ball joints

volfan · August 11, 2004

i have a 99 silverado with 60k that i just noticed that three out of four of the little rubber boot have tears in them is this something tat needs to be repaired right away? inever drive off road so i dont really understand why this prob has happened so quick i was just thinking that jr at the quick lube got carried away but grease should not cause a tear in therubber when it escapes around it any opinions?

commanche1 · August 11, 2004

i never heard of this.only time i saw a torn boot was when they tried to remove a ball joint and then boots will tear.

citydriver · August 11, 2004

i have a 99 silverado with 60k that i just noticed that three out of four of the little rubber boot have tears in them is this something tat needs to be repaired right away? inever drive off road so i dont really understand why this prob has happened so quick i was just thinking that jr at the quick lube got carried away but grease should not cause a tear in therubber when it escapes around it any opinions?

I used to see it alot when I was in the shop....Jr probably got carried away w/the grease gun ...the rubber WILL tear under pressure.....as long as they are greased regularly you should'nt have a problem for awhile...but be aware that they will be more exposed to moisture, so they will need to be checked more often

tmf6902 · August 11, 2004

I have the same problem....one of mine is busted....I think I remeber someone on here saying it's a PITA to change out....can anyone shed some light on that subject????

asepgrad98 · August 11, 2004

i would have them inspected once a year by a competent mechanic, keep them full of grease and not worry about it.

chris_kucia · August 11, 2004

Are you talking about the boots around the ball joints/tie rods that hold the grease in or are you talking about the boots that cover the CV joints?

tmf6902 · August 11, 2004

Not the CV Joint boots, the little ones with the zerks.

chris_kucia · August 11, 2004

Thanks.

Just checking.

Personally, I've never seen the boots tear due to grease pressure, but I have seen them tear due to ham-handed installation and/or abrasion. Anything's possible, I guess.

I'd certainly make sure that there was grease in there until you can get them fixed. You don't want water and dirt attacking the joints - they won't last long.

I've always wonderered if it was possible to buy the grease boots separately from somewhere.

Z71EMS · August 11, 2004

I've got 118k on my good ole 94 Z71, any one suggest it's about time for ball joints on this one?

volfan · August 11, 2004

i just wanted to get evrybodys opinion thi is a great site i talked to a couple of mechanics and they said just keepem lubed every oil change and keepem checked and not worry i am kinda picky so i hope i dont think i am hering noises in the front i would like to at least make it to to 100k im now at 61k in 5 years

commanche1 · August 11, 2004

if they are split ,get them out now.dirt will do them in.i still cant figure what caused that, i have never seen that before.i dont believe greasing them would ever cause that even if over greased.very strange.i guess if they are dried out and no gease in them, maybe that could happen but in 35 years i have never seen 3 on a vehicile torn. maybe someone can comment on this?

asepgrad98 · August 11, 2004

I would rather have a GM balljoint with a torn boot than a Ford or Dodge ball joint that has NO grease fitting personaly.

Chris97K1500 · August 11, 2004

My upper ball joint rubber boots are torn on both sides. Noticed this when I rotated my tires this past weekend. I'm just going to keep them greased up at every oil change. I'm not putting anymore $$ into this truck . It's going to become a farm truck exclusively and a new D/A GMC CC will be in my driveway in about 20 months. I'd say keep an eye on them, keep them greased, should be fine. Chris

commanche1 · August 12, 2004

torn boots,unreal.never saw this before.maybe the joint is wore out and that caused the boot to compress so far that it tore. i will run this by my mechanic friend.he knows everything,he is unreal. take care

citydriver · August 12, 2004

torn boots,unreal.never saw this before.maybe the joint is wore out and that caused the boot to compress so far that it tore. i will run this by my mechanic friend.he knows everything,he is unreal. take care

As I said before,they will tear if greased with an air powered grease-gun and the operator doesnt know when to stop....kinda like overfilling a balloon with air ....if the ball joint boots are stuck to the joint,the grease has nowhere to go and POP .......I used to use a flat screwdriver and lift up on the boot to let the old grease escape.......but if a CV boot is torn, that should be replaced as soon as possiple to prevent joint failure