Non greasable ball joints question.

[AutoMechanic]

The new ones appear to have longer threads as well. What brand are the new ones? I always use the new nuts because usually they are made to work with that particular part and sometimes the manufacturer won’t warranty if you used a different nut or hardware piece on it I learned that from experience.

 

[Jetronic]

Appreciate everyone's input. Finally good weather to work outside and reassemble the front end. While measuring old vs new I noticed play or movement between the inner and outer tie rod threads of the new parts. Like the diameters are not exact. Seems to go away when the lock nut is tightened. Normal? Also the old lock nuts are thicker. Should I use them or the new ones

how far is the tie rod end threading into the inner rod? Thickness of the locking nut doesn't matter if it's of good quality and not going to round off a few years down the line.

 

[ragtoplvr]

In addition most people do not grease properly, and I KNOW quick lube places will not even attempt it.

You have to clean the grease zerk carefully, not just wipe with a dirty rag but wipe, spray the crevice between the zerk body and the small spring loaded ball that admits grease and then wipe again. There is NO advantage into introducing dirty grease, you can not flush it out. This does add to the time needed to grease, so like all dedicated BTOG users you have to change your own oil and do your own greasing. Although I loved my astro, may it rest in peace after the tornado ate it, greasing it properly was an ordeal. I NEVER had to replave a single front end part other than shocks and brake pads in well over 200K miles. I expected t be approaching 400K by now. I am sure it would have made it or close to it.

 

[LeakySeals]

The new ones appear to have longer threads as well. What brand are the new ones? I always use the new nuts because usually they are made to work with that particular part and sometimes the manufacturer won’t warranty if you used a different nut or hardware piece on it I learned that from experience.

Duralast Gold. The tie rod ends are Moog. I wasn't going to replace the inners but then change my mind and didn't want to wait for shipping. It's the same identical length . I put a caliper on them and compared to the old. The thread diameter does appear to be smaller by a little bit but that could be because I'm measuring an old rusty part. Once the nut is on there is no movement so I'm just going to put them on.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Duralast Gold. The tie rod ends are Moog. I wasn't going to replace the inners but then change my mind and didn't want to wait for shipping. It's the same identical length . I put a caliper on them and compared to the old. The thread diameter does appear to be smaller by a little bit but that could be because I'm measuring an old rusty part. Once the nut is on there is no movement so I'm just going to put them on.

That’s good. Duralast parts are fine anyway just ordered a whole bunch for my dads car including inner and outer tie rod ends.

 

[mattd]

In addition most people do not grease properly, and I KNOW quick lube places will not even attempt it.

You have to clean the grease zerk carefully, not just wipe with a dirty rag but wipe, spray the crevice between the zerk body and the small spring loaded ball that admits grease and then wipe again. There is NO advantage into introducing dirty grease, you can not flush it out. This does add to the time needed to grease, so like all dedicated BTOG users you have to change your own oil and do your own greasing. Although I loved my astro, may it rest in peace after the tornado ate it, greasing it properly was an ordeal. I NEVER had to replave a single front end part other than shocks and brake pads in well over 200K miles. I expected t be approaching 400K by now. I am sure it would have made it or close to it.

What part of the country do you live in?

 

[The Critic]

That’s good. Duralast parts are fine anyway just ordered a whole bunch for my dads car including inner and outer tie rod ends.

Sounds like you are a glutton for punishment.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Sounds like you are a glutton for punishment.

Why is that? Lol we looked at them before ordering seems of very high quality.

 

[The Critic]

Why is that? Lol we looked at them before ordering seems of very high quality.

And how did you determine that they were high quality?

 

[AutoMechanic]

And how did you determine that they were high quality?

They felt and looked like it and met my dads approval to go on his car

 

[LeakySeals]

The Duralast Gold inner tie rods are installed. There was no lock washer before there's no lock washer now. But I did use some blue Loctite. 70 ft lb. Man they are stiff. Should I go with the Duralast fastener on the left which appears to be coated for rust. Or the Moog fastener on the right which is thicker and has more threads. Do the threads matter to keep things tight? Which one would you use?

 

[AutoMechanic]

The Duralast Gold inner tie rods are installed. There was no lock washer before there's no lock washer now. But I did use some blue Loctite. 70 ft lb. Man they are stiff. Should I go with the Duralast fastener which appears to be coated for rust. Or the Moog fastener which is thicker and has more threads. Do the threads matter to keep things tight? Which one would you use?

The thinner one will give you more threads for alignment. The thicker one maybe better if their is still threads showing when you get the tie rod end all the way down.

 

[LeakySeals]

Here are the old ones. Still seized in their alignment position. The tires that were on the car where worn out on the inside both sides. Before I cut these I measured I'm going to put it back like this till I get an alignment.

 

[AutoMechanic]

That would probably be a good idea to do until you get it aligned.

 

[LeakySeals]

Flipped a coin and went with the thicker one.

 

[LeakySeals]

I guess I won't be using Mobil 1 grease anymore after seeing this one week after application. Looks like water

 

[AutoMechanic]

I’ve never seen grease do that

 

[bowlofturtle]

Buy one of these for future use.

https://www.autozone.com/grease-and-caulk-application-tools/grease-gun-accessories/performance-tool-grease-injector-needle/293490_0_0

Those needles are horrible, the needle split from the base on the first test push. Was never able to get the needle back in.

On the bright side, the base is smaller than an actual grease gun opening so it was a smaller tip but still not as useful.

But like everyone said, DONT mess with it. I only did it as a hack repair to hold me over for a week til the replacement parts came in.

 

[CapitalTruck]

This may sound ridiculous, but I consider ball joints and inner and outer tie rod ends to be safety equipment and only use OEM. On my Silverado, the beefiness of the OEM outer tie rod vs generic is noticeable. Similarly, even on non safety stuff like the upper shock mounts, OEM uses thicker studs and heavier bolts than anything I’ve seen in aftermarket.

 

[CapitalTruck]

You’re crazy to use anything even remotely questionable for outer tie rods. If something goes wrong there youre gone. Tie rods and ball joints are safety equipment. Factory ones get tested, aftermarket dont. Go OEM and sleep soundly. That looseness you’re detecting is your red flag.