Ball joints??

[Shuck]

Took my 99 Suburban (K2500) in to be aligned. Guys at the shop say that my ball joints are worn out. Truck has 89,000 miles on it. My qeustion is, are the 3/4 ton pickups and suburbans notorious for wearing out front suspension parts? It would seem that because of the wider track in the front that the suspension has more work to do.

Ryan

[HowieE]

Who gresed the truck over the years? How many joints are they saying are bad? Upper or lower?

I have had both lower joints replaced on my truck and I have greased it myself for the last 90,000 of it 120,000 miles. One went at about 85,000 ad the other at 105,000. Just had the idler arm replaced at 120,000.

[JMZ]

I have 93k on mine and I have replaced both uppers and one lower , the other new lower is in the back of the sub waiting to be replaced.

[JoeyD]

I would recomend a sysnthetic grease. I use Mobile 1 since new and at 80,000 they are tight. I run a plow all winter and do have the bars cranked some which isn't the best thing for them.

[joed]

Probably a dumb question, but how do you tell if they are bad?

Seems like lately I've noticed a little binding when turning. 103K on the truck.

[wayne zylik]

I dont know how long they last but at 254,000. KM replaced lower left ball joint and at 314,000. KM replaced upper right ball joint and these were not replaced but oem, still have orginal tierods and 2 remaining ball joints serviced every 5000 KM
Wayne

[BuffaloGuy]

201,000 miles and I had it aligned last week. NO parts needed. They all marveled at how tight it is, especially since I live a dirt roads and use it pretty hard. All I can say is grease is amazing stuff. I bought it new and keep it well greased.
Ken

[C.K. Piquup]

I have 230,000mi.w/original F/E except 4 Idler arms.Bought new&well maintained.I run 285/75-16 tires and carry a load almost constantly.No complaints here.

[rapidoxidationman]

best way to tell if your ball joints are bad is to jack up the wheel in question, grab the top and bottom of the tire and try to wiggle it in and out; not like you're turning a corner but like you're trying to affect the perpendicularity (is that a george bush word?) of the tire to the road. There should be no play. If there is then the wheel can't be aligned and you're gonna start eating tires. I had to replace the driver's side joints (just the upper, but I did them both) when I got my truck with only 70 K miles on it. It was a bear without a ball joint press. Spend the money to get a good one, or have the front end guys do it for you. Make sure to grease them at least every 10 or 15K. You'll thank yourself when you don't have to do the job again.
Regards,
Rapid

[MikeC]

I had to replace everything that pivots in the front end at 70K. Bought the Burban with 63K so I have no idea of prior maintenance history.

Now it gets greased at 5K along with the oil and filter change. I still find moisture inside the boots which are POS in my mind.

Mike

[damork]

Shuck,
I replaced my lower ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link and idler arm at 143,000. The lower ball joints were really not too bad, probably could have kept them. But - the tie rod ends, drag link and idler arm were really shot.

I talked to several alignment shops in my area that agreed with what I found. They say the ball joints usually hold up well but the rest is a little weak and if not greased frequently they wear out quick.

[Peter Schachtel]

I grease all joints every oil change. I also spray silicone on all rubber boots and bushings. I find this keeps the rubber soft and prevents premature cracking of the boots. This is especially important in colder climates.

Pete

[Uncle Wally]

I had a 90 that ate through front end parts quite regularly. I got rid of it with 253000 on it and the front end needed to be completely gone through when I traded it. I bought it with 150000 miles from a neighbor that took immaculate care of the truck. He warned me that it was hard on front end parts and brakes. It needed the front end gone trough as soon as I bought it. I did ball joints 3 times in that 100000 miles. On average they lasted about 25000, same as the front brakes. When I did ball joints, I did all four at the same time. I also replaced idler arms at least that often.

I asked quite a few dealers as to why this truck was hard on parts. I got the typical answer - we don't know.

I tried that trick with jacking it up and checking the verticle play in the tires. That never worked for me. The first time I redid the brakes (about 175000), I had to replace the calipers and rotors. Thats a bear since you have to remove the front bearing assembly from the spindle to press the lugs out and remove the disk. (it requires either a 13 or 15mm 12 point socket) When I got the spindle off, I rechecked the ball joints, and there was way toooo much play for my comfort.

Thinking about it in retrospect, I thinking having the torsion bars cranked up as tall as the truck would go might have had some affect on ball joint life. I know I couldn't keep shocks in the front.

Any comments?
Waldo