| From | Message |
misato
Dodge Dakota
5/29/2001
20:34:42
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 Subject: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
has anyone ever replaced the lower ball joints? how difficult is it? I put new tires on and tried to get it aligned and they wouldn't do it. They also said I need a idler arm. any comments?
1997 dakota Sport 5.2L 33x10.50SSR
www.sss510.com/dakota
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sandman
Dodge Dakota
5/29/2001
20:42:45
|  RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
With the right tools it is a piece of cake. Do you have a lift kit on this truck? It is unusual for an idler arm to go bad with all stock suspension.Normaly it is tie rods and lower ball joints that go bad.
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misato
Dodge Dakota
5/29/2001
21:24:45
|  RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
just a body lift. it pulled to the left when I bought it. bent idler?
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BMac
Dodge Dakota
5/30/2001
09:36:29
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
The lower ball joints are rivitted into the control arm. You grind the rivits, knock the joints out and bolt the new ones in. The next time you change them you just have to unbolt them and change them:)
Upper ones are the same way.
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misato
Dodge Dakota
6/04/2001
15:58:28
|  RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
it looks like the lowers are pressed in?? can anyone confirm. I put a pic of it below.
thanks!
http://www.sss510.com/dakota/lower.jpg
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BMac
Dodge Dakota
6/05/2001
12:52:03
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
That ain't it buddy, not for a GenIII.
My '98 have a flange on one side with three bolt/rivit holes where they are fastened on.
Those are probably for the GenI or II's
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misato
Dodge Dakota
6/05/2001
13:32:48
|  RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
hmmm. I'll have to crawl under and take a better look. the receipt at least said they were for a 97. I'll have to check part numbers. I think they are napa's.
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misato
Dodge Dakota
6/11/2001
12:13:27
|  RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
I just did the lowers.. next weekend I have to do the uppers. they are pressed in..(the lowers)
http://www.magnumdakota.com/balljoints/balljoints.html
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BMac
Dodge Dakota
6/12/2001
12:05:40
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
AH I SEE, mine is a 2-wheel drive, but the uppers are like mine. Grind off the rivits and bolt in the new ones.
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kurt
Dodge Dakota
7/15/2001
22:12:07
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
hey guys i have a 97 4x4 dak and my lower ball joints are bad. are they pressed in or rivited in? and how hard are they to change? estimated time?
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kurt
Dodge Dakota
7/16/2001
17:28:11
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
hey heres something that might help you. my joints are bad too and i took it to the dealer today and they said that there going to replace them for free. so try to go to the dealer and see what they can do for you...
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MikeN
Dodge Dakota
7/18/2001
10:55:41
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
I just finished replacing the lowers in my 98 4x4 CC. The TSB regarding this says to go disconnect the tortion and stabilizer bars, remove the rear lower control arm bolt and loosen the front one and all sorts of other stuff to get the lower ball joint out. If you just remove the steering knuckle, you dont have to go through all that and then readjust the ride height afterwards. Doing it this way, I was able to do both sides in about 4-5 hours. I got a ball joint press which made it a peice of cake. Good luck !
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misato
Dodge Dakota
7/18/2001
11:23:51
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
thats pretty much it! it took about a day to do it. including beer breaks and BS sessions.The tool was about 20.00 for 24hrs. I'm doing the uppers in the next few weeks. I have some pics of the job I did on mine at my web site.
www.magnumdakota.com
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LarryB
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
5/27/2005
00:20:50
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
I just finished doing upper and lower ball joints on a 99. What a bitch the bottoms were. Ground the heads off the rivets and tried knocking them out. They wouldn't budge. A 5 pound hammer, penetrating oil, a little heat. Still wouldn't budge. I had to drill them out.
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jay
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
5/27/2005
08:22:34
| RE: lower ball joints
IP: Logged
Message:
the lowers are harder to do than the uppers but they are not that bad.drill out the rivets and bolt the new one on. it just takes time.and you dont have to take anything off but the wheel, so you dont have to take your hole truck apart to do it like buddy said.my trucks bagged and i,ve had my control arms and ball joints apart about a thousand times.once you get good at it they are nothing to do. takes me more time to get the wheel off than a ball joint.
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