What makes Ball Joints fail

mikea57 · July 24, 2014

In early 2011 I put a RC 3.5" lift on my '07 Sierra SLT. In spring of '12 the UCA's went bad. I called the company and they replaced them but the sent the wrong ones which they quickly replaced. They then sent a set of the new style ones out and I put those on. Now, here it is mid 2014 and the Ball Joints have gone out again on this truck. My question is, What makes these ball joints fail so quickly? I'm running 35" Open Country Toyos on stock 20" rims. I have a rubbing issue when I turn to the right hard but turning left is fine. I try to be very careful about making sure I don't turn so sharp as to cram the tires into the tie rods.

One reason that I might be having problems is that I'm not the only driver of the truck. My 16 yr. old son drives it as much as I do now that he has his license and I don't really know what he does while I'm not around.

(I've got a pretty good idea though...)

8.1HD/ALLISON · July 24, 2014

Lifts, big tires, and 16 year old drivers can definately accelerate wear...... lol. Are they being greased regularly? Not much else you can do.

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newdude · July 24, 2014

Curious, from looking at the Rough Country site at their 3.5" lifts, do you have the one with or without upper control arms?

I would think that if it has the updated arms, that there would be more articulation to the upper joint (like the Cognito ones the HD guys use to correct the ball joint angle). I guess, added weight from the wheel/tire combo, road conditions, and arm angles will increase the wear, especially if they are not greasable. If they are greasable, then frequent greasing should extend the life to a point.

I've seen stock trucks, not leveled or lifted go between 60-100k (maybe further) depending on how they are driven, and the OE ones are sealed.

efritz · July 31, 2014

these trucks eat ball joints with any kind of lift as suspension angles are increased. I'm sure your son jumping ditches doesn't help much. Adding grease zerks can really be a big improvement.

00Silverado4x4 · August 6, 2014

My 16 yr. old son drives it as much as I do now that he has his license and I don't really know what he does while I'm not around.

(I've got a pretty good idea though...)

That's all you need to say right there...lol! I was 16 once...I busted a few things on the family roster in my day too.

kstruckcountry · August 6, 2014

That kit is famous for destroying front ends. Other than getting rid of it there isn't anything you can do. Unless the ball joints are going completely dry greasing them a bunch will just make the problem worse, it will hurt the boots.