Well, the truck hit 39,000 miles the other day and behold...a very loud,
obnoxious squeaking noise from the front end. After a checking (and double
checking) everything I finally found it. Front ball joints were bone dry
(thanks Ted). I called up the local dodge dealer and they couldn't take me
for another week, so I did something that DC should have done in the first
place. Drilled and Tapped the lower ball joints to fit some zerk fittings.
Luckily, they weren't loose (or "knocking" in their sockets) so the grease
job fixed the squeaking for now. (Still going to have them replaced
though.)
One other item that my neighbor and I decided to try: How to firm up the
front sway bar with those funky end-links....hmmmm. Here's what we did to
fix that problem:
Take a Poly-Urethane end link bushing (GM Endlinks fit perfectly) and cut it
in half (so you now have two thin "doughnuts). File them nice and flat and
then remove the endlinks. Remove the rubber sleeve from the joint on the
bottom of the end link (make sure there's still a little bit of grease in
there) and slip the new poly-urethane bushing on the end-link up to where
the rubber sleeve was. Now reinstall the end link, tighten it down and
there you have it...the front end sways less and actually handles a little
bit better (steering is more responsive as well). I've also already
installed Poly-urethane sway bar bushings and replaced the top, rubber,
bushings on the end links so this helps as well.
Bernd D. Ratsch
Pflugerville, TX
1997 Dodge Dakota SLT/CC - 2WD
http://lonestar.texas.net/~bernd/Dakota.htm
http://www.mopars.net/dak/bernd/
http://www.toycrusher.com
bernd@texas.net
ICQ: 39320084
"Have I gone too far...Or has Toyota not gone far enough!"
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