Anyone know of some super strength or stronger lower ball joints. I just replaced mine last year and I think they're failing already.

 

What brand did you get before? I replaced mine with greaseable ones from NAPA almost two years ago now and they are still good. Moog is always a good brand.

 

Seems awful quick for them to fail. I have never replaced mine and I have 93,000 on the originals.

 

I know its super quick thats why I'm upset about it haha. I'm not quite sure what brand they are as I didn't replace them I had a friend do it while I was at school. I'll call him and see what brand they are. Any clue what I'm looking at cost wise to replace them at a shop?

 

They run about $60 a piece. If you have it done at shop you're looking at about 4-5 hours labor at $65-$75 an hour for labor. So do the math and you're looking at around $450 dollars totally. I think that's a good starting point. So if someone says it's going to be $800 walk away.

 

4 hours is what I was quoted. They get $55 an hour. They are privately owned, and have been the biggest and most popular place in town for ages. However, I took it to the mechanic I've used for 20 years who has never charged me more than $100 in labor for anything, even if he works on my vehicle all day, and this was no exception.

I watched it being done and it doesn't look too difficult as long as you have some typical tools plus a balljoint press. He used an air-chisel to remove the flange from the factory balljoints, but that could be done with a big hammer and a chisel too.

You get the side you're working on off the ground, and remove the stuff that's in the way (wheel, caliper [use a bungee cord to secure the caliper somewhere out of the way], rotor, upper balljoint from its mounting (just three bolts), and the castle nut on the bottom of the existing lower balljoint.

Press the factory balljoint out of the lower control arm (after chiseling away the mounting flange on top) and press the new one in. Make sure the grease fitting on the new balljoint, if so equipped (the factory balljoint has no grease fitting, but e.g. a Moog replacement does) is facing toward the front of the truck, else it will be difficult to access it when everything is back together. Install the snap ring and rubber boot on the new balljoint (the rubber boot is a tight fit and it hard to get on, but it is important to get it on tight) then put everything back together.

My factory lower balljoints lasted for 91K miles (and they weren't terrible when I replaced them, but they wouldn't pass inspection). I replaced them with Moog from RockAuto.com, which I think were about $55 each.

 

Yeah I wouldn't mind doing it myself but I'm at school and have no access to any tools other than basic hand tools and I'm doing my student teaching so I need it for the 30 mile commute daily. Blah