Ball bearing? There are no ball bearings in a control arm....or anywhere else..you talking about wheel bearings?

 

Sorry, been a long day. The ball joint*

 

I've never replaced the control arm, I think there is a thread here somewhere talking about it, so use the search function. From what I remember it is a royal pain betting the stgrut bolt and the control are bolts out of the bushings. Perrsonally I find replacing just the ball joint easier as there is not as much "stuff" to remove. You can rent a ball joint press from an auto parts store.

 

Ugh, I just found out the other day fro my mechanic buddy that my ball joints are on their way to being shot. The front end on my '08 has been squeaking for a few weeks now. He says parts, labor, and alignment are going to run around $800. That's NOT what I need to hear right now :/

 

i dont come on here too much anymore, but I seen this post and can speak of my experience... delayed response...
My '05 Dakota was squeaking like crazy on the front driver side, simple diagnostics couldn't place where it was coming from
I took off the wheel, took a look around, didn't do much of anything but drop a whole bunch of rust, and put the wheel back on.
Since then the horrible squeak stopped. I believe it was a build up of rust and filth behind the wheel mounted on the rotor.
Just my little tid bit

 

are you sure that there isnt a baby stuck under the truck?

 

I realize this is an old post- but wanted to share a possible solution for others with the same problem.


I bought an 06 Dakota in November with 95k miles. After about a month, I started having terrible front end squeaks. I replaced the stabilizer bar bushings, and stabilizer bar links. These items were bad, but wasn't the squeak.


I eventually talked to a buddy who worked on front end for several years. He knew before looking at it. The ball joints were dry, which from reading this forum, most people know is an issue. What I hadn't seen on here yet, was how he fixed it.


IF THE BALL JOINTS ARE TIGHT AND DON'T NEED REPLACEMENT- take a "needle greaser", and puncture the seal of the ball joints and re-grease them.


Yes, there may be some minor grease "leakage" through the small puncture hole, but it'll be minor. But to me, this is a whole lot cheaper and easier than replacing ball joints when they start squeaking. I was going crazy- squirting all sorts of "lubes" on any front end part that moved. But this ball joint greasing took care of the squeak instantly.