upper ball joints
upper ball joints Are all upper ball joints supposed to have a metal boot retainer? I just replaced my passenger side ball joint but 3 things happened that concerned me.
1) when I went to torque the castle nut down to 39 ft lbs of torque, the bolt stripped...this leaves me to wonder if something isn't right, or my torque wrench is off... since I had 2 ball joints, I put the second one in and hand tightened it until the castle nut went past the cotter hole and tossed the cotter pin in place...
2) I don't recall seeing a metal boot retainer on the new piece
3) I went for a test drive the the car still squeaks, just not as bad...Granted my upper control arm bushings are also shot, and it could be that...
I'm going to probably order some upper control arms by the end of this week, I want to be sure that my car is safe however and that I installed everything correctly.
1) when I went to torque the castle nut down to 39 ft lbs of torque, the bolt stripped...this leaves me to wonder if something isn't right, or my torque wrench is off... since I had 2 ball joints, I put the second one in and hand tightened it until the castle nut went past the cotter hole and tossed the cotter pin in place...
2) I don't recall seeing a metal boot retainer on the new piece
3) I went for a test drive the the car still squeaks, just not as bad...Granted my upper control arm bushings are also shot, and it could be that...
I'm going to probably order some upper control arms by the end of this week, I want to be sure that my car is safe however and that I installed everything correctly.
Yes, a good quality ball joint will come with the boot retainer. What brand did you purchase? When you screwed the nut on was it a snug fit on the b/j stud, or was it a little loose? Possibly, you have a metric nut with an SAE threaded ball joint, or vice versa, or just a poor quality b/j.
looking at the boot retainer, it looks like it isn't actually needed? it looks like it just might help protect the boot from getting dirty.
I just got a driveworxs BJ for now. I plan on getting upper A arms shortly, and I'll make sure there is a nicer ball joint to replace this one. Only reason I ran out and bought this was because I had some play in the joint that I didnt feel comfortable driving with.
if all that retainer does is help keep the ball joint cleaner, I don't care about it...to me it doesn't look like it does anything else though? Like it doesn't look like the ball-joint can shift anywhere?
The castle nut is snug to the joint as well, Im guessing someone just gave me the wrong nut the other day with the other BJ I put in
I just got a driveworxs BJ for now. I plan on getting upper A arms shortly, and I'll make sure there is a nicer ball joint to replace this one. Only reason I ran out and bought this was because I had some play in the joint that I didnt feel comfortable driving with.
if all that retainer does is help keep the ball joint cleaner, I don't care about it...to me it doesn't look like it does anything else though? Like it doesn't look like the ball-joint can shift anywhere?
The castle nut is snug to the joint as well, Im guessing someone just gave me the wrong nut the other day with the other BJ I put in
Hate to be bearer of bad news, but "Driveworks" parts are the proverbial "bottom of the barrel" parts.....
The boot retainer is there to keep the boot in place. The boot has a lip at its top, and the retainer engages this lip, keeping it sealed tightly against the body of the ball joint. The boot keeps the grease in and the dirt/water out.
The boot retainer is there to keep the boot in place. The boot has a lip at its top, and the retainer engages this lip, keeping it sealed tightly against the body of the ball joint. The boot keeps the grease in and the dirt/water out.
Hate to be bearer of bad news, but "Driveworks" parts are the proverbial "bottom of the barrel" parts.....
The boot retainer is there to keep the boot in place. The boot has a lip at its top, and the retainer engages this lip, keeping it sealed tightly against the body of the ball joint. The boot keeps the grease in and the dirt/water out.
The boot retainer is there to keep the boot in place. The boot has a lip at its top, and the retainer engages this lip, keeping it sealed tightly against the body of the ball joint. The boot keeps the grease in and the dirt/water out.
so basically, that retainer is to keep the joint going long term...in the short term not having it tightly sealed is not going to cause the joint to loose all of its grease and fall apart on me...I think/if I understand correctly?
Oh, I know driveworks/driveworx (whichever it is) is bottoms of the barrel. It was more of a band aid fix than anything. I found play in the joint and it made me not want to drive the car. I know I'm going to be getting upper A arms within the next few weeks/month with a good quality ball joint, but I didn't want to risk driving the car with a bad ball joint until then. So what's 30$ if it gives you a piece of mind right?
so basically, that retainer is to keep the joint going long term...in the short term not having it tightly sealed is not going to cause the joint to loose all of its grease and fall apart on me...I think/if I understand correctly?
so basically, that retainer is to keep the joint going long term...in the short term not having it tightly sealed is not going to cause the joint to loose all of its grease and fall apart on me...I think/if I understand correctly?
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I'm a firm believer in moog quality parts and oem stuff but believe it or not some driveworks stuff is nothing but relabled quality parts. We had a customer come in the shop other day in a 04 dodge needed upper balljoints. He brought his own parts when I took them out to inspect them there were indeed moog balljoint's (stamped on them) I couldn't believe it. Now after this I usually run dayco serpentine belts on my z71 and I was in need of a new one so I ordered a driveworks belt just to see and to my suprise on back of the driveworks package in small print on the bottom it says made by dayco. I have noticed though not all their parts are seemingly up to par so to speak, so do agree some parts made by driveworks do look to be bottom of barrel
That's the problem with Driveworks. You have no clue whether you're getting something good or not.
For a short-term fix I wouldn't be too bothered using them, but long-term I definitely want to know exactly what I'm getting.
For a short-term fix I wouldn't be too bothered using them, but long-term I definitely want to know exactly what I'm getting.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 144
From: Woodstock, GA
Just my 2 cents.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 144
From: Woodstock, GA
Just thinking that I should clarify that since/if you are going to swap them out anyways for Moogs .... do use the boot retainers. I was only saying not to worry about it since you were going to swap them out in the near future. Don't want to give bad advice.
I thought I would comment on this, since I am in the middle of swapping out the ball joints with the same brand (cross checked joints with Moog joint number) and UMI upper A-Arms when I experiences OPs #1
Before I started to tighten the Castle Nut, I jacked up the car from the lower A-Arm to compress in the upper A-Arm Ball Joint as much as I could into the Spindle Hole. So started to tighten Castle Nut down at ~40lbs, didn't hear a wrench click and sure enough, I felt the Castle Nut was stripping the ball joint... I think what the problem is the Castle Nut Seems to be Grade 8 Nut and the Ball Joint is not as strong of a steel. I stopped as soon as I felt the Ball Joint thread stripping and removed the Castle Nut. The Ball joint wasn't stripped too bad, but I was able to hand tight the Castle Nut back on. This time I used a Internal Serrated Lock Washer just to be safe and tightened it a little more with a socket then placed the Cotter Pin. - My thoughts are the Ball Joint is forced in the Spindle Hole and with lightly tightened Castle Nut and cotter pin should be just fine. I will probably drive on it for a few miles then re-tighten and check the bolts.
Maybe someone could answer this... Maybe I could leave the Castle Nut off the Ball Joint, drive around without a Castle Nut to force down the Ball Joint a little more into the Spindle Hole then tighten the Castle Nut back on???
Before I started to tighten the Castle Nut, I jacked up the car from the lower A-Arm to compress in the upper A-Arm Ball Joint as much as I could into the Spindle Hole. So started to tighten Castle Nut down at ~40lbs, didn't hear a wrench click and sure enough, I felt the Castle Nut was stripping the ball joint... I think what the problem is the Castle Nut Seems to be Grade 8 Nut and the Ball Joint is not as strong of a steel. I stopped as soon as I felt the Ball Joint thread stripping and removed the Castle Nut. The Ball joint wasn't stripped too bad, but I was able to hand tight the Castle Nut back on. This time I used a Internal Serrated Lock Washer just to be safe and tightened it a little more with a socket then placed the Cotter Pin. - My thoughts are the Ball Joint is forced in the Spindle Hole and with lightly tightened Castle Nut and cotter pin should be just fine. I will probably drive on it for a few miles then re-tighten and check the bolts.
Maybe someone could answer this... Maybe I could leave the Castle Nut off the Ball Joint, drive around without a Castle Nut to force down the Ball Joint a little more into the Spindle Hole then tighten the Castle Nut back on???
Last edited by 1ta ls1; Jan 31, 2014 at 03:37 PM.
When you ready to do it right for the long term then get the sealed ACDELCO Part # 45D0087 or the sealed RAYBESTOS Part # 5001087, they both run about $50 each at RockAuto.
