cmckinney

Anyone that has done the newer 2nd gen trucks ball joints on the 4x4 have tips/hints and list of tools required for the job.

My tires are wearing bad. Something awful. My driver side lower ball joint is gone.

Moog part numbers or Napa appreciatted.
Lower and Upper part numbers?

Trying to fix the front end and do the brake pads while I'm in there.

-CM

Cowhand

Rent a ball joint press from the local parts house. Don't forget to do the cross joints while you're in there.

Try rockauto.com for parts. I'd give you the part #'s, but I believe the #'s are different for your 2002.

Hope you have a 1/2" drive socket set......

cmckinney

Cross member? Not familiar with that, explain por favor.

-CM

Dieseldude4x4

Just bought four new ball joints for my sons 94 from NAPA. $19 and $29 each.
The bearing hubs were the expensive parts, $400 per side.

Cowhand

Cross joints. The u-joint looking things that sit between the ball joints.

rockauto had the front bearings for $180/side, IIRC. Can't remember the mfr, but I think they were a trusted name.

cmckinney

Ok got it.

Anyone worked on a 01 or 02' lately? Chime in....loved to hear some pointers.

-CM

Mcmopar

I just did everything you are talking about on my 98.5, BEWARE when pulling the hubs that the bearings don't seperate. If they do you have to replace them, my hubs were good, but they seperated That cost me an extra 500 bucks. I would replace the axle seals when you do this job, I only replaced the leaking one, quess what? That side is good but now the other one leaks . All in all it took me about 6 hours!!

gunhill

Replaced both u-joints and lower ball joints last winter on my '02 4x4. I soaked everything repeated with Kroil (penetrating oil). I didn't use a gear puller on the hub for fear of separating the bearing.

After removing the castle nut on the end and the ABS sensor I backed out the 4 - 12pt bolts about 1/4 of an inch and tried knocking it loose with a brass drift but that got me no where. I ended up using an old Ford kingpin and a big hammer to hit the 12 pt bolts as hard as i could. Dad helped...I held the kingpin with vice-grips and dad swung the hammer or vice versa. Obviously it will mushroom the bolt head. I sacraficed two which is a pain switching them around but I'm a tight wad at 7 bucks each. I also unhooked the tie-rod end from the steering knuckle so I could pivot the knuckle around easily to hit each side.

Getting the u-joints out was easy but I had to take a torch to the center of the old ball joint. I just 'blew out' a hole in the center and beat it out with a hammer. It may have been easier with a ball joint remover but I used a large socket and c-clamp but that didn't do much.

Just remember when you put it all back together to put a coating of anti-seeze in the steering knuckle so the hub won't rust to it by the next time you take it apart.

I used TRW (or TWR?) ball joints (all I could find besides Mopar) and Federal Mogul u-joints.

Hope this helps.

Dieseldude4x4

I ordered both of the inner axle seals but in order to get the left side in, you have to pull the gear set out and we ain't going there.

Mcmopar

Yup,

I didn't want to remove the ring gear, but now I have to!! Driver side seal now leaks, a lot!!