Random Tech Questions

[colman]

was that for your ho? i found that amazon.com has cheap prices but i don't know how their warranty works. oreilly has a lifetime on moog. for the front end of my dodge amazon wanted just over 600 and oreilly wanted over 1k. to bad oreilly doesn't price match amazon, or at least isnt supposed to since they are a "wholesaler" not retail

[uglyota]

yep for the tahoe. I'm okay with the $200 if it will stop my truck from making scary clunking sounds and confusing the ABS into kicking in when I have to slam on the brakes going down a 6% grade in traffic

[Reckless]

what did he do wrong? pirate told him to weld his diff

[DRAGOONRANCH]

Holy old post batman!!!

[uglyota]

Worst troll ever?

So I'm going to follow up and turn this one into a step by step on how to change the ball joints on a 1998 chevy tahoe with 4x4 and a 5.7l gas engine:

yep for the tahoe. I'm okay with the $200 if it will stop my truck from making scary clunking sounds and confusing the ABS into kicking in when I have to slam on the brakes going down a 6% grade in traffic

Step 1: Pull er into the backyard, place jack under lower ball joint, raise wheel off ground, remove wheel, start checking er out. Realize that everything seems surprisingly tight for worn-out ball joints, start to consider the possibility that the suspension needs to be unweighted to accomplish this task. Put wheel back on with 3 lug nuts, lower jack, reposition jack on crossmember, raise wheel off ground, re-remove wheel, realize that you are going to have to get that dam CV axle out of the way to accomplish this task, and that takes a 1 3/8 socket, which you do not have. Slap the wheel back on, lower jack, get cleaned up, go to sears and buy a new pair of jeans and the 1 3/8 socket plus adapter since it only comes in 3/4" drive. Go home, watch TV and drink bourbon.

Step 2: Get up bright and early, make a pot of coffee, head into the backyard rarin to make those balljoints your b!tch. Break spindle nut loose, jack up vehicle, remove tire, rattle spindle nut off, remove bolts holding inside of CV to flange, realize that CV is captured between shock and sway bar. Figure maybe you will be able to work around it, get out grinder, start looking at new ball joints to make sure you understand how these dudes go in. Realize that you have been sold the wrong lower ball joint. Slap it all back together, using 3 bolts for CV flange (but all 6 lug nuts), lower vehicle, go back to parts store and tell the guy what's up. Almost by magic, the computer now gives the employee a choice between two part numbers for this vehicle, when before I was not asked if I had stamped or cast lower control arms. Coincidentally the one I got was the first one in the list, and the one I needed was the second. It's also a press-in, which has me worried, so I head to Home Depot to get a stub of pipe the right size to beat that ho into place when I finally reach that point.

Step 3: Pull vehicle back into backyard, jack er up, remove wheel, remove spindle nut, remove cv flange bolts, decide that having that thing in the way is one serious PITA, unbolt shock and move it out of the way enough to pull CV axle. Now we're cruising, I've gotten really good at those steps. Compare new parts to old parts, everything looks close enough, pull cotter pin for upper ball joint, start looking for the right socket to remove the castle nut. Fawk. I guess craftsman never expected the purchaser of a $149.99 socket set to be replacing ball joints on a 1998 chevy tahoe with 4x4 and the 5.7L gas engine. Pull the castle nuts for the new ball joints out of the box and note that the nuts for the upper and lower joints are going to need two different size sockets, neither of which I have. Dam straight, saved myself a reassembly/disassembly and trip to sears by catching that one!

Step 4: Reassemble everything disassembled thus far, but save yourself a little time by leaving the CV axle out. You won't need 4x4 to get to sears and back on a sunny sunday afternoon! Leave your phone laying on the couch for this same reason. Back out, noting that suspension seems to be a little noisy, but write it off as the lower shock mount you didn't tighten all the way. Get 1 1/2 miles down the road and all hell breaks loose as your right wheel decides to go right while the rest of your vehicle continues straight. Apparently the CV axle and associated 1 3/8" spindle nut are both integral parts of the wheel bearing assembly on a 1998 chevy tahoe with 4x4 and the 5.7 L gas motor. Doh. Turn on flashers, walk home to get phone and call AAA, grab skateboard and head back to your now-incapacitated vehicle which is sitting on the inside of a fairly blind curve, hoping that you will not return to the scene of a horrible accident...


sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from cryin...

[colman]

sorry bud, most unit bearings need the cv shaft in them to stay together. at least you weren't on the freeway.

[uglyota]

so what's the chance I trashed the unit bearing? Doesn't really look like anything broke, will I be able to pull it back together and call er good?

[colman]

well you may not have, doesn't sound like you got very far. if it is still tight then you are probably fine. did you not bolt it to the spindle very well or was it a lug nut issue

[agjohn02]

Dana 30 unit bearings can make it 70 miles across Baja at race speed with no stub shaft holding them together. Albeit a wobbley 70 miles. I thought everyone knew the stub had to be in a unit bearing? Scientists 1, hippie 0.

[uglyota]

did you not bolt it to the spindle very well or was it a lug nut issue

I left the CV axle out entirely!

[Sharpe]

If the unit bearing came apart, it is ****ed. They are non-servicable and even if you manage to get it back together. It will not be sealed correctly and will probably catastrophically fail (again) in the near future. Hard to believe you've never torn an IFS front end down, 8 lug units are even more fun.

[uglyota]

Scientists 1, hippie 0.

not sure where the scientist is in this equation

[DRAGOONRANCH]

And where was uglytruck in all of this???

[uglyota]

5 feet away, mocking my frustrations knowing that she could drive to Sears and back without a second's hesitation, if only I would give her some lights, insurance and registration...

[colman]

make a fake bill of sale and use your hands for signals