HELP! what is causing my ball joint to keep failing???

[Fobroader]

Well the frame is a rectangle, pulling on one corner will affect the whole structure. Id look at all the control arms and then get another shop to check the frame squareness.

 

[ricerocket1135]

I have stock springs in my 93 and can count coils when I get home if you like. Stock arms all the way around?

 

[kewljay223]

ok just counted mine. cant really get under there too well but looks to have 7-8 coils and they are blue....so id assume aftermarket drop coils. and they also have those little spacer things the go between two coils in the center (to prevent from compessing to far??) on the back of the spindle it says OHK3 and below that 902401 cant see a brand name anywhere though.

 

[stroker52]

ok those are not stock... this is something you can do or have your shop do...

with the truck on the ground take a measurement for a point on the wheel well to the top of the ball joint (grease fitting)... now pull the tire off and then pull the spring out... put everything back together with the spring out with this side your working on on a jack stand (frame)... put a floor jack under the lower A-arm and put it at the height you measured.... now pick up on the rotor to see if your binding the ball joint... if it stops at only moving with in 6'' then your upper ball joint dont have the right amount of travel... if it stops when you lift it then i would start looking real hard at spindles if there old school spindles then they mite not have the right geometery built in to them like the new ones do... also the more +camber you put in the wheel to stand it back up put more angle in the ball joint... if you know anything about motors when you add lift to a cam with stock rocker you can make the rocker hit the rocker stud... the fix to this is to add long slot rockers to stop the bind... this would be the same in ball joints


if you dont mind me asking what size wheels and tires are you running???

 

[DRAGGIN95]

This is strange I have driven lowered gmt 400's for 16 year's and never heard of them failing that often.

 

[kewljay223]

oh man, thats gonna take all day! lol i gotta wait till the weekend for that for sure. um, they are little 15 incher alloys he had on there. 245/60/15 on front. just looked at the angle of the joint and it does seem kinda steep and if the tire moves up, the steeper the angle will be. with the boot in the way, i cant tell exactly how much travel is left. ill probably have to do what you suggested.

on a side note, i took a mirror and looked at the top of the ball joint to see any marking or anything. i found a couple numbers on it but nothing that said moog or anything... i searche around on the internet and all the pictures i see for the moog ones, it sais " moog problem solver" on it. plus the shape of where the mounting holes are look like the one thats supposed to fit on suburbans. i would think they would interchange but what do i know. so this gets me a little worried about what my guy is putting on there. im sure he wouldnt be cheating me but hey, you never know for sure. can anyone confirm that all moog ball joints say "moog" or not?

 

[DRAGGIN95]

If your spring's need those spacer's then they are either not for your engine weight or they have sagged a lot, something isn't right, I would suggest you throw them out and buy some new drop springs and then you will know it's done right!

 

[stroker52]

the dust boot norm has moog on them not on top of the ball joint... every part that ive seen made by moog... has moog on the dust covers...

 

[stroker52]

If your spring's need those spacer's then they are either not for your engine weight or they have sagged a lot, something isn't right, I would suggest you throw them out and buy some new drop springs and then you will know it's done right!

true.... ive never liked those things ive seen them break springs!!!

 

[ricerocket1135]

Replace the spring first... I would think that is the cheapest fix. While you have it apart, throw a new ball joint in and see what you come out with.