putting stock dodge ball joints back in this week. feedback as soon as theya re in but i am seeing alot of posts about moog ball joints having the tie rod removed and flopping freely like there is no issue but once weight is applied they refuse to stay centered.

Alot of posts sounding alot like my issue. i have almost totaled my truck 3-4 times not because they will start swaying when hitting ruts and you can not regain control easily with a trailer. What ever the issue is they will not "break in" i have 30k miles on mine and they are as crappy as the day i drove out of the alignment shop's parking lot and realized my truck wouldnt return to center anymore.

all the money etc on all the other parts everyone suspected i am thuroughly convinced that the only part not replaced witha chrysler part or to chrysler spec is those darned moog ball joints

 

There is a recall on this go to your dealer and ask them to do the recall on it !!

 

Getting rid of the Moog joints would be my first move. I have yet to hear anything good from them. I have been told by two front end shops to stay away from Moog anything.

 

I already have the recall steering on the front.

 

Ball joints were the Culprit



installed chrysler non greasable ball joints truck handles like new. Alignment shop is baffled but happy they don't have to keep fighting my truck.

All the other crap was un-necessary appearantly it was case of poor quality control but a flaw that was not easily identified until there was weight on the truck which made diagnosing difficult since it was showing irregular symptoms.

I'll keep everyone posted but from what we can tell the Moogs were the culprit.

just so everyone knows i have recieved over 50 different inquiries from people either via email, pms or postings on threads like this who have experienced this exact same driving problem After installing moogs. All have said steering was loose or a ball joint had visable play when they went to repair it and that the steering after the repair their truck was more difficult to control after the repair than it was whent he front end was wore out. all had one thing in common they used MOOG ball joints. not saying moog is crap or anything but deffinately there is a pattern with this that should be followed

 

Great to hear you have it fixed. I wonder how many guys have put in the Moogs that you never hear about and spend thousands trying to chase the problem down?

 

Interesting. I replaced the factory ones at 80K with Napa junk (which had a signifcant amount of play at 100K), and then at 120K I had very bad DW (ball joints were 90% of this issue). I just recently replaced them with MOOG. I can say the MOOG ones were beefier than the Napa ones. We'll see how long they last. I drive some hard roads in the oilfields. Napa's warranty is junk as well. At least with the MOOGS the part house (O'Rielly) said they will warranty them with no questions asked. We'll see. I do 5000 miles a month.

 

Was the problem with the upper ball joints, the lowers or both. T replaced my uppers with Carli and the lowers with moog. The wheel jumps more than it did when the factory ones were junk when i hit a bump in the road. The truck does not wander though.

 

1 lower had a slight amount of resistance with no load.

 

I just talked to someone from KORE suspension and Carli suspension and they both said the Moog ball joints could be the problem. KORE said they use the stock morpar ball joints. The hold just fine with no problems. Looks like I will take out the moog and go back to Morpar.

 

I know I'm late to this thread but it seems to me that if you change a part and a problem arises immediately then that part would be suspect. I don't understand why people keep chasing other things. Especially when you hear of so many other people having the same problem with the same parts.

 

Funny isn't it???

I just swapped ball joints and now my truck is all over the road!!!!

So I got new tires, still does it. I changed the steering box, shocks, u-joints and tie rod ends, still does it. Can't figure it out! Got all new wheels in case one was bent, put in freewheeling hubs and new injectors. Could be the lift pump, I have one on order.

Had a buddy that was sure it was the radio antenna, and I thought he was nuts, but I changed that anyway, along with the differential fluid. No luck.

I had an alignment done and replaced the rear wheel bearings. Replaced the transmission, engine, all new body panels and interior. I only park on the sunny side of the road and only play country music on the radio. I keep the windows up and the A/C on low setting in case that is doing it.

Now I know that may seem a bit harsh, but that's kind of how some folks go about this stuff. I mean look at the posts here! Check your rear axle alignment.... Change your caster.... Replace the tires....

And you know what the really funny part is? This SAME issue will come up in a week and the same thing will happen!!!!

 

Well now using that logic why would i have even changed the part to begin with? But then again passing judgement across the internet is easy.



You both should have Read post #20 and if you needed clearification before posting ask a question. if you are specifically pointing to how i handled this i appreciate the constructive criticism but looking back on this there were some issues that made this very difficult to diagnose even with my automotive history


Post #20 is April of 2009 problem started a year earlier. Now use the search function on here and see how many threads existed in 2008 for MOOG ball joints being a problem see how many existed claiming Moog adjustable ball joints were the solution. Then instead of using what we know today to pass judgement and post otherwise insulting comments on a half helpful thread, use the process of elimination from where i was at with a truck that had visably worn ball joints, two visably wiped out tie rod ends, and nearly bald BFGs with a couple of damaged belts and start the process of correcting a wandering issue.

Now tell me how would you two have approached things differently following the installation of New ball joints and the accompanying alignment in a vehicle that had a pre-existing wandering condition that was the same after the part was replaced why would i even have suspected the ball joints after the repair.

At first glance most people would have used the same logic. Gee.... i can visually see three wiped out parts and each time i replace one the problem tightens up some but becomes more pronounced. Where in that chain of repairs would you have thought gosh things are getting tighter and the parts that were all close to falling apart have been replaced and the problem that was there to begin with still is there just more pronounced.


My statement about "all the other crap" was in reference to the hassels of swapping things out but certain parts at the onset the major culprits all had to be replaced regardless.


Before claiming that i was throwing parts at an issue without regard towards a defective part try dealing with it from where i was standing. Those comments are ones that lack any real knowledge concerning a situation when you only had glimpse of through a forum on the internet.

Preaching Hindsight is easy once the hard work is done. So specifically i take offense to being told that i was throwing parts at something when if you read this thread that was far from the case excluding the steering box stabilizer and new steering box which is still being kept for a spare ... the day when the truck really needs it

 

I know... It's my new year's resolution to be nicer....

Please accept my apologies.

But you did say:

"90k miles Ball joints replaced. steering is tight and slow to return to center."

THAT was the place to start asking questions.... Steering should NOT be tight and slow to return to center when ball joints are replaced.

Sorry. I'm doing it again. You trusted a poor repair shop. It's not your fault. I hope you charged them for teaching them what bad ball joints act like.

 

Geez, you've fallen of the wagon already!!!

Don't give up, get back on that horse

Wait a minute, you have a bit over 2 days before 2010, carry on.