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V8 Dakotas
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wmccoy
Dodge Dakota
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8/13/2003
18:31:11
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 Subject: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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Well its 60K down the road on my 2000 Dakota Qaud-CAB 4x4. I have driven it hard, but no 4x4 work at all! The Upper Ball Joints are shot. The drivers side is so loose, it would easily slip out with a few more months of hard driving.
The passenger side is not as bad, but needs replacement.
I ordered the MOOG 99yr replacements for my 2000, so I will let you know if they fit OK. I am having a place called NTB (National Tire and Battery) do it, as I watch, because its only $80 per side, and after hearing about grinding off rivets and such, I decided I could afford it.
The MOOG upper ball joints are $50 apiece, and will be re-greased once a month!
I wanted to say thank you to this site, which helped me deal with a serious problem within hours. I knew nothing of the issues and options, since my local dealer suggested replacing the whole suspension arm, and shrugged off any questions I had as to why this has occurred so soon after I spent the $29K for the truck! He acted like I must have been doing something funny
and that it was my fault.
So I read this site, and many others, and I wanted to tell anyone who has a Ball Joint Issue
with their truck to KEEP READING the threads on this site, I even found one with a full set of photos that detailed a fix.
the MOOG part number I found was K7242 (for 4x4)
and I will let you know how it all goes ( 08/13/2003)
I will be putting a 4.5" lift on this truck in a year or so, so at that point, I will be really going for aftermarket parts all the lame dodge parts that are still there...
But this is not my first Dakota, I had a 96 ext. cab, with the V6, and i put 90K miles on it, with no issues except the alternator at 85K. So its not a 100% issue, so I will say, I like my Dakota and will be working on the flaws that dodge did not have the balls or brains to fix or update!
Regards,
Warren McCoy
Dallas, TX
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Tracy H
Dodge Dakota
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8/14/2003
13:27:42
|  RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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Warren,
Glad to hear that this website has been a help to you. I know that is has helped me out of a few dilemas. The wealth of information here is outstanding, especially for the do-it-yourselfers.
I have a '00 4x4 QC also with 53K miles on it and was wondering what type of symptoms or problems you were having that led you to the ball joints. I'm concerned about the ball joints on my truck since I have lifted the body 3" and put on 33" tires. Can you tell me what I should be looking for to know if my ball joints are going bad?
Thanks! ~Tracy
'00 4x4 SLT QC 4.7 Auto 3.55LSD *My Dak Pics*
3" PA Body Lift, BFG AT 33x12.5x15 on AE 15x8 149's, Cranked Torsion Bars, Gibson Dual Rear Split Stainless Catback, Jeep H.O. Cams, Fastman 68mm TB, Stainless K&N Clone Intake, Relocated IAT, Powerslot Rotors & Hawk Pads, Autolite 3923, Stant 180° T-stat, ProComp ES-9000 Shocks, Clear Corners, T-Rex Stainless Nerf Bars ... 4.10 gears to be installed
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98Durango360
Dodge Dakota
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8/14/2003
14:55:47
| RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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I would also like to know the signs of worn ball joints
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Warren McCoy
Dodge Dakota
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8/28/2003
01:23:50
|  RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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Well its all done!
Quite easy as a matter of fact.
MOOG part no. 7242 was correct and fit like
a champ. $48 bucks at a local O'reily's.
I jacked the truck up, put jack-stands under frame
(2 for safety) then jacked up the wheel assembly by the bottom suspension arm (a few inches) Don't get crazy here, the torsion bar will start to lift
the frame. Then I took the bolt off the upper ball joint, hit it on the side of the Upper suspension arm to get it to dislodge (don't beat on the ball joint, it might stick) A good tap on the side where it goes in the hole and it pops right out. Then I pulled out my trusty Rebel Rotory power tool, using a good metal cutting disk, I cut the heads off the rivets, then popped the shaft out with a hammer and a stud. I did have to grind the old ball joint mounting plate a bit before the pins popped out. (makes really neat sparks, so make sure to block off the engine compartment with something, don't want to blow yourself up now) The new part fits like a champ. and screws on with 3 screws and locking bolts. YOU NEED TO ADD GREASE, so here is a tip, the zert is the last thing to install,i it fits on with a pipe thread, so screw it down, but before it gets really tight, make sure its facing to the front or rear, NOT into the tire or the engine. Then pump grease into that bad boy, until it oozes out the bottom cover.. (a small hand grease gun is cheap and at all autopart stores)
All in all, it took maybe 1 and 1/2 hours to do both sides, really simple (changing the brakes was harder)
The ball joints were both in very different condition, the drivers side looked like it was off a junk-yard car with 200K miles on it, the passenger side was still in tact, tore boot, but showed signs of movement. (wich is bad)
Both has rips in the boots, on the inside face (closest to the engine) So the dirt and air were getting right up in there.
The drivers side joint was so bad,that I was able to pull it all the way out after messing with it,
so I was only a meere 20-50 miles from it happening while I was driving!! Scarry : ]
I will be looking for any more crappy factory parts I can change soon enough, I have my eye on a 6.5 inch lift, but that will be a few months down the road...
Any
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Warren McCoy
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/28/2003
01:44:12
| RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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Message:
Tracey, Loved the photos, well done! Who was the lift by, and how is a body lift done??
I think a suspension lift is better, since it allows more room under the car, but your body lift looked great.
As for the question of what to look for...
I actually did not have many signs of this issue,
it was really shown to me when I went to get the truck tires alligned.
The day I was going to put new tires on it, I wanted to make sure it was aligned perfect, since afer a few good off-road runs, it seems to be off (bad tire wear) Inside area of tire was wearing much faster than outside.
I did hear a funny noise, kind of a clack, when I turned and gave it gas in the grocery store parking lot. (this was 2 minutes before I went to the tire store) I remember thinking that was an odd sound.
so overal driving was not affected. This is kind of a problem that shows up in a bad way, (like your tire colapsing into the fender well as your just hitting 90 mph!)
Here is a tip, lay on the ground, with a flash light, crawl under the front of the wheel area
and look up at the upper suspension arm. If you see the ball joint boot has a tear or cut in it,
the chances are, your on your way to total failure, as to when, who knows.
Here is my thought, why not just get rid of the crappy part and put on a better built and tougher part on. I would recommend this to anyone who loves their truck (ie keeping it for a few more years)
Also, DO IT YOURSELF, its very easy, even for a newbie, as long as you go slow, have the tools, and like getting dirty (brake dust all over the area)
Now I can just worry about the lower ball joint!
As soon as that goes, I will be trying to find a better aftermarket part!
IF you hear clicking when you turn and you feel it shudder when you hit bumps, you might already be in for a new ball joint (normal signs of a bad
joint) Most cars you don't have to worry about this for many years, not sure why these dakota's were setup with such lame parts. (most of it is really well built.)
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Tracy H
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/28/2003
09:44:53
| RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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Message:
Warren,
Thanks for all the info. I will definitely be checking out all the joints out today. I assume the new joints come with a new boot? Do you know if the lower ball joints for the 99 also work on our trucks? If so, do you know the MOOG part number for them?
The body lift was done by me and it took me the better part of a weekend to get it completely finished. That was me by myself with no air tools. The kit it by Performance Accessories and from everything that I've read here, it is the best kit, because it comes with everything that you need. It does have its flaws, mainly in the instructions and not the parts. I have talked about these problems on this site and if you are interested, I suggest doing a search for "Tracy H body lift" and you should find all the threads that way. Simply put, you are raising the body using 3" hard plastic spacers at every place that the body attaches to the frames. There were 16 of these for me, but a CC or RC might be less. You also have to raise both bumpers and extend the steering shaft. The whole process is not that difficult, just time consuming. I agree that a suspension lift would be better, but I could not justify the cost difference (about 10x). The kit cost me $225 shipped from a group buy that I headed up on this site. I think a suspension lift starts at about $2000 installed and goes up from there.
~Tracy
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Warren Mccoy
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
8/28/2003
11:32:26
|  RE: 2000 Dakota 4x4 QC getting MOOG U BJ!
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http://www.rockauto.com/ref/Moog/Detail.html?K7242.gif
This is from rockauto, and its exactly what you get, the bottom is covered by a semi-hard plastic boot, that is the only end, besides the zert that need it, plus you are going to push so much grease down its neck, that it will form a barrier by ooozing out the bottom plastic cap. This is essential to keep an eye on. I got a grease gun for $9 and filler tubes for $3. They should last you many re-greases. I would recommend at least a 2 times a year re-grease, but I do mine more, since I live in Texas and the summer heat is a ball buster!
Check out the lifts at Turckin,
http://www.truckin-texas.com/product_list.asp?id=1263
They are hot, and price wise, its a $1,150-1350
price range, but it is more work, and I know that the higher you go, the more issues you might have with linkage and stuff. I might just stick to my original 4.5" lift, I just have to research it.
I am not scared to weld or cut, I actually like making my own parts, I just don't have much welding and forming experience, but I am very mech. minded. (not scared to break engines down to the last part, or trans. either)
its just time and money!
Your truck looks great, very jelous now....
But I am going to rock my truck in a few months, just have to get my house sold. Then its going to go UP and new parts, like hood and engine performance... Loved your list of stuff that was done. Most of what i have on my list!
By the way, I would do the ball joints, even if yours are good still, since its just a matter of time, and that is a safety issue, or at least keep checking them!
Warren McCoy
wmccoy@artisan-media.com
Dallas TEXAS
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