So I take my Duhkota in for an alignment this morning and left fifteen minutes later with an appointment and an $1,073 ESTIMATE for four new ball joints. Add to that the possibility of having to replace the rear ABS controller at upwards of $620 and I'm pretty disgusted at the moment. Is there a relatively easy way to get the lower ball joints out or should I just pony up, grin and bear it? If I determine it's the ABS controller that needs replacing, is it necessary to take it to the dealer and have them bleed the brakes with the DRB? I've already replaced the master cylinder, flushed and bled the system and they seemed to have bled out just fine, but I'm still having the same problem as before so either the new master cylinder is bad or the ABS controller is fubarred. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm in the process of buying a house so trading is kind of out of the question for the time being, and I need the truck NOW, so any suggestions to help will be greatly appreciated.

 

First off how bad is the front suspension very lose or just a little lose if just a little lose it can wait for a few more years.


If your DIY inclined you can get new control arms and replace them yourself way cheaper. the top ball joints are easy to DIY just the ball joint not the control arm unless the bushings are bad also then the complete control arms are the best way to go. Lower I suggest replacing the control arm. Now you will still need an alignment when done but this saves you a good chunk of cash. Look on rockauto.com for the control arms for a 4X4 Dakota check the price then see if its a DIY for you or not.


But the price for the front is not too bad at $1,073 if they are replacing the control arms as the control arms run around $100 to $160 each that's $400 or more but if they are just replacing the ball joints then that's a high price.


I will ad your control arm bushings are at the age they are either abused or ok a little mushy and should be replaced that's why replacing the control arms are the best option you get new ball joints and bushings.

 

Replacing the control arms is the best option as '98 suggests but, being from Illinois, I'm sure you have rust as I do in Mass.

Good luck on getting the torsion bar out. It won't come easily. It'll take a lot of effort and heat to break the bolts loose.

Around here, it would be about $600 just to replace the lower ball joints, not the control arm, just the joints. The uppers are not difficult to do at all. Just grind off the heads and replace them using bolts.

What are your brake problems? Is there an ABS warning light on?

 

I've never had the ABS light come on unless it flashed on and off while I was in a full-on panic stop. The only symptom I have is a steadily falling pedal when I'm pulling up to a light or the like. Full-on panic stop, everything works just as it should, but in a normal stop, the pedal is a bit soft and falls slowly to the floor the longer the brakes are applied. I wasn't losing fluid anywhere, so my first thought was to replace the master cylinder. I did that, along with thoroughly flushing the entire system and bleeding it. Finished the work and I've still got the same problem. The mechanic I took it to said the only way to isolate the master cylinder to make sure it wasn't the problem (defective replacements seem to be pretty common to hear him talk) was to plug the ports for the brake lines and see if it did the same thing. If so, replace the master cylinder. If not it's the ABS controller. I'm never lucky enough to have something simple happen, but I guess there's always the first time for everything.

 

On the brakes, rule out a basic brake system problem before condemning the ABS. You have the classic symptoms of a bad master cylinder. It can leak internally.

The ABS controller is just that, a controller.

Just confirm, is this RWAL only or 4 wheel ABS? You said "rear" ABS controller but there is only one.

The valves/solenoids and with 4 wheel ABS, the pump, are in the hydraulic control unit.

 

Thanks, it's RWAL. I'm hoping it's just a bad master cylinder. It's a Dorman #134437 Lifetime Warranty master cylinder I bought from rockauto.com. I've never had an issue with them up to this point so that shouldn't be a problem. The ABS controller isn't a major issue, either, since it's below the master cylinder, it's just expensive. The least expensive RWAL controller I've found so far is $331.

As far as the ball joints are concerned I'm going to take that up with the mechanic. I've already told them they're doing the job and they've ordered the ball joints, so I'll have to get there early Monday morning to see if he wants to go that route.

I guess I shouldn't complain, it is almost 12 years old. It's just been a constant migraine since March. The cab has started leaking more water than Hoover Dam and I can't find the source of that aside from the stream that runs down my neck from the back window. The mysterious leak in the front of the cab resulted in the replacement of two blower motors and resistors ($200 or so). I've got about another $500 in the brakes (the only parts of the brake system that aren't new are the ABS controller, the lines and calipers), another $200 in shocks, $900 in tires, add the front end work and that's going to make close to $3,000 in four months. Worst part of it all is the truck has only 84,000 miles on it and it's never been mistreated. Aside from normal maintenance and a water pump a couple of years ago, it's never given me ANY problems up to this point. Not to mention it's been paid for longer than I can remember. At this point I'm beginning to think I should have traded it in on a new RAM Express 4x4 when I got the fever back in February...

 

I still don't think it is the CAB.

The RWAL is controlled by a valve in the rear brake line. When the ABS senses that the wheels are starting to lock it does two things.
First, it energizes an "isolation" valve to stop you from applying more brake pressure to the rear wheels.
Second, if the above doesn't help, it "dumps" some of the pressure into an accumulator.
If you don't require ABS then neither of the above happens.

The CAB also self tests. There should be an ABS light and a stored code if it fails.

On the repairs, I know what you're going through. Mechanically my truck runs great but rust is beginning to creep up faster than I can keep up with it.

 

Well thanks, I see your rationale on the brake problem. I was curious as to why I hadn't seen the light indicate a problem if the ABS was the cause. Now I guess I can start stripping panels from the interior to see if I can nail down these water leaks.

 

If anything, I'd be looking at the isolation or dump valve, not the CAB.

 

I've been looking at the parts book to get a better idea of system operation. If my understanding of the brake fluid circuits is correct, the RWAL controller couldn't be the culprit here since the loss of braking effectiveness is complete. Since approximately 75% of all braking action is carried out by the front brakes, the RWAL should have little, if any impact. In other words, when the pedal falls to the floor, ALL the brakes get weaker. The result is having to shift to neutral when standing at a light, etc. Also, the brake system warning light doesn't come on, so that would also point to a master cylinder failure since that system measures the pressure balance between the front and rear circuits, if I recall correctly. Another point that I hadn't put to much thought into is the fact that in a full-on panic stop, everything seems to work correctly (and very well, too). I know my diagnostic skills are pretty rusty since it's been YEARS since I've had a vehicle this old that I've worked on myself, but I tend to agree with you on the master cylinder. If I've missed something, or if I'm on the wrong track, I'd appreciate the heads-up. Just another thought, there's little, if any chance it could be the brake booster, is there?