Well, son #2 was complaining about some clunking on minimum-radius turns at low speed - at 68kmi, the KJ still has the oem balljoints, bushings, half-shafts, etc, on a 2" lift, so I checked all for loose, worn, etc - nothing found at the time, all seemed copasetic - however, with Moog K3199's in posession and horror stories of oem lbj's cratering in the driveway in mind, I decided to take matters in hand and do the deed.

Surprise, surprise!: oem lbj's at 68kmi are just as tight as the day they rolled off the production line - takes a wrench to rotate the stud in it's socket, no finger-loose there - on the other hand, the ubj's, usually outlasting two lower replacements, were loose as gooses, both easily manipulated by finger\thumb - this is unusual, but could be caused by the mild 2" lift, the greater wheel offset and wider wheels, and the big Goodyear meats - so, in with the Moog K3199's, since they were sitting in the passenger-side foot-well, but what to do with those wimpy oem uppers?

Enter Jeepin' by Al, with a nice set of red Nascar-type fabricated uppers, replete with replaceable Moog larger-than-oem balljoints, factory rubber bushings, and at less than the DCJ list price for the stockers - don't like the red, but a can of rustoleum semi-gloss black will easily fix that (cleared that with ole Al, hisself).

So, for those whose maximum intense offroading experience consists of parking in the grass at family outings, no worries on the factory ball joints - there will be some unexplainable early failures, as with anything 'consumable', but you are not in dire need of the Moog upgrade, as has been previously noised about - just have any failed lbj replaced with the original spec item, and yer good to go - if, however, you weekly put the KJ in stressful conditions that even the design engineers did not allow for, such as rock-crawling and slope-groping, Moog K3199's and Al's is the way to go

Also, prolly should have a nice new set of ABS wheel sensors handy, as the oems are likely rusted in-place, and snap-off ever so easily -
52128694AC 1 Right
52128695AC 1 Left
~26bucks for the CRD KJ versions, discounted

Pic's to follow...........neb'mind - heres some better pics fer ya, and some stuff to read...........

http://jeepinbyal.com/
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... highlight=

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'05 CRD Limited
Pricol EGT, Boost
GDE Hot '11; EDGE Trail switched
SEGR; Provent; Magnaflow;
Suncoast T\C, Transgo Tow'n'Go switch;
Cummins LP module, Fleetguard filter, Filterminder
2.5" Daystar f, OME r; Ranchos; K80767's, Al's lifted uppers
Rubicons, 2.55 Goodyears
Four in a row really makes it go

By coincidence, I found out recently that the local Carquest carries Moog ball joints, including the K3199. They also stock the cheaper non-greaseable made in Taiwan version, RK3199.

Gent that installed mine gomered up the boot on the passenger side, and his idea of a fix was to stuff a generic dust boot from Autozoo over it sans upper retaining clip, and after a year that cheap rubber boot was already falling to pieces.

The cheap RK3199 version had a similar design boot and was only $30, so this morning when I had a new set of Gold Seal U-joints installed on the driveshaft, I had them go ahead and replace that generic POS boot with the one off of a RK3199. A couple snips with a pair of wire cutters replicated the grease relief port on the bottom end.

_________________
Mitchell Oates
'87 MB 300D Diamond Blue Metallic
'87 MB 300D - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Sport CRD Stone White
Provent CCV Filter/AT2525 Muffler
Stanadyne 30 u/Cat 2 u Fuel Filters
Fumoto Drain/Fleetguard LF3487 Oil filter
V6 Airbox/Amsoil EAA Air Filter
Suncoast TC/Shift Kit/Aux Cooler
Kennedy Lift Pump/Return Fuel Cooler

Things got better in 06.
My LBJ's (lower Ball Joints) were recalled to be replaced.
I had the stealership install the Moogs for the price of the new ones because of what I heard here.
The service mismanager told me I was Smaat cause he heard talk of the newly replaced stuff failing and needing a replacement.
Whatever, I say suck it up and do it right, if you have the money.

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'06 Jeep Liberty Sport CRD with: GDE Hot Flash and Tranny Flash, ehm, Cummins fuel pump, 3" Magnaflow muff, Moog K3199's, Skids, 225-75-16 10 ply, OME springs, Euro T/C, Shift kit, Trans cooler w/thermal bypass, Bigboy bkt, Samco CAC, Brake controller, Trans temp gauge, Al's Upper Arms

...interesting...my '06 KJ somehow wasn't on the list for the balljoint recall. I never had to have the F37 done for the tranny either. Since my build date is May 2006, I suspect the changes may have already been implemented. Unfortunately, I've been hearing a slight pop too when making sharp turns like pulling out of a driveway and such which makes me wonder if the uppers are worn then.

That could be related to whether you've got the steering spindle up against the stops, 'nuther words, full lock - that will always cause the popping sound when traversing vertical surface changes, such as parking lots, driveways, etc.

For the rest, it depends on how your KJ stacks up against mine - the Rubicon wheels are really wide and more offset than the stock KJ editions, plus the big Goodyears put quite a strain on the front suspension, not to mention the combo of the 2.5" lift.

The KJ has suspended suspension: the weight of the vehicle hangs from the front lower balljoint, making it easy to check for wear of the upper and lower bj's and the tierod ends - the upper balljoint is mainly for location to establish the steering axis - so, place a jack under the lower control arm just in behind the balljoint stud, which will transfer the weight from the balljoint to the jack to the ground - raise the front tire off the ground about an inch or two, which removes all tension from the front steering knuckle\spindle - grab the tire at the top, see if you can move the tire in\out, which would indicate upper balljoint wear - see if you can move the tire in\out at the bottom, indicating lower balljoint wear - see if you can move the front of the tire in\out, indicating tierod wear - can also put a bar under the tire, see if you can raise it a little, indicating lower balljoint wear - if all is tight, your suspension components are serviceable for more mileage

Place the transfer case in 4wd, rotate the tire back\forth a little - noting that some noise will be heard as you makeup the drivetrain slack as the axle is rotated, any specific noise\popping would indicate the half-shaft joint(s) is bad, usually the outer

_________________
'05 CRD Limited
Pricol EGT, Boost
GDE Hot '11; EDGE Trail switched
SEGR; Provent; Magnaflow;
Suncoast T\C, Transgo Tow'n'Go switch;
Cummins LP module, Fleetguard filter, Filterminder
2.5" Daystar f, OME r; Ranchos; K80767's, Al's lifted uppers
Rubicons, 2.55 Goodyears
Four in a row really makes it go

Thank you for the insight and instructions. I'll try to check that soon. I hear the pop when the steering wheel isn't at the lock. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it's a more recent development invoking a...hmmmm...that's interesting thought. My suspension and tires are all stock. I'm at 51K and I've been hearing "the clunk" when I put it into gear. I was reading the thread a week or so ago about the sounds we hear when the U-joint goes bad...so about time for that too. ...and the front rotors are a little warped and it's probably about time to think about brakes...be a good opportunity to find something to help the mini-tank stop better.

How to check the balljoints has been posted in the 4x4 section since Dec '05,there's a video somewhere in there also.

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=4348&start=0

That'll work - show'n'tell rules!!!

_________________
'05 CRD Limited
Pricol EGT, Boost
GDE Hot '11; EDGE Trail switched
SEGR; Provent; Magnaflow;
Suncoast T\C, Transgo Tow'n'Go switch;
Cummins LP module, Fleetguard filter, Filterminder
2.5" Daystar f, OME r; Ranchos; K80767's, Al's lifted uppers
Rubicons, 2.55 Goodyears
Four in a row really makes it go