Front end parts advice needed

[bk95td]

I will only use NAPA premium or Moog Problem solver front end parts.I don't enjoy doing the same job every year. I have a OTC ball joint press.I paid around $100 for it at NAPA. Works great!

 

[jrsavoie]

I'll probably go with the Napa premium but where do you get the Moog parts?

 

[bk95td]

I'll probably go with the Napa premium but where do you get the Moog parts?

Rockauto sells Moog. The "problem solver" is a redesigned part that is better than stock. I got McQuay-Norris parts in a "kit" from a suspension dealer, they are cheap chineese junk.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

I'll probably go with the Napa premium but where do you get the Moog parts?

ADVANCE AUTO and CARQUEST both also carry MOOG.

 

[midniteplowboyy]

If you have a pitman arm puller, drop the skid plates, pop the center link loose, and take out the three bolts holding the steering box to the frame. You can rotate the box enough to use the puller with an impact without unhooking the lines and steering shaft.

 

[jrsavoie]

do you have any advice on pressing out the lower?

My cheap C clamp doesn't seem to be impressing it.

Do they make a frame to put my porta power in or something else to press the old ball joint out with? Maybe even just a bigger/heavier duty C press kit? I could spend a day making a jig for my portapower but there's got to be a better way.
I could get the big air hammer out and put a pipe under it for support or the Hilti hammer drill in hammer moded.

 

[bk95td]

This is what I have. It works very well. http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=OTC-7249&dds=1

 

[Yachtcare]

I will only use NAPA premium or Moog Problem solver front end parts.I don't enjoy doing the same job every year. I have a OTC ball joint press.I paid around $100 for it at NAPA. Works great!

I just went thru all of this in the past two weeks. My ball joints were bolted as I had replaced them 13 months ago with the cheap house brand AZ parts that I suspect may have come from china.(with the convenient 1 year replacement warranty, a hint I ignored) The rubber boot on one of the uppers literally disolved and fell off, and both lowers were pounded into submission within a year.

I used MOOG problem solver stuff for everything this time around, more expensive by far, but I dont expect to replace this stuff again for at least another 100K miles.

IMHO, you're money way ahead to use the good stuff the first time. Oh yeah, replace the idler arm "bracket" at the same time you do the arm itself.

 

[jrsavoie]

I'm going with Napa premium parts for everything. Finally got it out. I used a chunk of brass as a punch, a BFH & the cheapo ball joint press. I have the ball joints in the freezer for the night.

 

[Turbine Doc]

O'Rileys carries MOOG also, to "rough" mine in, I measure the threads sticking out the old parts before removing and set the new parts to same adjustment then take it to be aligned, at same time it is being aligned I pay the alignment shop to replace the pitman arm, to me it's well worth it to let them bust their puller or eat cut off tool blades. I bring the part and let them install it, last time I did mine alignment was $45 and they charged another $45 to remove/install the pitman arm

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

O'Rileys carries MOOG also, to "rough" mine in, I measure the threads sticking out the old parts before removing and set the new parts to same adjustment then take it to be aligned, at same time it is being aligned I pay the alignment shop to replace the pitman arm, to me it's well worth it to let them bust their puller or eat cut off tool blades. I bring the part and let them install it, last time I did mine alignment was $45 and they charged another $45 to remove/install the pitman arm

that aint bad, I charge $60 to replace a pitman and idler assembly at my house as it normally takes me an hour and a half to do it. this is of course if I don't have to pull the box off to get to it with a cut off wheel.

 

[jrsavoie]

O'Rileys carries MOOG also, to "rough" mine in, I measure the threads sticking out the old parts before removing and set the new parts to same adjustment then take it to be aligned, at same time it is being aligned I pay the alignment shop to replace the pitman arm, to me it's well worth it to let them bust their puller or eat cut off tool blades. I bring the part and let them install it, last time I did mine alignment was $45 and they charged another $45 to remove/install the pitman arm

I measured to the center of the grease zirc

 

[jrsavoie]

Finally got it done, almost. At least the front end is done.
I jump from vehicle to vehicle and lose track of what needs done to which.

 

[jrsavoie]

Does anybody know the size of the pitman arm nut?

 

[jrsavoie]

When I checked Moog part numbers it didn't say anything about Problem Solver.

Does Moog make more than one grade of part?

Are all Moog parts the problem solver quality?

 

[6.2 turbo]

I think Moog only makes the problem solver, it is written on joint around the top.

 

[jrsavoie]

For pressed ball joints I bought a Snap-on press after borrowing a friends once.

My little press wouldn't budge anything. The SnapOn pushed it out like nothing.

Now I have to do the upper ball joints on the 96 Suburban. Seems I do not remember anything I learned

Good to have these old threads around to check up on things

 

[jrsavoie]

1996 K1500 6.5 diesel Suburban

I was looking for torque specs when I found this old thread and made my last post - About 11 hours ago.

It says to have the control arm at Z height when tightening the upper ball joint - I haven't figured out what Z height is. I don't remember this at all from last time.

I have found differing specs in different parts of the books and online.

Can anybody verify or correct these torque specs?

Half axle to front differential - 60 ft lbs

Half shaft to bearing nut - 180 ft lbs - this I know to be correct

Lug nuts 140 ft lbs - this I know to be correct

4 bolts upper ball joint to control arm - I have found 17, 18 and 20 ft lbs - I believe 18 ft lbs to be correct

Upper ball joint to steering knuckle - I have found 50, 75 and 95 ft lbs. - I believe 95 ft lbs to be correct

3C27 & 3C28 in the book but doesn't match the 4x4 torque spec page

caliper slider bolts - 38 ft lbs

outer tie rod end - I have found 35 and 40 ft lbs

stabilizer bar link - I have found 35 and 13 ft lbs

lower ball joint - 84 and 94 ft lbs.

pitman arm nut - 52 ft lbs

idler arm to center rod - 46 ft lbs

Upper arm to frame 140 ft lbs - these are the only bolts that have the same torque spec everywhere I've looked

 

[Husker6.5]

Most suspension/steering parts have torque specs included with them in the box. I go with those instead of "the book" simply because "the book" is based off of factory OEM parts and what the factory torques to. Replacement parts (high quality brand name, not generic bargain cheapies) may use a better metalurgy or have a different thread count (fine vs. coarse) than OEM and thus require different torque specs than OEM. If you sources have different specs for the same part (ie: outer tie rod ends) that are close together like 35 and 40, I use the higher number. If there is a wide disparity like with your stabilizer links with 35 and 13 (what?) it could be due to a change in construction/materials. If the difference in specs is like between 75 and 90, I split the difference, then tighten until the first split in the castle nut aligns with the hole in the stud. (Note, I HAVE recently ran across replacement parts (daughter's Dakota) that don't use castle nuts but nylocs instead. Those I torqued to the spec provided (which wasn't OEM) no question asked.

 

[MrMarty51]

I got to where I just take a big hammer and beat them out and then clean up the bores and antisieze the new one. Save the press for install

I really helps to get a solid block under the lower arm to pound out the old ball joint. evern a piece of pipe or a socket directly under the joint so the joint can drop out makes it even more solid.
I have tried it without solid support under the end of the arm and they would not budge, just bounce the control arm, with a nice block under the end of the arm it puts the energy of the pound on the ball joint.