Not to mention the Dodge has a 1000 pounds or so on the 'yota....

 

Mine has 186,000 miles and the dust boots are gone but the ball joints themselves are still pretty dogon solid. Still got the stock rivets holding them on. I have not had suspensions probs at all. I also change my shocks and get alignments when due. That will prolong ball joint life a lot.

 

lol, nobody can afford a dodge.

ball joints, wheel bearings, track bar, u-joints, axle seals, cad, dash, transmission, t-case, plenum, water pump, cat, radiator, heads, freeze plugs...

pretty soon it begins to add up.

 

Don't just think it's Dodge's though. I bought a 97 Expedition last week with 96,000 miles on it and all the ball joints/tie rods, are shot. Gotta love that factory sealed crap.

 

I replaced ball joints at 134,000 miles....along with tons of other things that were neglected on my Ram by POs. Ball joints in Tacoma are still good,,,,,and it has about 290.000 on it. Don't know how long ago dad may have had them changed, but I've had it 7 years now.....

 

Had over 150,000mi on my 99 2wd. Then it was ball joints, tie-rods, and most of the other front stuff. Ans she saw a lot of gravel roads.

A friend with an 99 Ford 4wd and 125,000 mi was recently bragging about how good ford is over Dodge. Shortly after, heater core, waterpump, 1700 on rear end, 02 went out on the road, and changing plugs cost him like 300.00, they are a real pain to change out. All in last 6 months.

 

Well, since we're making comparisons to other vehicles...wifes grand cherokee had 94k and we just had to get rid of it. Heater core, water pumps, broken window motors ,cracked and torn leather seats, cracked dashboard, cracked console, trans work, suspension parts, radiator...just one thing after another. We dumped thousands into that piece thinking sooner or later it has to stop breaking because everything has been replaced. Wrong.

I also have a 89 Ford Ranger 4x4 and have no idea what the real mileage is. Problems? A collapsed fuel filler neck and a fuel pump. Thats it.

Next truck, if I decide to stay with a half ton it'll be a Tundra or Titan.

 

I don't understand non-greaseable ball joints. Talk about planned obsolescense!

Anyway.....I've been studying threads here and I'm about to do it myself with rented tools from Autozone. It looks like a puller, pickle fork, and press.....and I'll have to look and see if there are tack welds.

It'll take me all day and I'll have to buy a floor jack, but I can't justify paying somebody else $500-600 labor. Not now. Too many bills.

The worst part is I'm working 7 days/week, and pulling away to do this is aggravating.

Thanks for all the input, and I'll update on the progress.....and the amount of skin I lose.

 

That is EXACTLY what it is. Keeps the service departments in business. Most parts are designed to last about 50K miles. After that, its all just luck. Need to keep the mechanics, and parts manufacturers in business.

 

Um, no, it's not planned obsolescence. It's called controlling costs of production. Purchasing non-serviceable ball-joints, tie-rod ends, and U-joints is cheaper than the serviceable style (meaning a zerk fitting). Time is money and eliminating the time it takes someone to install a zerk fitting means quicker production at a reduced cost.


Two great example are brake rotors and Ford's use of magnesium for radiator supports. Most new vehicle brake rotors will barely last 20K miles because they are machined to the minimum tolerance as a weight saving measure to meet the mandated fuel mileage standards. Ford trucks are notorious for the radiator supports breaking as magnesium corrodes and disintegrates. Why use magnesium? It's a light-weight material.

When my dad retired in 1985, Detroit put out a mandate that the weight of every part of a vehicle (including screws, washers, bolts, etc) be reduced 35%.