Ball joint recommendations for Gen 2 ?

[slitherv10]

I am looking at replacing the ball joints as the steering has become too loose and when I checked the movement on the wheels, there was some play there.

Any one know of any good ones instead of going back to OEM ? Unless OEM is better than the rest out there.

[Joel]

Year of Gen 2? You sure it is ball joints? Not questioning your mechanical ability but I have found loose steering is more often tie rod ends and wheel bearings. You should see movement at the ball joint if it is worn and usually a worn ball joint will give you a momentary steering shake when you hit a bump or hole not necessarily one all the time. But sometimes you have to get the car up high enough to check with a prybar at the susupension points themselves. You can put a bar under the wheel at 6 o'clock (raise the car just slightly -maybe an inch) and move it up and down and "feel" a loose joint but it helps to have someone watch the movement while you do this. Moog and other folks make "good" ball joints and they are not particularly expensive but it looks like Chrysler only supplies the part in upper and lower arms. If you have a press, they can probably be replaced easily enough and there are tools you can rent to take them out on the car. Either way, you have to separate the suspension and a press will require removal of the control arms. If you remove the control arms, check the bushings and retighten while in "droop". I've replaced plenty of ball joints but not any on a Gen 2. Maybe someone else has more ideas.

Just for grins: Tie rods can be checked by holding at 9 and 3 and moving the wheel back and forth (wheels off the ground obviously). You will feel "play" in the steering tie rods - inner or outer. Wheel bearings are best checked at 12 and 6 but the bearing is in the knuckle so it is a bit harder to feel.

[slitherv10]

Thanks for the response Joel.

I had the car inspected by a Viper tech ( a member here as well) and he did see play at the ball joint. Didn't ask him about the tie rods or bearings. Ill do that tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up. I am not very mechanically savvy so , I opt to pay the extra dollars and have it done. ill watch and learn and maybe attempt it myself next time.

Thanks again

Cheers

[Dan Cragin]

Thanks for the response Joel.

I had the car inspected by a Viper tech ( a member here as well) and he did see play at the ball joint. Didn't ask him about the tie rods or bearings. Ill do that tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up. I am not very mechanically savvy so , I opt to pay the extra dollars and have it done. ill watch and learn and maybe attempt it myself next time.

Thanks again

Cheers

Several things can cause the play you describe, up and down movement can be the wheel bearing, a ball joint that the nut that has lossened up or a bad ball joint. These type of ball joints get noisey (pop) but they seldom get play. Most the time you need to retorque the ball joint nut and install a new cotter pin. Wheel bearings with play should be torqued to 250ftpds. If the play remains, replace them.

Side to side play in the wheel can be the tie rod ends, steering rack inner rod ends (most commom), loose steering rack bolts or bad steering rack bushings. Check the steering rack mounts where they attach to the frame as well, these mounts crack. Also see if you have had the steering rack recall 998 done.

Hope this helps.

[slitherv10]

Several things can cause the play you describe, up and down movement can be the wheel bearing, a ball joint that nut that has lossened up or a bad ball joint. These type of ball joints get noisey (pop) but they seldom get play. Most the time you need to retorque the ball joint nut and install a new cotter pin. Wheel bearings with play should be torqued to 250ftpds. If the play remains, replace them.

Side to side play in the wheel can be the tie rod ends, steering rack inner rod ends (most commom), loose steering rack bolts or bad steering rack bushings. Check the steering rack mounts where it attaches to the frame as well, these mounts crack. Also see if you have had the steering rack recall 998 done.

Hope this helps.

WOW...lots to look at....thanks for your input Dan...ill check those things this week. The recall has been done.

[Hiss Highness]

I want to check out the woodhouse ball joints they look well built, replaced the wheel bearing hubs this fall and finding the torque spec on the center nut was PAINFUL, will go with the 250 Dan said(saw anywhere between 180-300 depending on use) gonna put the ipsco steering bushings in as well

[Garron]

Several things can cause the play you describe, up and down movement can be the wheel bearing, a ball joint that nut that has lossened up or a bad ball joint. These type of ball joints get noisey (pop) but they seldom get play. Most the time you need to retorque the ball joint nut and install a new cotter pin. Wheel bearings with play should be torqued to 250ftpds. If the play remains, replace them.

Side to side play in the wheel can be the tie rod ends, steering rack inner rod ends (most commom), loose steering rack bolts or bad steering rack bushings. Check the steering rack mounts where it attaches to the frame as well, these mounts crack. Also see if you have had the steering rack recall 998 done.

Hope this helps.

Hey Dan,

It is Garrett from Toronto Canada. Nice to see everyone on here.

The vehicle needs upper ball joints. Nothing else is loose or has play.

Two months ago I tried to install upper snake-oyl/woodhouse ball joints in a different car, when I tried to install them they would not thread into the arms, they were two small. I thought I had a problem with the arms, but the old ball joints would thread back in without a problem.

I ordered real chrysler ball joints and they installed with out an issue. Snake-oyl did not want to refund the customers money and were nothing short of rude in there email reponses.

Slither, next event I will invite the other member along and you guys can talk ball joints and how much he likes snake-oyl

[slitherv10]

Hey garron

Just trying to find the best bang for the buck. If there are aftermarket better ball joints thsat fit great with no issues installing them, I would rather go that route then pay almosr 200 per ball joint at the dealership. Just looking at my options.

[Phun70]

I fought a problem with play in the steering of my 96 for quite a while. Finally after replacing anything I could find with even minute amounts of play in them, I tracked it down to the steering column "tilt" coupler. Made of nylon with a horseshoe spring in the middle of it. Not available anywhere!!! Quite maddening. Finally replaced the entire column since that's the only way I could get the part.. BOOM, play is GONE!!!! Drives perfect now, but maddening to pin down.

[slitherv10]

I fought a problem with play in the steering of my 96 for quite a while. Finally after replacing anything I could find with even minute amounts of play in them, I tracked it down to the steering column "tilt" coupler. Made of nylon with a horseshoe spring in the middle of it. Not available anywhere!!! Quite maddening. Finally replaced the entire column since that's the only way I could get the part.. BOOM, play is GONE!!!! Drives perfect now, but maddening to pin down.

I hope that is not my problem. Ball joints are starting to look welcoming at this point. There was some play in a couple of the wheels when our teck ( Garron, posted above) checked them. I have it checked again when he weather opens up here in what looks like, 6 months from now. We have snow up to our wazzoo here!

[slitherv10]

Moog part #K778 for whomever needs to do this to their Gen 2,3,4 and I believe 5 as well all have the same ones no?

[daveg]

I hope that is not my problem. Ball joints are starting to look welcoming at this point. There was some play in a couple of the wheels when our teck ( Garron, posted above) checked them. I have it checked again when he weather opens up here in what looks like, 6 months from now. We have snow up to our wazzoo here!

How many miles on the car?

[slitherv10]

40k

[James430]

I hope that is not my problem. Ball joints are starting to look welcoming at this point. There was some play in a couple of the wheels when our teck ( Garron, posted above) checked them. I have it checked again when he weather opens up here in what looks like, 6 months from now. We have snow up to our wazzoo here!

Wow.....sounds like a lot to look at,good luck.....you sure make me feel bad for having the AC on here in South Tx....hope it warms up soon so you can go play

[steve911]

Call SnakeOyl.

They have their competition ball joints that are not only adjustable for wear, but also allow a greater range of motion for those who have altered ride heights. They are a nailed work of art to look at.

[slitherv10]

Call SnakeOyl.

They have their competition ball joints that are not only adjustable for wear, but also allow a greater range of motion for those who have altered ride heights. They are a nailed work of art to look at.

According to some that have purchased some Ball joints from Snake Oyl before, they said that they did not thread/fit properly. I stayed away from them and have purchased the MOOG K778 part numbers with a life time warranty on them. They wear out, they replace them free of charge. I am in on that.

[ACR_Matt]

Apologies for reviving an old thread but I thought it better to post here rather than start a new one. The MOOG part number only came back with upper ball joints when I gave it to the guys at my local auto parts store. Anyone have a part number for the lower ball joints? 24 bucks and a lifetime warranty for the uppers is an incredible deal. Screw $131 for the ones mentioned in this thread. I'm sorry sponsors, but your ball joint prices are unreal.

[99RT10]

What is the MOOG part #? Good find.

[ACR_Matt]

What is the MOOG part #? Good find.

Upper ball joint MOOG K778. Also it's in the post above mine :P

[ACR_Matt]

Also, might be helpful to everyone with these older Vipers if this was in the GenII section. Maybe it could be moved there if it's not a huge hassle?

[slitherv10]

Reviving this thread because it seems what I was hearing a few years ago ( a clunk sound when I turned right) is still here and was before I changed the ball joints. I decided to take the car back then to have it checked for ball joints because it made that noise and it seems that its still here.
Now that being said, as I drove the car a few times this year, I noticed a small rubbing/grinding noise, the type you hear when your rotors are crooked and the pads rub on them as you drive. The sound becoming faster and faster as you drive faster. I am now hearing that but, it not the brake rotors as it doesn't go away when I press the brakes. I hear that noise getting slower and slower as I slow down and faster as I speed up.

Any ideas what it now be. It seems it was not the ball joints that caused that clunking noise back then as its still here and could be the culprit to this problem that has obviously gotten worse since then.

[AZTVR]

I noticed a small rubbing/grinding noise, the type you hear when your rotors are crooked and the pads rub on them as you drive. The sound becoming faster and faster as you drive faster. I am now hearing that but, it not the brake rotors as it doesn't go away when I press the brakes. I hear that noise getting slower and slower as I slow down and faster as I speed up.

Well, I would be thinking maybe a wheel bearing, especially if it did it more (or less) when loaded in a slight curve to the left or right. Better to be next to a wall to reflect the sound into your open window. I would check to see if you can feel play in the wheel with it jacked up off the ground, and pulling/pushing on the top and bottom of the tire. However, I would have thought application of brake might affect this noise source also; but, maybe not.

[slitherv10]

The car is driving ok and not pulling or playing on the road other than the wide tire, groove in the pavement ordeal that we all feel. The sound again sounds like when your rotors are warped and the brake pads are touching the rotor as you drive and the sound gets faster and faster as you do. Yet I know its not that because when I press the brakes it is still constant.

[Fatboy 18]

Bump, Did you find the cause of your noise? I have a similar noise and am trying to locate it!