Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends

Posted By: CJK440

Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 09:50 PM

My 05 Dak has non greasable pivot points thruout. Lower ball joints are shot and are getting replaced. Hopefully the lowers are just shot because they take the brunt of the load and that the uppers and tie rod ends are OK.

I know they make a needle adapter to pierce the boot and fill with grease. I'm wondering if this is a good idea or bad?

I will have all that stuff disconnected and will try supplementing lubrication by sneaking the needle in between the boot and stud while they are disconnected but always wondered about puncturing the boots.

The new lower ball joints are Moog with grease fittings.

Posted By: hemi-itis

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 09:55 PM

I think it's a JOKE that several manufacturer's do this to save a 10 cent grease fitting.I think you can drill a small hole amd install a zirk fiting

Posted By: scratchnfotraction

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:01 PM

I have done it with a needle for yrs

the boot will eventuly rot,but not from the needle

if its apart you can pull it up/off or your idea works

take it from some one that has had the wheel flop off and bang up the fender and door,then slid down a ditch

ball joints need replace when bad..its your call on how bad you think they are,for the price it cheaper in the long run

now I understand if you have to have a shop R&R them,it can get pricy,but thats why i leard a few tricks and do them my self and just pay for alinement

my 85 truck just got 4 new ones for 100 bones + alinement..well worht my life at highway speeds

Posted By: RapidRobert

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:01 PM

Prob planned obsolescense (sp). Need to get grease between the rounded ball and the base as opposed to inside the boot as the boot is more to keep road splash out. Drilling/tapping would be easy/simple/effective & work great IF you got ALL the shavings back out

Posted By: CJK440

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:02 PM

Quote:

I think it's a JOKE that several manufacturer's do this to save a 10 cent grease fitting.I think you can drill a small hole amd install a zirk fiting

I know both the OE and Moog part has the boot crimped to the joint. The moog part has a special orientation with an interuption on the stud side of the boot to allow excess grease to flow out. I wonder in the name of extended maintenance interval if the OE mopar joint is somehow crimped at both ends of the boot so nothing can get out or in.

Posted By: CJK440

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:05 PM

Quote:

ball joints need replace when bad..its your call on how bad you think they are,for the price it cheaper in the long run

now I understand if you have to have a shop R&R them,it can get pricy,but thats why i leard a few tricks and do them my self and just pay for alinement

I'm doing it myself and as long as things go as planned, I don't need to mess with anything that could affect alignment in theory. $50 a pop for lowers. Service manual says replace at .020" play, mine measured .030". The suspension was squeaking, thats what alerted me to the wear. These trucks apparently have an issue with bad joints.

Upper joints are integral to the control arm and can only be replaced by replacing the arm.

I will check play tonight and am crossing my fingers that they are OK for now.

Posted By: scratchnfotraction

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:07 PM

it not only save $$$ but sells more new BJ/TRE and the same with u-joints

they dont last near as long as a well serviced front end thats greesable

same reason the big 3 are going broke all the time,new stuff is junk that a poorman cant work on

no need to buy a new car when the 40-50 yr old car I have is still going fine with almost the same mpgs of new cars...and it been paid for a long time and I can fix it in the yard on a poormans budget

Posted By: dOrk !

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 10:08 PM

Isn't Ma Mopar "saying" ... that it never needs to be REgreased ?

Posted By: GO_Fish

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/15/10 11:58 PM

That's what they are saying to the gullible that will believe. It's really a desire to pinch penny's at the customer's cost, and to help push vehicles back into the dealership for service (or preferably a trade in and new vehicle purchase).

That's a win/win for them (unless the owner goes over to brand X, which must happen a lot). They make a new sale, and pick up an otherwise good vehicle that they can flip cheaply on their lot. In their mind, if you buy a new vehicle every 3 or 5 years, you won't have these problems.

Posted By: CJK440

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/16/10 04:09 PM

Another thing that bothers me is lack of castleated nuts and cotter pins on the BJ/TRE's.

Posted By: 360view

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/16/10 07:07 PM

If you want to re-seal the small hole the needle makes,
clean the area around the needle hole after greasing with
91% isopropyl alcohol or MEK,
then use an small dab of a $3 Loctite

"Vinyl, Fabric & Plastic Flexible Adhesive"

http://www.amazon.com/Henkel-1050904-Loc...2614&sr=8-1

"Seam Grip" sold by outdoor stores is also an excellent flexible sealer, but more expensive

http://www.amazon.com/McNett-Sealer-Outd...;sr=8-1-catcorr

Posted By: dOrk !

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 01:53 AM

Quote:

If you want to re-seal the small hole the needle makes,

The NEEDLE HOLE in the rubber boot? ... but doesn't the grease need to be in the opposite end ... like where the grease-fitting SHOULD BE ?

I have never tried to put-in grease-fittings into a part that does not have them .. but I sure am going to try in the spring ... on my diesel dually.

Posted By: Dcuda69

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 02:19 AM

Quote:

it not only save $$$ but sells more new BJ/TRE and the same with u-joints

they dont last near as long as a well serviced front end thats greesable

same reason the big 3 are going broke all the time,new stuff is junk that a poorman cant work on

no need to buy a new car when the 40-50 yr old car I have is still going fine with almost the same mpgs of new cars...and it been paid for a long time and I can fix it in the yard on a poormans budget

While I'm sure they save $$ on the fittings,I believe the intent was lowered maintenance costs(no "lube"job) It didn't work out that way.I doubt they counted on increased BJ/TRE sales as most failures occur out of warranty so most of those purchases go to aftermarket vendors(I know I use Moog or equivalent replacement parts and avoid OE suspension parts when possible)

It has NOTHING to do with the big 3.....imports have been doing this for as long as I can remember(I've been wrenching for a living for 30 yrs) but it's good to know people are still comfortable taking a shot at them whenever possible.

Posted By: HemiRunner

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 02:24 AM

Your best bet is to get a joint with the fitting in it when the sealed units fail. The so called lifetime or sealed units have a thin nylon disc in the bottom that that the ball pivots on with the grease. If you drill through the metal cap & damage the nylon disc it will fail & now you have metal on metal, it is just a matter of time before the joint will fail & you won't get much more life out of it. The OEM's design them with a limited life span contrary to their lifetime designation they give them.

Posted By: 70Duster

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 02:50 AM

Non-greasable joints can be made to last the lifetime of the vehicle if they are designed adequately with the proper materials. I presently have in the fleet 5 Corollas ranging in model year from 1992 to 1999 with mileage ranging from 172,000 to 268,000 miles, all of which still have 100% of the original factory non-greasable front end components. This includes ball joints and tie rod ends. They all pass yearly PA safety inspections and are nearly as tight as new. I've never sliced one from the junk yard apart to see how they are made, or what they are made of, but it might be a good idea to see how they do it.

Posted By: scatpacktom

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 05:31 AM

I drilled a hole for a zerk in a Ford tie rod end that was making noise. Greased it up and it blew apart before it was out of the bay.

I won't even consider doing that again.Not worth it

Posted By: GoodysGotaCuda

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 01:24 PM

Quote:

I think it's a JOKE that several manufacturer's do this to save a 10 cent grease fitting.I think you can drill a small hole amd install a zirk fiting

Shavings from the hole gotta go somewhere

I've got four ball joints dead on my 2009 25,000 mile wrangler. Thanks to the nylon backed design on a solid axle/"off-road" vehicle.

Posted By: scratchnfotraction

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/17/10 01:32 PM

yep,I take a cheap shot at them every chance i get

I have had my taxes bail them out at least 4x in my lifetime and have never bought a new car

so I am haveing to pay them for not buying a new car anyways

so either way they are sticking me with a bill to pay in some way shape or form

never bought an import either,but at least I dont have to help bail them out...yet

Posted By: mikepar

Re: Lubricating non greasable ball joint / tie rod ends - 12/18/10 02:46 PM

on a 59 ford i had awhile back the ball joints had a threaded ring on the bottom that could be adjusted SWEET