Ball Joint Boots deterioated

[tc1446]

Boots on my 2000 Ranger have dried and crumbled all to pieces. Vehicle has only
52K on it and sat most of its life under a shed roof well protected from the wx. Any idea how long before the ball joints will need replacing? And what does something like that cost?

 

[Olas]

Once the boots have failed the joints wear out very quickly, but ball joints are cheap and shouldn't take more than 1 hour per side and that's going slowly..

 

[stevejones]

I'm sure it varies with the vehicle, but I just did the factory joints that were on my '98 K1500. Took me all day to bust the rivets out for the uppers & press out the lowers.

 

[Lyman]

Keep them greased and they will last for a while. Im in the same boat with my Ranger.

 

[benjamming]

On my '01 2WD Ranger XLT, I went with Moog K8771T for the lower. They were $61.33 for both sides including shipping from Rockauto.com. I used the loaner tools from parts store p/n 27023 & 27066. The p/n 27023 was used for lower ball joint removal & installation into lower control arm with p/n 27023E #2 receiving tube & 27166F.

For the upper ball joints, it was less expensive to replace the entire control arm with ball joint & bushings. I went with Moog as well p/n K80054 (left) & K80052 (right). They were $60.46 each including shipping costs.

 

[Merkava_4]

By that time boot wears out, the ball joints are getting close to needing replacing. And by time the ball joints need replacing, the control arm bushings need replacing too.

 

[Chris142]

Get the urathane boots

 

[barkingspider]

I would replace the ball joints as soon as possible if I were u. I recommend moog or OEM, probably won't need to replace them after this time.

 

[spk2000]

For me ball joints have never instantly failed they are a slow wear item that will show signs of degradation before a long time before failing. I would not drive them to failure though and would opt for greasable not sealed units if available and they should be for the rangers.

 

[SnowDrifter]

Rubber items, boots, seals, stuff like that tend to dry with age more than they do miles. It's 15 years old, I wouldn't sweat it.

As to cost: Depends on which ball joints. There's more than one

 

[tc1446]

Thanks to all of you for the feedback. I can't detect any probs now with it, but will be alert to any driving/handling issues.
Due to my age, I can't get under there to put grease on them. It has low milage and still looks good so I plan on keeping it for
a few more years so its worth getting them replaced when it needed.

 

[01rangerxl]

Absolutely no telling. They might go another 10K, they might go another 100K.

I would just proactively try to work the replacement into your schedule. That's what I did with my truck. When the boots started cracking, I started shopping and planning at my leisure. When I had free time, I got them replaced. It ran me $700-800 parts and labor, can't remember exactly. That's the low end for decent parts/quality of work.

These trucks make a TON of noise when the joints are actually bad. As in LOUD creaking and groaning over any bump. If it hasn't started doing that, you probably have a ways to go, but how long depends on the conditions your truck is exposed to.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: Blkstanger
Keep them greased and they will last for a while. Im in the same boat with my Ranger.


Aren't the originals ungreasable?? Do not get OEM for that reason.Moog time.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
Moog time.


Preferably Raybestos Pro or Deeza time. Get the good Raybestos ones while they last...they might be the same as Moog soon.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: Lubener
Moog time.


Preferably Raybestos Pro or Deeza time. Get the good Raybestos ones while they last...they might be the same as Moog soon.

Is there anything inherently wrong with Moog - I just picked up 2 lower ball joints for an Explorer and they're made in the US?

 

[Lyman]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
Originally Posted By: Blkstanger
Keep them greased and they will last for a while. Im in the same boat with my Ranger.


Aren't the originals ungreasable?? Do not get OEM for that reason.Moog time.
Yes you are right. Mine have been replaced once already and have the zerk fitting. My bad.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: nthach
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: Lubener
Moog time.


Preferably Raybestos Pro or Deeza time. Get the good Raybestos ones while they last...they might be the same as Moog soon.

Is there anything inherently wrong with Moog - I just picked up 2 lower ball joints for an Explorer and they're made in the US?


Nothing particular to this application, but Moog has spotty quality across the board. They aren't what they used to be.

 

[Silverado12]

Check out Energy Suspension Balljoint Boot. Ball joint boot

 

[Joel_MD]

I recently replaced the OEM ball joints, tie rod ends, and sway bar end links with Moog stuff on my 2003 Saab 9-5. None of the OEM parts had grease zerks. The Moog end links have zerks but not the ball joints or tie rod ends. As for quality, the end links are definitely beefier than OEM. The other Moog parts look nearly identical to the OEM ones they replaced, but it's hard to say if the quality is the same or better than OEM.

 

[zzyzzx]

Dorman makes an aftermarket boot.

http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-Help-13564-Ball-Joint/dp/B000CO76N8
http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-13566-Tie-Dust-Boot/dp/B001HZICSY

As to finding one listed specifically for your car, good luck with that. You just have to go to the store and buy one that looks like it's right for your vehicle. Normally I would avoid Dorman parts, but I have actually used one of these successfully before, and it's better then nothing.