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2wd ball joint "feel"?

K85 Octane

K85 Octane

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I'm replacing the lower ball joint on my '68. Its really hard to turn the spindle while only bolted to the lower bj. So CPP supplied me with crap from the start.

The upper bj is smoother with the spindle attached, I can at least turn it with little effort, but it's not super super easy. When I push the shaft back and forth with my hand, it makes a grinding feeling, like the inside is gauged. Not sure if they just feel like that anyway or if they should be super smooth like a tierod end.

Only messed with Kingpins, and those are smooth. First bj for me and they are hard to yank with my hand. :D
 
They should be smooth, they're not preloaded like a kingpin. There should be some resistance but not a ton, also it shouldn't be floppy loose either.
 
Just changed the the upper and lower on my Ranger and the are not easy to move by hand. move free and easy when all gatherer.
 
Most ball joints have a coil spring inside them under the ball,and nylon around the ball also,its not just a metal to metal assembly...
I think its perfectly normal for new ones to feel "stiff" and hard to move around by hand...
 
Yeah, the lower is definitely the cause of my tight steering. I'm not sure if the upper is making it worse or not but they are easy to replace...so why not. :dunno: The part number is very similar to the new Moogs I ordered. Here's hoping they aren't exactly the same :doah:

Anybody heard of ruining a lower ball joint by pressing it into an A-arm with too small a hole?
 
Not unless you used a big hammer to smash it in,ball joints have to be pretty rugged to withstand normal road impacts ,if one distorted that easily,I wouldn't want my life riding on it--..

I have noticed stiffer steering for a few hundred miles after putting in new ball joints--might just be that I was used to "loose" ones,or it takes awhile to wear in the new ones enough to free up more ?..

One thing to make sure of,see if the tapered stud seems to go in the knuckle too far--I have seen some that let the knuckle be drawn up against the ball joint's housing and rub there,due to poor tolerances..or the wrong part for the application..
 
Ball joint and spindle mating look good. And suckers have 900 miles already and havent loosened up yet. Plus I think my pump is starting to whine having to turn harder. :(
 
All my Moog ball joints were made in China. Still had to pay premium price, what a disappointment.
 
For 4WD the GM manual says to use a scale to measure the amount of force to move the wheel assembly when the tie rod is disconnected. I don't have the manual handy, but if I remember correctly it says to connect the scale to the tie rod hole (I used a cheap fish scale) and it should measure about 14 lbs when pulled from either side. Someone with the manual handy can check the actual number and what it should be for 2WD.
 
Wow
$120 for Pepboys to press out and in two ball joints. I even brought them the joints and arms. No thanks, I'll struggle with it myself and save the money.

Managed to get one done last night before laziness crept in. Wow, what a difference. The new lower Moog is much easier to move around by hand. I'm sure the upper will be nicer too. Part numbers are funny. Old one = OSK6136 new one = K6136 The old one has no branding but then again the Mood only says "problem solver" on it. Dunno, finally excited to drive the truck again. Here's hoping the brakes don't still squeal.
 
Around here several of the good auto parts stores with machine shops,and other machine shops that would do small jobs for cash have gone out of business or the owners died,retired,etc..so the few remaining places that will take on these jobs have you by the gonads,and charge outrageous prices,or make you wait "till they get to it"..of course that can be days...


My friend bought a decent small 20 ton press from Harbor Freight for 150 bucks ,after he got butt raped at local machine shops to press something like a driveshaft center bearing,etc,too many times--he also tired of being told "we might get to it today",while the vehicle sits on his lift all apart,killing his chances of starting another job that day...

I have used that press a few times,it works pretty well...I had a driveshaft on a FWD wheel bearing rusted solid at the splines and the press was my last resort,as its about 5 miles away and I have to gamble my friend is at his shop and not using it to "borrow" it..

I made a crude ball joint press out of thick 2" square tubing,2 pieces joined with a 3/4" threaded rod on each side--I use a 2 or 4 ton bottle jack and some pipe couplings or tubing for adapters,most of the time I can press them out and back in on the vehicle...
I also came across a big "H" shaped thing made of 8" channel iron about 5 feet tall,that has channels welded across the ends too,I have used that thing with a bottle jack & pipes or sockets,to press out u-joints and ball joints..
 
If you were close to me I'd do it for ya for free. Mechanics get a bad rap for charging out the wazzoo so I tend to help any one out I can if it doesn't take up a ton of time. A lot of parts stores will rent you a ball joint press for not too much. Hell I think my cheapie ATD one was like $60 bucks and it does most popular stuff. Some time you gotta fab up an adapter. If the ball joints are so tight they affect your steering and don't immediately loosen up with some driving then they are fubar and need to be changed.
 
Well, I got nothing against a shop charging what they want to. It took two guys to figure out what the computer wanted to charge lol. Just say 60 bucks, do the work, and you would have wasted less time. Ain't got a problem with the higher price. I just said no thanks and drive the mile back home. Broke out the HarborFreight bj tool and took care of one before going inside for the night.

Oh well. On my way to driving it again soon. Maybe a 4th of July :burnout: is in order :D
 
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