Just replaced ball joints...... Need some help!!
12-01-2012, 11:26 AM
#1
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Just replaced ball joints...... Need some help!!
Alright guys, I need some help...
I just replaced my worn out factory ball joints with a set of Alloy USA's new joints. Now my steering seems very stiff and requires more effort than it should, doesn't return to center, and is almost dangerous to drive at highway speeds because it seems unpredictable.
The joints are fully seated and went in without much trouble, they are greased well, and everything is torqued to spec. I've adjusted the toe several times to see if it makes any difference and it hasn't seemed to change the problem. With the front end on jacks, the steering feels smooth all the way through.
I've put roughly 100 miles on the jeep since install and thought that the joints might loosen up as the grease worked in but that hasn't seemed to be happening at all. I'm basically out of ideas as to what the problem could be. My thoughts on possibilities are... Either the ball joints are defective and just way too stiff. Or something to do with the steering gear needs to be adjusted (but I don't know much about that). Aside from the ball joints being shot and clunking around the steering acted fine before replacing the ball joints.
If anyone has any experience with this sort of thing I would much appreciate your thoughts!
I just replaced my worn out factory ball joints with a set of Alloy USA's new joints. Now my steering seems very stiff and requires more effort than it should, doesn't return to center, and is almost dangerous to drive at highway speeds because it seems unpredictable.
The joints are fully seated and went in without much trouble, they are greased well, and everything is torqued to spec. I've adjusted the toe several times to see if it makes any difference and it hasn't seemed to change the problem. With the front end on jacks, the steering feels smooth all the way through.
I've put roughly 100 miles on the jeep since install and thought that the joints might loosen up as the grease worked in but that hasn't seemed to be happening at all. I'm basically out of ideas as to what the problem could be. My thoughts on possibilities are... Either the ball joints are defective and just way too stiff. Or something to do with the steering gear needs to be adjusted (but I don't know much about that). Aside from the ball joints being shot and clunking around the steering acted fine before replacing the ball joints.
If anyone has any experience with this sort of thing I would much appreciate your thoughts!
12-18-2012, 06:14 AM
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I have these to. They were pretty tight for the first few hundred miles, and I also noticed that my wheel had a hard time returning to center. The joints loosened up over the next 1000 miles or so. But don't get me wrong, they are still nice and tight - just like they should be.
My issue with my wheel returning to center really had to do with my caster being off. At the time I didn't have adjustable control arms. My jeep was lifted and I think the caster was 2.5 degrees (stock is around 4.5). The jeep was already kind of dodgy at high speeds. The tight joints just accentuated the problem. After that, I installed adjustable long arms and got my caster dialed in and all was well.
In case caster isn't your issue, you may want to check that you didn't over torque the castle nuts. And did you grease them?
My issue with my wheel returning to center really had to do with my caster being off. At the time I didn't have adjustable control arms. My jeep was lifted and I think the caster was 2.5 degrees (stock is around 4.5). The jeep was already kind of dodgy at high speeds. The tight joints just accentuated the problem. After that, I installed adjustable long arms and got my caster dialed in and all was well.
In case caster isn't your issue, you may want to check that you didn't over torque the castle nuts. And did you grease them?
12-19-2012, 10:19 AM
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Alright so my problem has been resolved....... First off I want to say thank you to Rugged_Ridge. He PM'd me when he read about the problem, offering many suggestions and working with me to figure this problem out. Customer service before I even asked for it... If that's not customer service I don't know what is.
As I kind of assumed, the ball joints were not the issue at all.
Little story...... The last time I went wheeling I forgot to unlock the sway bar at first (I know, I'm an idiot but I hate how the sway bar automatically tries to re-lock if you shut the jeep off. I always forget it). Long story short, one of the sway bar brackets on the axle got bent down a bit. I heated it up and bent it back straight (but apparently not all the way) at the same time I replaced the ball joints. Until this time I was driving with the links disconnected. So after replacing the ball joints and "fixing" the bracket I started having the problem with the flighty steering. I didn't even think about the possibility of the bracket still being slightly bent until this morning. Needless to say, it was still slightly bent and causing one side of the sway bar to sit roughly a 1/2 inch lower than the other, putting uneven pressure on the axle. This morning I got everything straight with the bracket/sway bar and between that and getting the toe dialed in, it is driving perfectly, perfectly.
So the moral of the story is that if you have steering/tracking issues, do not rule your sway bar out, check the sway bar link length as well as the brackets for straightness.
On a side note: I only have about 250 miles on the Alloy USA ball joints but I couldn't be happier with them so far. They seem incredibly solid and make the OEM joints look pathetic. They make the jeep drive like new... the steering and suspension feel tight and precise now. If you have been putting off replacing your ball joints, STOP.
I think I paid about $170 shipped for the Alloy USA ball joints and in my opinion you would be crazy to look at any other manufacturer.
As I kind of assumed, the ball joints were not the issue at all.
Little story...... The last time I went wheeling I forgot to unlock the sway bar at first (I know, I'm an idiot but I hate how the sway bar automatically tries to re-lock if you shut the jeep off. I always forget it). Long story short, one of the sway bar brackets on the axle got bent down a bit. I heated it up and bent it back straight (but apparently not all the way) at the same time I replaced the ball joints. Until this time I was driving with the links disconnected. So after replacing the ball joints and "fixing" the bracket I started having the problem with the flighty steering. I didn't even think about the possibility of the bracket still being slightly bent until this morning. Needless to say, it was still slightly bent and causing one side of the sway bar to sit roughly a 1/2 inch lower than the other, putting uneven pressure on the axle. This morning I got everything straight with the bracket/sway bar and between that and getting the toe dialed in, it is driving perfectly, perfectly.
So the moral of the story is that if you have steering/tracking issues, do not rule your sway bar out, check the sway bar link length as well as the brackets for straightness.
On a side note: I only have about 250 miles on the Alloy USA ball joints but I couldn't be happier with them so far. They seem incredibly solid and make the OEM joints look pathetic. They make the jeep drive like new... the steering and suspension feel tight and precise now. If you have been putting off replacing your ball joints, STOP.
I think I paid about $170 shipped for the Alloy USA ball joints and in my opinion you would be crazy to look at any other manufacturer.
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01-10-2013, 06:12 PM
#8
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Thanks for this post! I just installed the same of joints, and I had the same set of post-installation problems. The initial extremely stiff steering has just about settled and the return-to-center is almost completely back after about 150 miles. I adjusted the toe after installation and it actually tracks amazingly well for the first time and my death wobble from the worn factory ball joints is of course completely gone. BUT the new flighty and unpredictable steering response is uncomfortable on a good day and scary on a bad day. I'm at the "toss parts at the problem" phase and that sucks!
01-11-2013, 09:58 AM
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When I purchased Synergy ball joints, I was warned that they had a 500 mile break in. During those 500 miles, the Jeep wandered more than normal. I did tighten back up at almost 500 miles exactly.
Josh
Josh
01-30-2013, 07:39 PM
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Did anyone else notice that the circlips won't fit on the lowers when fully seated even? I just did my driver side and there is no way you can get the circlip on there, the notch isn't even slightly visible. I'll take pics of the passenger side tomorrow...
