Oh my joints!

[JadeCats]

Well guys i bought another comanche, since its getting cold and wet i thought it would be a great time to test out its capabilities and get myself into a little mud racing event. Well as it turns out the joints are about as good after that as mine are in the cold, so i have some things to replace. I managed to blow out both upper and lower ball joints on both sides and one of the front axle u-joints, plus three out of four tie rod ends and probably some other things that i havent discovered yet but let's start here. 

I lucked out and had a full set of good tie rod ends laying around but I'm still hunting down some other stuff, I see lots of different ball joints and u-joints out there so i thought it would be good to ask the professionals. What do you guys like to run for these? I have a spare set of u-joints already but they are just the autozone standard and I'm looking for a little bit of an upgrade. Side question, are the joints for the driveshaft and front axle the same?

What else would you recommend changing while I'm there? Wheel bearings? Any misc seals or bits and pieces? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[MiNi Beast]

Best to just go through it all and replace everything. Be set for winter with peace of mind. I like non greasable spicer joints as they are a bit stronger with a solid cross section and I typically carry an extra one for if ever the need. Been a min for me but i wanna say they are a different size then axle joints. Typically our MJs came with the smaller of the d30 ujoints. And possibly may even have the (cad) vaccum disconnect issues. Which inturn could be upgraded and deleted for the bigger joints of a 95 and newer d30s. But you can go either way. I know a few welded up the spiders in the diff and ran a cable to the shift fork on those disconnect axles and ran the trails with a homebrew full locker setup successfully. This also being that you would need to install an inner axle seal for the conversion swap, so involves pulling diff and allowing good opportunity to install lunch box locker for true capabilities. Not for all though so they could always focus more on the maintenance of what these quite capable stock axles come. With good maintenance these trucks will last and get you where you need to be reliability. First hand experience. 

Be sure to anti seize the wheelbearing to knuckle surface to maintain trouble free maintenance for years to come.  

Any more details on your truck? 

[75sv1]

First, what year? That has a dependence on wheel bearings or hub bearing. If hub bearings, I like SKF and (ok brain freeze). Then NAPA has F(L)AG. It is not their top of the line. I think I have one of them and an SKF on my 2000 XJ. 

 I bought a set of ball joints off of E-Bay. I have not installed them. Metal construction and US made. I have used Alloy USA, M (ok blanking again) TTKs and XFRs. There's another brand I think I'd try after a discussion or thread on another site. I have not had any issues with those I've listed. The XFR, I do not like the grease joints provided and their placement. Synergy and Terra Flex(???) had better zerke fitting placement from pictures. Synergy and Terra Flex(???) have the option of non serrated or splines ball joints. So, just like stock.  

[gogmorgo]

Dana-spicer is the way to go for ujoints. I personally prefer greaseable, especially in a wet or dirty environment, because it allows you to purge out any accumulated water or dirt that snuck past the seals. If you plan on continuing to mud race this is probably the way to go, so you can purge out all your pivots after every event, or at least every time out. But if you know you won’t ever bother greasing then, then I guess there’s no real point to the greasables. As far as the non-greaseable ujoints being stronger that’s true enough, but the extra strength only amounts to the strength of a solid piece the same size as the voids in the greaseable ujoint, which is not a lot, and apart from shock loading and cracking the cross, most ujoint failures in my experience are due to lubrication problems. One other consideration for the axle shaft ujoints is the greaseable ones come with low-profile zerks in the centre of one of the caps, which either requires finding the correct adapter for your grease gun, or else replacing it with a conventional zerk you can put a normal grease gun adapter onto and hoping you don’t snap it off if it comes in contact with something off-road.

You can also get Dana ball joints, which are probably the best budget-minded option, but there are some very sturdy options out there if budget is less of a concern, I’ve just never used them.
I usually recommend Timken wheel bearings where I can, SKF is also usually a reasonable option. But if you’re running wheels with more poke you’ll see shorter bearing lives no matter which brand you’re running. If the wheel bearings don’t have play and you can get them and the shafts out easily enough, I don’t see the point in changing them… if they survived mud racing without play then they’re probably doing alright.

[PIKE]

When you replace your ball joints I can guarantee it is a job you want to go smoothly and you will not have to do it ever again. I have recently replaced the ball joints on my 97 ZJ and my 89 MJ. I hope I never have to do it again. For that reason I chose Teraflex ball joints. Very expensive but life time guarantee. Very impressed with the quality.

To make the job go smooth I purchased what I think is the most high quality tool to do the job. OTC 7249 and the OTC 7894. I went with SKF hubs too as. 75SV1 and gogmorgo mentioned.

 

FYI   put the ball joints in the freezer overnight before you press them in.

 

Also replaced my two piece axle with one piece. New 11800 seal and all new steering with V8 ZJ tie rod and newer XJ tie rod and and tie rod ends. I used 1997 ZJ V8 CV axles for my conversion. For less than $50 a side I figured I would try them. They have been working fine in my ZJ.

 

Have pretty much upgraded my 89 MJ front end.

 

FYI-2   Both my ZJ and MJ had a wobble at around 50-55 mph, the ball joints took care of this on both vehicles. My ZJ had serious tire cupping on one tire.

[howeitsdone]

8 hours ago, JadeCats said:

What do you guys like to run for these?

I have a spare set of u-joints already but they are just the autozone standard and I'm looking for a little bit of an upgrade. Side question, are the joints for the driveshaft and front axle the same?

What else would you recommend changing while I'm there? Wheel bearings? Any misc seals or bits and pieces?

 

1. As mentioned, Spicer is a great option. Opinions are all over the place on brands, but OE is a great choice in this case if unsure.
2. Hub and Driveshaft U-Joints are different - Been there, tried that. Spicer is great here again. Greaseable or Non depending if you don't feel like doing that maintenance.
3. My general rule on Bearings & hubs are that if they're not making noise or acting weird, save your money.
4. Again, like mentioned the axle seals are good to replace...if leaking. Just ordered some for myself today. Front passenger is notorious for leaking with CAD.

If you're looking to do preventative maintenance, then replace whatever you feel & have the budget for.

If you're looking to replace the worn parts, then look for wet spots & listen for noises that shouldn't be there.

 

FWIW the axle seals are only a couple dollars per on RockAuto

[DesertRat1991]

 

20 hours ago, JadeCats said:

Well guys i bought another comanche, since its getting cold and wet i thought it would be a great time to test out its capabilities and get myself into a little mud racing event...

 

First things first, we need pics/vids from this event.