New Guy....

[Argent]

Hey there - I'm currently looking at upgrading my ride to a Liberty (probably an 03/04 depending on what I can find a good deal on) but I have been reading alot about the upper and lower ball joint problems - which have me a bit concerned about getting one now.

Are the OEM Replacements under the recall actually better? or would I be better off trying to find aftermarket replacements for them?

Also is there anything else I should look for when I'm shopping for one? Or other concerns I should be aware of? I don't plan to go climbing a mountain in it - just maybe some two tracks once in a while.

 

[MoladoGuy]

Lower Ball Join recall takes care of that issue. The OEM replacements were redesigned to eliminate the problem of failure. The Upper Ball Joint problems??? Have not heard anything regarding that on stock KJ's. The only time people have experienced problems with the UBJ was after lifting. That would be taken care of with new extended Upper control arms.

The KJ is awesome so good luck with your hunt! Oh, Just saw your a fellow Michigander!! WOOT!

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Welcome neighbor.

Don't worry about the problems. The Liberty is one tough reliable little Jeep. Go grab one.

 

[ceaty]

I second that!

 

[Prospect62]

Third.

 

[Argent]

Prospect - are you from Utica? I have relatives in Rome and a couple other upstate NY places.....

 

[Prospect62]

Yeah I live just outside Utica. Rome is about 10 minutes away from here...

Small world, eh?

 

[desertkj]

I agree on not worrying about the LBJ issue. Get it fixed under the recall and then just keep an eye on them and have them inspected every so often. The Moog greasable ones do fix the issue, but they require more maintenace, and if I'm not mistaken, require Al's Upper A- Arms too.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I agree on not worrying about the LBJ issue. Get it fixed under the recall and then just keep an eye on them and have them inspected every so often. The Moog greasable ones do fix the issue, but they require more maintenace, and if I'm not mistaken, require Al's Upper A- Arms too.

Let's not jump to conclusions about the Moog ball joints fixing anything. LOTS of people need to put some miles on them before ANYBODY can make that judgement. MOST, and I do mean an overwhelming majority of Liberty owners have NEVER had issues with their stock ball joints. As with anything, it's overplayed, ESPECIALLY online.

 

[Corwyyn]

I agree on not worrying about the LBJ issue. Get it fixed under the recall and then just keep an eye on them and have them inspected every so often. The Moog greasable ones do fix the issue, but they require more maintenace, and if I'm not mistaken, require Al's Upper A- Arms too.

Well, the Moogs do require more maintenance than the factory ones, but its no more than any older car would. As for needing Al's arms I can't see why unless you are specifically looking to replace the uppers - the lower Moog units should be a direct swap for the factory sealed units.

 

[desertkj]

Let's not jump to conclusions about the Moog ball joints fixing anything. LOTS of people need to put some miles on them before ANYBODY can make that judgement. MOST, and I do mean an overwhelming majority of Liberty owners have NEVER had issues with their stock ball joints. As with anything, it's overplayed, ESPECIALLY online.

okay, while I don't believe someone should obsess over them or not buy a KJ because of the LBJs, when Jeep recalls 832000 vehicles to replace that recall, I don't think that is "overplayed".

Oh, and Corwyyn, I guess I was wrong. For some reason, I thought I had heard that the ball joints and the A-Arms were a sealed unit. I've never worked on that though. Brakes and suspension are two things I always have someone else do lol.

 

[MoladoGuy]

I think Marlon was merely saying how overplayed the recall was by people of the online community. People acted like they didn't want their Jeep anymore because of this recall. Or people thought that the KJ was terrible just because of this issue. I can see where Marlon is going since the majority of Liberty owners never had problems with their stock ball joints.

 

[Atrus]

I agree that it's overplayed. I don't give a rat's ass how many were recalled, DCX did a "CYA" and replaced them all due to the drastic results of failure. I'd bet that if you'd look at their analysis, only a handful of those recalled were truly expected to fail.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I think Marlon was merely saying how overplayed the recall was by people of the online community. People acted like they didn't want their Jeep anymore because of this recall. Or people thought that the KJ was terrible just because of this issue. I can see where Marlon is going since the majority of Liberty owners never had problems with their stock ball joints.

You got it!!!!!!!!!!!!! You win a PRIZE!

Here's a cookie.

 

[Dave]

haha.....nice cookie

 

[K Dje Ryu]

The upper control arm and ball joint are a single unit. Al's arms replace both and allow for ball joint-only replacement. The lower control arms and ball joints are separate parts and can have the ball joint replaced without removing the lca. I don't know how they'll fare in the long run but, I can tell you that the shaft on the Moogs is longer, thus not allowing water to sit between it and the hole it seats into. I'm not sure if they finally fixed that issue with the latest recall or not, as I just ordered Moogs when I got the latest recall notice.

 

[desertkj]

The upper control arm and ball joint are a single unit. Al's arms replace both and allow for ball joint-only replacement. The lower control arms and ball joints are separate parts and can have the ball joint replaced without removing the lca. I don't know how they'll fare in the long run but, I can tell you that the shaft on the Moogs is longer, thus not allowing water to sit between it and the hole it seats into. I'm not sure if they finally fixed that issue with the latest recall or not, as I just ordered Moogs when I got the latest recall notice.

AHA! Awesome! Thanks! I understand it now! (I'm not being sarcastic btw, that's why I put the smiley)

 

[Argent]

Hmm ok so now it's just a matter of finding one with the options I want in a color I like.....

 

[CRD4Liberty]

Don't see anyone not buying Toyota pickups because of ball joints. They are on recall too.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Don't see anyone not buying Toyota pickups because of ball joints. They are on recall too.

Yeah, and NOBODY mentions it either. Did it even get ANY media attention?