I didn't listen!!!

jhuerta22

jhuerta22

Member
So, despite what the site said about going cheap on ball joints, I decided to figure it out the hard way. My best advice to you. DON'T GO CHEAP ON STUFF THAT KEEPS THE WHEEL ATTACHED!!! Thankfully, after driving over 100 miles that day, the ball joint gave out right outside of my house instead of on the highway going 70. Listen to the people on here. They know what they're talking about!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160924_152200324.jpg
    IMG_20160924_152200324.jpg
    135.7 KB · Views: 1,005
Register to hide this ad
But as we can see. Going cheap always cost more in the long run.

Mine destroyed my UBJ, brake line, CV shaft, steering rack and punctured my tire when if failed.
 
Definitely got off lucky. Also really curious to what LBJ you were using and how many miles before it failed.

So glad I did listen and used OEM LBJ's...
 
I think someone was watching out for you, the likelihood of it failing in the last 5 feet instead of the past 528,000 ft on your trip is not exactly a coincidence! Glad that no one was hurt.
 
I'm always surprised when I hear about LBJ where failures occur.

I might be the odd one out, but except for sitting in the driveway and parking lot almost all my time is spent going 50+ on the highway. I'd think the odds would say that a failure would occur then. I've only seen a couple of failures NOT happen in a parking lot.

These things could be a whole lot worse.
 
Doesn't matter. No amount of advice, carnage pics and write ups will change some peoples mind on getting OEM parts.

Glad you made out of this ok. Thank the stars someone was watching out for you.
 
Can someone explain to me the anatomy of these ball joints and tie rod ends? All these upper/lower and inner/outer terms confuse the hell out of me.

Does the front have both? Or does the front have one and the rear the other?
 
AntleredRuin said:
I'm always surprised when I hear about LBJ where failures occur.

I might be the odd one out, but except for sitting in the driveway and parking lot almost all my time is spent going 50+ on the highway. I'd think the odds would say that a failure would occur then. I've only seen a couple of failures NOT happen in a parking lot.

These things could be a whole lot worse.
Click to expand...

I agree, it is really strange how many of the failures posted are people in the driveway or they happened to be going slower speeds. Amazing really.

Some things I wouldnt hesitate to use aftermarket on. With other critical items such as ball joints, you have to use OEM.
[MENTION=96630]jhuerta22[/MENTION], was there any type of warranty on your aftermarket parts? Would you be able to do anything if the parts were installed by a shop and failed within a few months or before a warranty period was up?
 
smerhej said:
Can someone explain to me the anatomy of these ball joints and tie rod ends? All these upper/lower and inner/outer terms confuse the hell out of me.

Does the front have both? Or does the front have one and the rear the other?
Click to expand...

Inner/outer tie rods have to do with steering. Attached to the steering rack. Lower ball joints attach the lower control arm to the wheel, and upper control arms attach on the top. That bar that goes around the coilovers that you can see above the tire. The rear axle has upper/lower control arms as well, but since it's solid axle, not independent, they don't look the same. They are those bars that attach to the axel and frame. You can see the rear lower control arm bracket coming off the bottom of the frame.

Hope that helps, kind of a basic description.
 
bentos1 said:
I agree, it is really strange how many of the failures posted are people in the driveway or they happened to be going slower speeds. Amazing really.

Some things I wouldnt hesitate to use aftermarket on. With other critical items such as ball joints, you have to use OEM.

[MENTION=96630]jhuerta22[/MENTION], was there any type of warranty on your aftermarket parts? Would you be able to do anything if the parts were installed by a shop and failed within a few months or before a warranty period was up?
Click to expand...

My failure was when I was fully locked turning. My buddy had two failures. One offroading and the other was flipping a U-turn. Maybe has something to do with it.
 
bentos1 said:
Was there any type of warranty on your aftermarket parts? Would you be able to do anything if the parts were installed by a shop and failed within a few months or before a warranty period was up?
Click to expand...

NO warranty found, they were a no-name brand from Ebay and I installed them myself.

smerhej said:
Can someone explain to me the anatomy of these ball joints and tie rod ends? All these upper/lower and inner/outer terms confuse the hell out of me.

Does the front have both? Or does the front have one and the rear the other?
Click to expand...

Ball joints are the joints are used to attach the wheel and steering components on an independent suspension system. There is an upper and lower ball joint on each side. It allows the spindle (part that holds the wheel and hub) to articulate and turn when steering (tie rod ends connect the steering components to the spindle)

sn0wrunner said:
Not too much damage! You got off really lucky!
Click to expand...

Yeah, the steering had been acting screwy all day (was stiff and would not return to center). I was only going 15 mph when it gave and thankfully it wasn't as damaged as it could have been.

REDNECK TIP: I used 550 paracord to limp it around the corner into the driveway! That stuff is a lot tougher than I gave it credit for!

The truth of the matter is, I'm pretty sure I know what caused the failure. I was driving out to my summer job on a gravel road (70% of our county is gravel) and I crested a hill that was being graded (they hump up the gravel in the middle of the road). I hit it and it threw me into the ditch, stuffing the left front tire hard. I only did a visual inspection and did not notice any difference in the way it drove, so I thought I was okay. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Fortunately for me, after putting another 1,000 miles on it, including a trip to Aspen in September, it decided to give 50 feet from my driveway. It should have taken the time to jack up the vehicle and check to see if everything was still functional.

I installed Sankei 555 LBJ's on (apparently the same stamping as OEM) yesterday and she's up and running again with no damage to the spindle or UBJ (no wobble when jacked up or stretch on the bolts) but the CV axle needs a new boot and needs regreased. Anything else that someone can think of would be greatly appreciated!
 
jhuerta22 said:
So, despite what the site said about going cheap on ball joints, I decided to figure it out the hard way. My best advice to you. DON'T GO CHEAP ON STUFF THAT KEEPS THE WHEEL ATTACHED!!! Thankfully, after driving over 100 miles that day, the ball joint gave out right outside of my house instead of on the highway going 70. Listen to the people on here. They know what they're talking about!
Click to expand...


Your ball joint did you a favor. It's simply showing you how worn out your tires are! :high5:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 271 (members: 1, guests: 270)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,307
Messages
3,554,048
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top