140K on the clock. Time to renovate the '02 KJ CRD

[bgbazz]

The photo's of the ball joint and bushes are very clear and tell a story. The ball joint has far too much movement..you can see the contact wear up there.
When you remove the upper control arm to replace it, you might as well do the two bushings at the same time..one of them is not sitting square, although that may be because of the ball joint. Do it all now and you wont have to go back there in the near future.

The oil on the hoses problem suggests just what you have already worked out...replace both of them.

I put Valvoline injector cleaner through mine about every 5k or so and seems to keep it running smooth as a babies bum..great economy too.

New rear shocks would make the ride nicer, but if money is tight, the job can wait a while...changing the rear ones is a walk in the park, probably ten minutes per side. Do some research on brands first..I have KYB on the rear and they are total rubbish, more suited to a Honda Civic than a Jeep. I put Gabriel Ultra shock struts on the front and they are really good..bugger of a job to do though!

Anyway...more food for thought..

[glend]

In my experience you can't really tell how the upper rear control arm ball joint is until you pop it out of the diff bracket and move it around by hand. If its sloppy in the socket and has fore and aft or side to side slack them it needs to be replaced.

As to the hose, it looks like it is weeping oil which indicates its degraded and maybe leaking. Do you have a Provent on the vehicle to stop that oil from getting into the hoses?

Finally, I'd check the airbox to turbo hose at the bottom where it attaches to the turbo. There has been a few cases of these airbox to turbo hoses degrading and cracking at the bend into the turbo. While not really affecting boost or power, what is does do is allow dirty air into the turbo (effectively bypassing your air filter).

[indiedog]

Originally Posted by bgbazz

The photo's of the ball joint and bushes are very clear and tell a story. The ball joint has far too much movement..you can see the contact wear up there.

The oil on the hoses problem suggests just what you have already worked out...replace both of them.

For the ball joint and bushes I know Morris (link in the Aftermarket Thread) do an off road for each. Any other sources? Can any one save me the pain of calling Albion to get a price for these and the turbo hoses?? I've also sent off an email to VMDiesel in the UK for a price on the hoses.

[bgbazz]

I use this mob for a lot of my stuff...

www.jeepchryslerparts.co.uk

They sell some junk but also some good stuff...ask for the parts by brand ie. Raybestos, Crown etc. I got my Gabriel shocks, ball joint and bushings from them. Their prices are pretty reasonable aand they ship worldwide.

As soon as I work out how to post pics, I'll send you some of my balljoint, before it came out. I notice yours has been moving so much it's wearing metal against metal [you can see the shiny wear marks]. As for popping it out..good luck..I had to take the control arm and the balljoint bracket out together as it wouldn't 'pop' out and then the whole lot in a vice to get it to separate.

[bgbazz]

The shaft is a bit loose, but it still never touched the side like yours does. The rubber boot has a couple of small splits in it.

[indiedog]

Originally Posted by glend

In my experience you can't really tell how the upper rear control arm ball joint is until you pop it out of the diff bracket and move it around by hand. If its sloppy in the socket and has fore and aft or side to side slack them it needs to be replaced.

As to the hose, it looks like it is weeping oil which indicates its degraded and maybe leaking. Do you have a Provent on the vehicle to stop that oil from getting into the hoses?

Finally, I'd check the airbox to turbo hose at the bottom where it attaches to the turbo. There has been a few cases of these airbox to turbo hoses degrading and cracking at the bend into the turbo. While not really affecting boost or power, what is does do is allow dirty air into the turbo (effectively bypassing your air filter).

Thanks Glend. No Provent. It is on the list of possible renovations. I'd like to see the difference in performance once the turbo system is sorted. Given the likely cost of the intercooler hoses and the performance loss I'd say a Provent is certainly worth doing. Hoses first, Provent later.

Bazz thanks for the link. I've now got a few different emails out there seeking prices for parts.

Cheers, Indie.

[indiedog]

Still waiting for Albion to call me back to provide prices for the turbo hoses, no surprise there. The guy did mention that they were expensive, again no surprise there. Around the $600 mark for EACH hose! Must be made of Unobtainium as mined on Pandora in Avatar! The rear control arm bushes were guesstimated at around $200 each and the ball joint at $300. Just ridiculous prices.

Overseas, here I come.