a set (this keeps the front end close enough to drive.)

Use a grease pencil to mark the upper A-frame mounts for the same reason.

Might want to consider getting a spare set of control arms, from say one of the boneyards in car-part.com, and rebuilding them complete first. I'd add painting or powder coating them while the bushings and ball joints were out; then carefully reassembling. (Side note: I'd do Prothane black poly bushings - the black ones are graphite impregnated).

Also - do this. Put the truck on the ground. Unlock the steering wheel (don't start the motor!). With the window open, reach into the window and rock the wheel back and forth across the play zone; see where the play goes in but doesn't come out (could even be a bad intermediate shaft letting the whole rack and pinion move; R&P could even have bad bushings so it's shifting!)

With that, and a good spring compressor, it's a weekend job to swap all four control arms and the inner and outer tie rods. Then Monday AM first thing is to take it to the alignment shop.

RwP

 

Yep, that will take some time. Especially since I was going to do a brake job at the same time. It's a Fall job so I can do it in cooler weather.

Thanks, Ralph!

 

Hard to know if the parts I'm buying are decent quality For example with tie rod parts, Advanced Auto sells Driveworks and Moog. Auto Zone sells Duralast. Do you have any experience with any of these? None of them are that cheaply priced , $10 crap I see at Rock Auto. Seems the non-OEM stuff I've used from Advanced Auto has worked out pretty good in the past.

 

I dunno; I'm rocking ProForged on this build (I plan on a new front end every 100,000 miles or so anyway.)

My last were mostly ACDelco Professional Grade.

I'm not happy with the last Moog parts I bought; the rubber bellows rotted out inside of a year on me for my rack. And the sway bar end links on the Cougar started rattling within 25,000 miles.

(The Cougar uses end links with a ball joint on each end; I prefer the Dakota's design myself, but eh, both work.)

Only way to know for sure is to check the reviews, and remember, if there's two lines from a manufacturer, buy the professional or advanced technology line, not the service grade crap.

RwP

 

Yeah, I see that a lot and see it with these tie rod parts too. Same brand, same functional parts but two different price points. One being 1/2 +/- the other. I have never settled for the cheap crap for the reason you point out. Just not worth it.

 

Crap like bearings and ball joints should just be changed out periodically. I have 180,000 miles on my truck and I think I'm on borrowed time with some of this stuff.

 

Ralph. how hard is it to replace that stabilizer bar while I have everything ripped up? Any issues getting it to line back up once I take it out? I call it a stabilizer bar but don't know what it's really called. It's that 8"ish bar that runs up and down (parallell with the coil spring). Center-bottom half of picture.



Also, do I need a spring compressor if I'm just changing out ball joints and tie rods?

 

Let me try that photo again with an arrow.

 

That's the anti-sway or stabilizer bar end link, yes. Replace that end link and consider new bushings.

Like most, if the front end is sitting level, AND you do it carefully, it's not hard.

If one wheel is up and one is down, you'll be cursing in multiple languages

What I did, was to start one side but leave it loose; then thread the other side through, tighten it, and go back and tighten the first one. (First one I just got the nut all the way on, no more).

This allowed me to shift it up and down to clear the second one.

I used the Energy Suspension greaseable bushings and ES end links - that was over 200,000 miles ago, and they're still in great shape.

(Then again, I lube them every time I do an oil and filter change - the bushings, that is.)

As to a spring compressor - not if you don't take the shock out and don't do the inner bushings. Leave the shock on to do the lower ball joint; then do the upper with the control arm in the truck. That way no need to worry.

I'd put new shocks front and back on your list for later, though; unless you know they're in great shape. Even the KYB Monotube Gas-A-Just shocks are under $160 if you shop Amazon for them.

Just ... don't get the wrong ones. I accidently ordered the 4WD shocks first time; there's a digit difference between front 2WD, front 4WD, rear 2WD, and rear 4WD (the four numbers are sequential, but alas, not 2WD/2WD but front/front sequential ... le sigh.)

My Ranchos rode smoother at first, but they're already proving incapable of handling Louisiana roads after under 40,000 miles; I'll be going back to Gas-A-Justs in a few months or so.

RwP