I was happily changing pads in my 1999 RAM 1500 van, a necessity as Australian regulations are very strict about asbestos and in two weeks I have to put it in for shipping home.

The rear brake shoes were done, fitting Bosch shoes, Bosch pads were in place on the right front, but I was surprised totally when I went to work on the left front...


Not the way it should be! Here's what I found - the ball joint has worked its way right out of the top wishbone.

Is this a common occurrence? And I've been quoted about $500 to fix it, is that in the ball park for this job?

 

The threads are stripped, so the upper control arm and the ball joint have to be replaced, plus labor, then an alignment...so yes, $500 seems quite reasonable.

 

What threads are they?

This is a press-in fitting, I'm sure, the sides there are dead smooth, they've never had threads.

 

Then there should have been a snap-ring, or something, to hold the joint in place. If not, then the whole in the a-arm has become oversized, either due to movement, corrosion, or simply age, and still needs to be replaced. Generally though, on press-fit joints, the uppers would press in from below....

 

Dude, if I were you, I'd (before shipping this thing to AU) go on Amazon and buy every wearable suspension part in Moog brand and have them installed here before you ship it. I renewed my entire front suspension for about $800! In AU, it will cost you a lot more.

 

Apart from this it appears (and drives) to be in good shape in the suspension...

And I'm running out of time to do things like this. Bearing mind that I do everything I can myself, and all of that stuff comes into that category, it's no longer practical. What I could do is have a good look under there and see if there's anything likely to be getting on the worn side, buy the parts and fit them at home. Which is what I did with the '87 van I have.

It's not my intention to keep it, but to sell it in Australia. But if someone offered me silly money for the '87 van I would keep this one and fit it with the NV4500 I'm intending to fit to the '87 van. I still have the 747 that it came with, though I'd rather fit a 518. The 1990 B350 Camper I'm leaving in Arkansas is excellent to drive with its 518.

 

I wonder if someone (wrongfully) pressed in a (wrong) balljoint into the normally threaded control arm. Your control arm looks exactly like this 1999 Ram Van 1500 control arm which clearly uses a thread-in ball joint.

 

If you clean off the ball joint you will see it has 4 flat sides. The threads are very small, but they are there. A special socket is needed to thread them in and tighten them.

 

I would clean it and have a better look.

 

It's been at the repair shop for two days, I went in today and yes, it does have a thread. My apologies, it had been full of rust and I couldn't see it in my hurry to get it booked in.

The hole, they said, has been expanded by the experience and a new wishbone fitted. Tomorrow morning they wheel align it and the job will have been completed. $580.