Lower ball joints

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by VIPR PWR, Nov 8, 2019.

Car Parts
  1. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Well just started hearing a clunky noise when pulling in the driveway.... appears the lower ball joints are the culprit , boots completely gone and they don’t look good lol. ..

    question , the factory ones seem to have worn out prematurely.. What replacement lower ball joints would be the best choice ... I would prefer to have a grease fitting on them ...

    are the ones for the 10’s different from the ones for the standard 1500 rams ?

    anyone have the factory part number ?
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2019
  2. AMS3

    AMS3 Well-Known Member

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    My 05 SLT had the same thing happen at around 75K. I ended up replacing the Upper control arms and lower balljoints. Now my SRT at 73K has worn out ball joints and upper control arms. Poor design I guess. In two weeks, I'll be replacing the uppers and lowers. The upper control arms are Moog, not sure the brand for the lower ball joints, the speed shop I use ordered them. Moog sells a kit for Ram 1500, so you might be ok. I'd call them though just to make sure they'll work.
     
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  3. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    i was looking at Rockauto.com. They have a decent selection .. and decent pricing compared to advance auto ...

    I’m leaning toward the Mevotech ,, daily driver one or the problem solver Moog , premium one ........ just wonder if the differences actually mean anything ... price is basically the same .. grease fitting included ,,, and a pertty colored dust cover lol ...
     
  4. AMS3

    AMS3 Well-Known Member

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    So will a standard Ram lower ball joint fit the SRT? I wish I knew what brand mine are that will be installed. I'd call the shop, and get the name for you, but the shop is closed today. The owner took his employees to the Las Vegas car show this weekend. I think it's called SEMA???
     
  5. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    I’m still searching around ... Rockauto is my most likely source now ... still need to verify if they are for the 10s .. according to the search they are ..
     
  6. Srt10650

    Srt10650 Full Access Member

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    I would definitely go with the Moog lower ball joints. I recently lowered my truck and replaced all my front suspension with Moog components. I couldn’t be happier. Part number for the lower ball joints is K7411. Let me know if you need any other part number or tips on how to swap them out. Here’s my thread on my truck https://www.vtcoa.com/threads/front-springs-jtsvp-vs-belltech.68923/
     
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  7. Srt10650

    Srt10650 Full Access Member

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    Left is the new Moog lower ball joint and right is the old stock worn lower ball joint. Stock no zerk grease fitting and the Moog one comes with the zerk grease fitting.
     

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  8. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Perfect , that was time to order them thanks ....
    was there any stubborn parts you removed .. and I Guess I need to get a puller .... already have the fork ... just don’t need any surprises with stubborn parts .. about how long did it take to do just the ball joints ...I live in a deed restrict place that may get pissed for working on my truck .. so getting it done fast is a must lol


    Ball joints ordered ... I guess I know have no excuse but to rebuild the calipers and re paint them lol. Ive had the caliper rebuild kits for around 10 years sitting ... procrastination ya think !
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2019
  9. Srt10650

    Srt10650 Full Access Member

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    I would also get a ball joint press, I got mine from Harbor Freight for about $60. Worked perfect with my 24v impact and WD40. I did a few things at the same time but I would guess with Jack/ jack stands and hand tools about 1hr each side just to do the lower ball joints.
     
  10. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Thanks , been looking at the presses on line and reviews .
    Seems the price ranges vary somewhat and the reviews say some break and bend .. Harbor freight was one they say bends yet they said they completed the job .. other said the have 2 sets , one for install and one for removal lol. Reviews stink .... always finds a way to confuse the heck out of me !
    So ho did your press hold up ? You used an impact gun on it , again reviewer said don’t use an impact gun lol ..
    I guess my choice is to head to the local advance auto and get a loner from them , doesn’t make much sense for me to buy one since I will only be doing it once ,, I hope !
    Now I need to find my other tools in my disaster storage area ... I know my ft. Pound torque wrench is broken and don’t think my inch pound one will do the trick .. did you torque everything or just zap them on with muscle ? Do you have the torque specs for everything you remove and put back on ?

    looks like rockauto is 3 days ahead of schedule on delivery and delivering them today so I need to prepare this old fart broken body and motivate to get everything i need to get er done .
     
  11. VIPR PWR

    VIPR PWR Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Here is a pic of the new ball joints .. Moog K7411 with pre installed dust boots ...

    Srt10650. Looking at the one in your pics at the dust boots ... as you can see in my pic the dust boots look different... Did Yours have different boots ... the one on the right side in the pic , had the boot pulled up about an inch higher till I pulled it down but still looks different than the one on the left ..
    Not sure why or if it will matter ... everything Elise appears identical...
    any thoughts as to why ?

    oh , I did take a pic of the boot pulled up on the one joint .. both pics to see what am talking about ...
     

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  12. Raiiin

    Raiiin Member

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    I replaced my whole truck with moog and energy suspension bushing All the way around. In pretty sure it doesnt have a cap but I know the truck feels amazing in all driving aspects.
    Sorry for typos getting stitches in my good hand at the moment the manifold bit me earlier
     
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  13. Srt10650

    Srt10650 Full Access Member

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    I used the one from Harbor Freight, it’s the 2wd ball joint press. This is the 3rd time I’ve done ball joint on different trucks and I’ve always used the same press. You don’t need a different press to install them. I used my impact and worked perfectly and didn’t bend at all. I also used the same press to remove my leaf spring bushings, shackle bushings and upper/lower control arm bushings.
     
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  14. Srt10650

    Srt10650 Full Access Member

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    Regarding the ball joint boots, I checked the pictures and they’re the same. Your left ball joint seems to have the dust boot pulled out. And the one on the right has the dust boot on correctly. As far as install the ball joint has a rising where it stops the ball joint from being pressed in further. Then just put the lock ring on top and your pretty much done.
     
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