Ball joint: TRW or Moog w/o grease fitting or other brand w/ grease fitting?

How good are suspension and steering parts by AC Delco or
Raybestos?

My car was built with ball joints that have no grease fittings
or holes for them, and the TRW and Moog replacements are also
like that. But for the same price I can get AC Delco or
Raybestos brand joints with fittings. How good are those
brands? I've never used Raybestos parts that aren't for
brakes.

Also what's the difference between regular Moog ball joints
and Moog "Problem Solver" ball joints?

On Wednesday, October 15, 2014 8:15:39 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> How good are suspension and steering parts by AC Delco or
>
> Raybestos?
>
>
>
> My car was built with ball joints that have no grease fittings
>
> or holes for them, and the TRW and Moog replacements are also
>
> like that. But for the same price I can get AC Delco or
>
> Raybestos brand joints with fittings. How good are those
>
> brands? I've never used Raybestos parts that aren't for
>
> brakes.
>
>
>
> Also what's the difference between regular Moog ball joints
>
> and Moog "Problem Solver" ball joints?

My memory says that the Problem Solver line is the better quality line, what all Moog used to be like, but confirm that before you take it to the bank. I may have it backwards.

nate

wrote:
> How good are suspension and steering parts by AC Delco or
> Raybestos?
>
> My car was built with ball joints that have no grease fittings
> or holes for them, and the TRW and Moog replacements are also
> like that. But for the same price I can get AC Delco or
> Raybestos brand joints with fittings. How good are those
> brands? I've never used Raybestos parts that aren't for
> brakes.
>
> Also what's the difference between regular Moog ball joints
> and Moog "Problem Solver" ball joints?

Most of those parts come in various quality levels even in the same
brands. That makes it difficult to say that Brand X is better than Brand
Y because these days a LOT of those parts are made in China and may even
be the exact same part just sold under a different label.

Most of the vehicles out there are built with "lubed for life" parts.
They work and on some vehicles are preferred simply because they don't
have to be a maintenance item. IF you will actually lube them the
greasable joints do have a couple advantages. New grease is a good
thing, and it can drive out crud or contaminates if you needed to. BUT
they are no good if you don't plan on regular service.

ACDelco pro level are good parts, as are the pro level Raybestos, at
least the ones I've used were.

The problem solver parts were developed for just that reason. To solve
an perceived issue with the OEM parts. For instance on the S Blazers,
they are known for hub assembly, ball joint and idler arm wear. The PS
idler arm uses a larger pair of pivots with a better bearing design to
make it last longer. The ball joints use a different larger wear surface
as well. Do they work YES, seen the difference on all the ones I've
owned and worked on.


--
Steve W.

In article >, Steve W. > wrote:
>
>Most of the vehicles out there are built with "lubed for life" parts.
>They work and on some vehicles are preferred simply because they don't
>have to be a maintenance item. IF you will actually lube them the
>greasable joints do have a couple advantages. New grease is a good
>thing, and it can drive out crud or contaminates if you needed to. BUT
>they are no good if you don't plan on regular service.
>
>ACDelco pro level are good parts, as are the pro level Raybestos, at
>least the ones I've used were.
>
>The problem solver parts were developed for just that reason. To solve
>an perceived issue with the OEM parts. For instance on the S Blazers,
>they are known for hub assembly, ball joint and idler arm wear. The PS
>idler arm uses a larger pair of pivots with a better bearing design to
>make it last longer. The ball joints use a different larger wear surface
>as well. Do they work YES, seen the difference on all the ones I've
>owned and worked on.

I am generally a big fan of the aftermarket greasable joints, if the joint
is in a place where you can actually get to it. I had a rear-wheel drive
car where the u-joint couldn't be got to without taking the muffler out
to get behind the exhaust pipe. On that car, I put a lubed for life joint
in as a replacement.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Thursday, October 16, 2014 1:52:11 PM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:
> In article >, Steve W. > wrote:
>
> >
>
> >Most of the vehicles out there are built with "lubed for life" parts.
>
> >They work and on some vehicles are preferred simply because they don't
>
> >have to be a maintenance item. IF you will actually lube them the
>
> >greasable joints do have a couple advantages. New grease is a good
>
> >thing, and it can drive out crud or contaminates if you needed to. BUT
>
> >they are no good if you don't plan on regular service.
>
> >
>
> >ACDelco pro level are good parts, as are the pro level Raybestos, at
>
> >least the ones I've used were.
>
> >
>
> >The problem solver parts were developed for just that reason. To solve
>
> >an perceived issue with the OEM parts. For instance on the S Blazers,
>
> >they are known for hub assembly, ball joint and idler arm wear. The PS
>
> >idler arm uses a larger pair of pivots with a better bearing design to
>
> >make it last longer. The ball joints use a different larger wear surface
>
> >as well. Do they work YES, seen the difference on all the ones I've
>
> >owned and worked on.
>
>
>
> I am generally a big fan of the aftermarket greasable joints, if the joint
>
> is in a place where you can actually get to it. I had a rear-wheel drive
>
> car where the u-joint couldn't be got to without taking the muffler out
>
> to get behind the exhaust pipe. On that car, I put a lubed for life joint
>
> in as a replacement.
>

In the specific case of U-joints, most of the big power drag racers or off roaders that I know prefer the non-greasable ones as the spiders are stronger and therefore less likely to break under shock load or overload.

nate