jimbo486

well, the upper right ball joint decided it didn't want to stay in place anymore. the truck felt odd this morning on my way to work. i could straighten the wheel and it would drift to the right. i knew it couldn't be the alignment since i just had it done in early december. well, i decided to take a look at the front end when i got to work and sure enough, the upper ball joint had popped out of the socket . which moog ball joints (part numbers) do i need. i noticed there are a few different numbers listed but can't verify which ones i need. also, who has experience with the 7226S springs? are they too stiff or do they ride nice? i'm looking to get the front end leveled and some have said the new springs will just about do that. the truck needs new shocks as well so i'll be ordering bilsteins shortly.

92smokin blacky

The upper ball joints on these trucks are different. They have a Nylon bushing underneath the cap and spring that will wear out after time. I just changed mine about a month ago because it was wandering around the road and sticking and my tires were wearing really oddly, but my ball joints seemed tight and my alignment was fine and so i changed those and haven't had a problem since. My bushings were actually rotating in there, they have a little bulge in them that keeps them in a groove and keeps them from rotating under the cap, and mine were worn smooth letting them rotate. They're pretty cheap and easy to change. They call them a King Pin knuckle bushing, I got mine from Randy's Ring and Pinion.

And i'm pretty sure the 90's have the same thing like this as my 92 does??? Someone will chime in, but pull the top cap off and check those nylon bushings, its a little greasy in there though.

Thunderhog

Um, he has a D350. 2 wheel drive! For the 4000 lb axle, the K7082 is the correct Moog upper ball joint. They screw into the control arm. Just did all 4 in mine yesterday. Buy MOOG, NOTHING ELSE!!! The others just dont last. Make certain you check the lowers too, they usally last about 1/2 as long as the uppers.
And dont fall over when you price them!

Jim Lane

I got mine from Auto Zone and they came with a Lifetime Warranty, I have already replaced them 2 times for free.

Also they have the install kit you can borrow for free as long as you have a credit card, but be warned, the lower installer didn't work very well for me.

There is a socket that fits the upper ball joint but I made one out of a piece of square tubing.

Good luck.
Jim

92smokin blacky

Sorry my bad, I wasn't thinkin that his truck was 2 wheel drive
I thought that they call them king pins on 2wd and ball joints on 4wd so i was all confused.

jimbo486

does anyone have the torque specs from a FSM for the parts involved? upper ball joint in the control arm, upper control arm bracket bolts, lower control arm bracket bolt, upper and lower ball joint castel nuts, spindle nut procedure for preloading the wheel bearings and anything else i'm missing. i'll check the chilton's manual i have in the truck and see what it gives me but i figure most of you that have a vehicle specific FSM would be able to pin point it quickly. i plan on replacing the wheel bearings just out of good practice since everything will be apart.

Jim5870

BTW, Grease your ball joints with the wheels off the ground to get them
lubed properly.

jimbo486

i'll do that, thanks! how about the upper arm shaft with the eccentric camber adjusters on it? should that be replaced or are they strictly for adjusting camber to compensate for ball joint wear? here's what i plan on doing:

- both upper ball joints
- both lower ball joints
- both upper control arm bushings
- both lower control arm bushings
- 7226S springs
- wheel bearings
- strut rod bushings
- idler arm

sound good?

wannadiesel

Unless the upper shaft is damaged or too rusty to get apart there's no reason to replace it.

Oldschooldodge

I've bought the cheap ball joints before, and they didn't last long. One of the uppers actually snapped in half. I have Moog's now. They are spendy, but are holding up well. Check here http://rockauto.com/ , they had the lowest prices I could find.

jimbo486

well, here's the damage so far... the upper ball joint's threads are trashed!! i sure hope the threads within the control arm are ok! i don't have a picture of it, but the caliper hold down bracket actually twisted in place causing it to rub on the control arm when making a right turn AND scrape against the inside of the wheel . i'll have some pictures tomorrow evening. the wear on the wheel isn't bad. just a couple shavings that collected on the caliper. i think i'll have them balanced before they go back on for good measure. other than that, the wheel bearings look great and the rotor spins VERY freely on it's own with no grinding or hang ups. i'm replacing them as well just so i know everything up front is fresh and new . the brakes are fresh as of 2 years ago and still have about 75% or more life left! the rotors will get turned before they're reinstalled. most everything will probably get coated in paint just so it looks better and resists the corrosion a little better. anyway, here's some eye candy for you. err, uhh i mean an eyesore .

Jim Lane

What kind of wheel bearings did you use? I got a set of Timken bearings to replace mine and I found that I already had Timken’s carrying the load.
Jim

jimbo486

i'm guessing you're referring to the wheel bearings. i haven't bought wheel bearings yet and i'm not sure what kind were used the last time they were replaced. if the manufacturer's name is somewhere on the bearing, i'll look closer at them tonight. i've heard of timken before but haven't heard much about them. are they good bearings and can they be picked up at most auto parts supply stores?

wannadiesel

I'd get another control arm.

jimbo486

well, a good friend of my family that owns a brake and suspension shop, and has for about 30 years, told me to try installing the new ball joint in the arm first. he told me that threaded ball joints have a sort of flat thread pattern to them and also said if it threads in tight, the arm is good but if it threads in too easy, then it's bad. i'm about $730 into it at the moment. that's only 4 ***** joints, springs and upper and lower bushing kits. the ball joints priced at $90 each, springs are $113, upper bushing kits are $44 each and the lowers are $58 each. talk about bending over! good thing i can do the work myself. i know i'd fork over another $200 at least just for the labor to do all of this.