Ball joint boots

[chauncey0337]

As I was putting my ltz's back on, I figured I would grease my ball joints. As I was doing this, I noticed some grease coming out of the upper and lower boots on the drivers side and the upper boot on the passenger side. The truck seems to be driving fine and the camber of the front wheels seems to be fine. Is this something I should be worried about right away? How can I tell if the ball joints need to be replaced and how difficult would it be to do myself? Is there anything else I should replace along with them. Any special tools I need? What's the cost? I don't know much about the suspension so any help/advise would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[bigwhite4door901]

When the boots get old they dry-rot and crack its not a big deal except that you'll need to grease them more frequently and you'll know when they go out they start groaning and creaking and you'll be off camber. Another way to tell is to jack the truck up and grab a hold of the wheel and jiggle up and down and see if there's any play on them


-bigwhite4door901

 

[chauncey0337]

Thanks Matthew.

 

[bigwhite4door901]

Yessir!


-bigwhite4door901

 

[alc5m]

pretty much just what he said, ball joints are a pain but it gets easier everytime you do them

i'm not sure if your's are pressed or riveted (my guess is both pressed like mine were, but mine's an 03) but rent the tool from autozone or advanced, its basically a modified c-clamp, but it makes the job way eaiser to do since you wont need to pull the control arms off to press them back in, just beat the old ones out with a hammer and press the new ones in, its gonna be way easier said than done but its not terrible

 

[chauncey0337]

Thanks James. Where do I look to see if they're pressed or riveted? Top and bottom of control arms? It was pretty dirty down there.

 

[alc5m]

bottoms are almost certainly pressed in, basically look and see if they are flanged with like 4 rivets in, if not then theyre pressed in, which i'm guessing both are, but being that yours in 00 it might be riveted on top like they did on obs

and if they are pressed in, you will have to take a grinder to the lip on them cause they have parts of it mushroomed over to make sure it doesnt fall out before you start hitting it with a hammer, just did a ball joint on my buddies truck tonight, lol