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Pugs
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
01:42:42
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 Subject: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Message:
I have an '02 Club Cab and I'm starting to get a small amount of feedback (almost like a clicking feeling) in the steering wheel every so often. Almost feels like the ball joints are drying up (looks like the seal on some of them is broken too). My question is: are there any sort of needle like attachments that you can attach to a grease gun and stick into the rubber seal on the ball joints to inject them with grease and help prolong their life a bit and revive them? Any way to plug it back up either after injected them?
Thanks!!
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
02:49:18
|  RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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There is a needle attachment that you can get from an auto parts store that fits on a grease gun for lubing sealed parts. I used this on my ball joints to help them last longer, though I think it was marginal since the grease needs to be pushed from the bottom to the top, therefore flushing the ball joint out.
Once you stick the needle through the boot, you ruin the water tight seal the ball joint has, but you have lubed the joint. Which is the worse of the 2 evil's, an unlubed ball joint or one that might get some water in it? I live in the desert so the water thing wasn't too much of a consideration. When I replaced my ball joints there was very little grease in the old joints,,, Geez I wonder why they failed?
If the joints have play in them, they are shot, time to replace them :(
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Pugs
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
10:22:45
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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There's no play in the joints, yet. But I'm wondering if anyone has done this and found a plug of some sort to somewhat reseal the joint.
Anybody....?
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spt
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
14:22:28
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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You could try putting some all-weather silicon where the needle went in.
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om
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
23:16:34
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Have you thought about drilling and installing jerk fittings? This would get the grease in to the ball of the joint not just fill the rubber boot. Whiplash explained how to do this in detail about five months ago on this site. If you can not find it i could give you a quick overveiw on how he did it. I will check back here later good luck.
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om
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/12/2004
23:37:23
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Message:
Sorry, zerk fitting
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Pugs
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/13/2004
09:56:46
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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I'll see if I can finde Whiplash's post, if not, I'll let ya know!!
Thanks!
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hey om?
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
10:19:32
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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do you know that ball joints are made out of hardened steel? you may be able to drill them using an industrial carbide drill (not the ones you by at a home improvement store to drill concrete) but you will not be able to tap them due to the fact that there is not a tap made that is hard enough but not so brittle that it will break under the turning forces that are required to turn it in hardened steel. Plus the fact that to drill hard steel with carbide requires more force then the usual person can apply with a hand drill before becoming very tires and should be done in a Bridgeport type milling machine(or other column and knee type milling machine) to get enough force behind the drill so it will cut?
Slopehead. Journeyman Toolmaker, Machine shop owner, 41 years in the business.
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caulk04
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
13:52:43
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Yeah, good luck drilling and tapping hardened steel with anything short of a Ram EDM machine...at which point you could by several SETS of MOOG joints for the price you paid to drill and tap your stockers.
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Pugs
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
20:57:40
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Points well taken!! I think I'll just try to inject some grease with a needle fitting. Would be better then nothing I suppose. I think some of the rubber seals are broken anyways, so maybe the grease will help keep moisture out.
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mcarthey
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
21:18:38
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Message:
Just curious... why not just get some Moogs and install them. There's some grinding involved, but if you're not all thumbs you should be able to get both uppers done on a Saturday. Find a friend and some beer and you're golden.
Mark
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Joe
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
22:50:41
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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I agree with OM if you try to drill fittings into the upper ball joints the top plate is not very thick metal, you shouldn't need a tap the fitting has a coarse thread & should turn right in. I have replaced factory joins with moogs & can't say for sure but I don't believe the holes for the grease fittings were threaded. As for the bit sears has bits to drill metal should work fine. I wish we had known in 97 these joints were going to be such a problem I would have put fittings in the joints then. If you already have noise maybe the best thing is to replace the joints which isn't very difficult.
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Dr. D
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
23:31:33
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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Replace them and be done with it !
Dr. D
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mcarthey
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
23:32:02
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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I've got a '97 as well. I didn't have any problems with the ball joints until I hit about 100K. Wearable item, so it wasn't really a "problem". The zerk fittings were threaded on the Moogs I installed.
Mark
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om
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/15/2004
23:51:22
| RE: Greasing Sealed Ball Joints
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I have not drilled any myself but as Joe stated the the top plate is not very thick. Whiplash said he had drilled them numerous times over the years and i believe him. I do not think you can drill all ball joints some are made different. I also do not think that the plate is hardened just the ball and socket. I could be wrong but i might try it for myself just to find out for sure. Whiplash where are you?
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