my new project--I'm replacing all 4 ball joints with moogs--and they came with the grease fitting not screwed in. does this mean they need to be greased before driving, or do they come factory-greased?
any knowledge would be fantastico

 

You posted about spacers....are you installing ball joint spacers? Or just new ball jouints?

If you are talking about ball JOINTS (and I suspect you are) then yes, they come pregreased. The fitting is so you can add grease later if it becomes necessary.

 

Hmmm, I am replacing my four ball joints today, well my mechanic is. But I had moogs installed a year and a half ago on the bottom and they both need to be replaced, one of them is ready to fall off.
I would only go with genuine Toyota parts to avoid any reliability issues. The shop that put in my moogs of course told me they were oem equivalent, but obviously in my case they were not.

 

I installed bj spacers a couple years ago and no shops could align it since--so I'm takin out the spacers and putting in new ball joints, tie rods, idler arm, steering damper
the new ball joints are just really REALLY stiff, so I didn't know if they were pregreased or needed greasing

 

I dont recommend Moog, i have moog on now and they are in bad shape, i have had them only 2 years. I would stick with Toyota, i will soon.

 

I put in moogs a year or so ago, and they were dry. Grease em up after you have them installed (w/ boot and zerk).

 

what about spicer ball joints. I know they are made by Dana. I also think spicer at least makes several grades of ball joints, I suspect Moog does as well. Maybe you both fell victim to better name brand, but the lowest level product they make. Maybe not. In looking at the pictures of the Moog and spicer the spicer looks more heavily built. But sometimes they just use example pictures, maybe the spicer is off a 1 ton Chevy or something, so really I have added nothing but controversy. Sorry.

 

When I bought my MOOG's, they were much larger than the ones that came off.

 

I have had no problem with moog parts, they are usually the best of the bunch in the aftermarket world...

P.s Bj spacers should not make it impossible to align your truck, unless your frame is tweaked.
Hard thing is, finding a shop where the guys are not all idiots.

 

well, I just got a grease gun, I'm just gonna lube that stuff up anyway

 

Hit all the zerk fittings on your drivetrain while you're at it There is quite a few

 

i have been running moog on mine for about 2 with BJ spacers years no issues...no issues alligning it either

 

I had a lot of problems with Moog upper ball joints this summer. They did not match the profile of the OEM and the post was not in the same place. I did not use them.

Frank

 

Um..... if you decide to sell those and they are the right size (lift) for what I'm doing then send me a PM.

To all the rest of you I just called "Dibbs!"

 

Good call. They don't include grease nipples for fun. They need to be lubed.

My apprentice put in tie rod ends from Moog with grease nipples, and didn't grease them. 3 months later (next oil change) they had to be changed again.

Live and learn

 

Funny thing about moog TRE's. I replaced both tie rods (complete assembly) with moog parts when I did my BJ spacers (and other front end work). They all were non-greasable. I replaced a single TRE a few months ago after I damaged the threads, another Moog part, this one was greaseable... Wierd.

 

Always grease after installation.

 

Unless you have really bent your frame (LCA rearward mounts) the spacers are not the issue here, the shop is.

Regardless of what set up you go with, check out this link, it will show you how to align your truck yourself and save you a lot of money.

http://www.sdori.com/SDORI_4WD_Align...ions_Main.html

Frank