Thursday, September 15, 2011

Should I attempt to change lower ball joints 97 Dodge ram 1500 2wd?

I've neve done any suspension work before and mildly mechanically inclined. I have tools and floor jack/ stands. However, I dont have $800.00 to fix my truck





I have a 97 dodge ram 1500 2wd that I took to Tires Plus this weekend for an alignment.

The mechanic told me it couldn't be aligned because my lower left ball joint had some play and it would be best to replace both. It would be $152.30(EACH) for 2 lower ball joints, $324.00 in labor, $19.44 for shop supplies and $45.37 for tax totalling $693.41!!! not including my alignment!! What a rip-off. The mechanic told me that if I brought it back within 30 days for them to repair, he would gladly take a hundred bucks off the total price!! (what a deal....NOT) I should have been a mechanic, and now i park the truck until I learn hopw to do it myself!!! Any pep talk? support ? I found a full set of upper and lower ball joints(all 4) online for around 60 bucks and found I can rent a press free with deposit at a local auto parts store but not sure of the difficulty and weary of attempting this myself to save 700 bucks+ %26quot;I think I can I think I can%26quot; lol Thanks Guys
Should I attempt to change lower ball joints 97 Dodge ram 1500 2wd?
actually that wasn't to bad of a deal considering the amount of work involved in doing that job, it might sound high now but by the time you rented the tools to do it with and actually did it you,d be wishing you had let them do it,i think the labor part was just a little high but considering how many i have done and know how hard this can be to do id say your getting a real good deal on the job,you might be able to do this and then again you may not,its worth a try though,and if you succeed you save money,but if not ,you don't save anything,good luck with it,
Should I attempt to change lower ball joints 97 Dodge ram 1500 2wd?
so here goes remove the brake caliper but not the brake line, tie the caliper out of the way with a strong string or something. remove the rotor. disconnect the tie rod end. Take the nut off the upper ball joint and seperate the upper control arm from the spindle. take the nut off the lower ball joint and remove the spindle. jack the lower arm up till it's level, dont put the jack under the ball joint because it comes out from the bottom but try to get it close. use something like a socket or a short 3/4 to 1 inch ratchet extension or something that is smaller than the top of the ball joint and a fairly heavy hammer and drive it out from the top. Instalation gets a bit tricky. use a socket slightly smaller than the main body of the lower joint and long enough so that the threaded part will go in it without bottoming out.use your hammer and tap it in as far as you can. Put your jack under the socket and jack it till the arm is level. use somt thing metal to cover the hole from the top and hit it with the hammer till the joint is flush with the top then just tap the arm near the ball joint till you get enough groove coming through to put the snap on. there should be enough force on the lower control rm so tht its not springy when you hit it. Be sure to keep the arm level as you go or the joint might try to go in tilted which could be very BAD! Its auctualy not as hard as it might sound I changed all 4 of
First thing I'd do is jack up the front end, one wheel at a time is fine, then firmly push and pull on the wheel. Do the top, bottom, and each side. You are looking, listening, and feeling for a tell-tale metallic click.



If you feel it, there is a good chance they are bad. If you don't, it does not necessarily mean they are good.



I'd then ask around for recommendations for a mechanic. I have never had luck with national/regional tire shops. Look for an independent shop with several mechanics, and one that's been around a few years, at least. Do NOT tell them the previous diagnosis. See what they say. Ask them to show you the evidence.



If their quote is similar, your choice on doing the work.



I'd spend the money on a repair manual (Chilton, Haynes, etc) that covers your Dodge. Read the section covering this or any future repair and then decide if you want to do it yourself. Based on the research and initiative in your Q, my guess is you will have no problems.



Also, air tools are handy to have around for this and the job will require a good torque wrench, which will eat a lot of your savings if you need to purchase one. You sound like a person who could get a lifetime of use out of one.
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