| From | Message |
RTbill
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
13:27:29
|
 Subject: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
I bought a 2001 QC about a month ago and after reading the posts on this website about all the balljoint problems with Dakota's and hearing a bad balljoint sound from the left wheel, I went to the front end shop and sure enough...both upper balljoints are in need of replacement..."the left one is real bad!" says the guy. He continues to tell me my choices are Moog, with a grease fitting, but it only comes as an upper control arm assembly! Their $87 bucks plus tax a piece and none are available! They are on back order. Or, he can get the balljoints only from Dodge, but we feel it would be the same crappy stuff in there now! It would cost much less, however, to just replace the balljoints instead of the whole upper arm assembly's.
I told him to keep the truck and order the Moog units. It's gonna cost 614.00 with alignment!
|
hesfullacrap
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
16:48:35
|  RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
there is no way to purchase the Moog ball joint with an upper control arm attached to it, unless you also purchase seperately a upper control arm and then attach the ball joint before mounting it in the vehicle, Moog doesn't make such an item. find a mechanic that ain't full of it. i got mine before the "shortage" and they did not have a upper arm on them.
|
RTbill
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
17:05:48
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
hesfullacrap
I've never heard of this either. I'm gonna check this out futher...thanks.
|
DSW
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
17:27:37
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
hesfullacrap!
Back in 2002 I needed to replace my upper balljoints on my 2000 Dak. Dodge would only sell the balljoint as an assembly with the upper control arm, $250-$300 each. Napa had balljoints for 99 Daks and they looked exactly the same, $50 each, so I bought the NAPA units.
50K later, I decided to replace all the balljoints, the 2 year old NAPA's were in great shape but the stock lowers had a lot of play in them. All 4 Moog balljoints about $200, and they don't come with the control arm attached.
$600 for 2 ball joints and an alignment seems a little steep, parts $100-150, alignment $50-75, $400 for labor? Thats like $150-$200 an hour since the shops can change these out in a couple of hours. Search these boards, a lot of guys have had the uppers changed for $350-400 with the alignment.
|
shinnysideup
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
18:00:13
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
I just recently changed my uppers on a pre 01 Dakota, dont know about interchange for years but DSW is right they only take a couple of hours total. I had both of mine changed in hour and a half, it took longer to put truck on jackstands, remove tires, get out tools and clean-up. I would do them all day long if I could get 6 bills ea.
I did not have mine aligned, the balljoint is a non adjustable part and didn't see the need. I figured that they couldn't be any further off than the tolerance that is allowed in setting the alignment. But who knows I could be wrong.
|
RTbill
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
18:19:42
|  RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
hesfullacrap!
Well that didn't take long to check out...the shop is telling the truth! No Crap! On-line Moog catalog shows part #K7392 as upper control arm which includes ball joint. This is the only listing for a upper ball joint for 2001 2WD Dakota from Moog. TRW part #104292 for 00-02 Dakota upper ball joint also includes a control arm assembly! A call to my local NAPA Auto Parts store showed 'no listing' for the uppers...but did have a listing for the lowers. The NAPA guy did not know why he has no listing for the upper ball joints, but when I asked if it was common for some replacement ball joints to come as an assembly with control arm?...he said oh yes! Kragen auto parts also had 'no' listing for Dakota upper ball joints. So, I guess if you don't have Moog or TRW as your supplier for these tuff-to-get ball joints, your out of luck.
DSW, thanks for your input also. For some reason the '99 and older models are a different part #. So I wonder what you had put in before you changed them all.
|
Kevin
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
18:55:12
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
K7392 is the Moog part# for the upper balljoint, not the entire control arm assembly.
K7395 is the Moog part# for the lower balljoint (4x4), not the entire control arm assembly.
I've been researching this balljoint issue religeously since I first heard about it, and I know for a fact that those part#'s are for balljoints ONLY.
It is unlikely that anyone will be making aftermarket control arms for the 4x4 Daks anytime soon. Hell, it took Rancho years just to come up with a 3" suspension lift for the new Dakotas and it doesn't even include control arms. It's possible to buy lots of chrome stuff for these trucks and many nick nacks to change their appearance, but the performance part market is lacking in my opinion...but it's getting better...slowly.
|
DSW
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
20:35:04
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
I don't know why the pre 2000 Dak's have a different ball joint part number, maybe something internal that's different, or maybe it's a P/N listing problem. But the 00 and 99 balljoints look the same and fit correctly. When I put on the uppers 2 years ago no one had a listing for 2000 and up Dak upper ball joints. I checked it out here and a lot of guys were using the 99 joints for the 00, 01, 02 Daks, since the 00+ joints weren't listed.
As far as safety goes with using the 99 joints on a 00+ dak I wouldn't be worried. I ran over a bale of hay at 75MPH and the 99 upper balljoint was just fine. Guy dropped 5-6 bales off his truck on the freeway and my truck went airborne riding over one of the bales. Minimal damage to the truck, and none to the ball joint, but I had to have an alignment done afterwards, tweeked control arm, or something.
I went to rockauto.com and they showed Moog P/N K7392 as an upper balljoint, $41.
Hope this helps,
|
another mark
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
1/29/2004
21:44:26
| RE: $600 balljoint repairs
IP: Logged
Message:
I just bought all 4 ball joints from rockauto.com for $180 shipped. The local shop charged me $350 to install and $70 to align. So, $600 total.
|
| | P 1 |
|
Post a reply to this message:
Username Registration: Optional
All visitors are allowed to post messages
|
