Ray,
I'm sorry, I apparently deleted the info I had on replacing ball joints on
the Gen-III Daks. Since I have a Gen-II, there wasn't much point to me
saving it except for a situation like this. :'B
Anyway, either check the archives (I know the details are in there) or
someone else will hopefully chime in with the details on parts, part
numbers, and proceedure for you.
Rich - Ashburn, VA
-----Original Message-----
From: raymond.irons@gm.com [mailto:raymond.irons@gm.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 8:17 AM
To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
Subject: DML: Couple things, this and that
OK Ya'll, I need a little advice and some help from you folks.
1st thing, I told ya'll the saga of the vehicle inspection, and the
inspectors didn't catch the worn out tire. I went to change the tires last
Thursday and found the front brakes needed some attention. So, I bought new
pads, caliper guide pins, and rotors. I went out to install the new parts
Saturday and found the right side upper control arm rear bushing is shot.
Its all cracked and has a big split in it. Now I know the recommended way
to go is to replace these with the bushing from energy suspension. I have a
copy of a FSM but its for a 2001 model and my truck is a 1998. The FSM I
have says to remove the arm and use a special tool to R&R the bushing. I
have no problem with that. My question is, with 109K on the truck and since
I'm gonna have the upper control arm off anyway should I go ahead and
replace the ball joints? If so, can I replace the ball joint by itself or
do I need to replace the entire upper control arm? The FSM I have (again
its not for my year vehicle) say the entire arm should be replaced if the
ball joint fails the inspection procedure. As a retired jet engine
mechanic, I consider myself to be a fairly competent mechanic and I do have
an ASE certified friend that can help me. What I want to know is, is this a
job I can do myself in my driveway or local auto craft center? If anyone
has a FSM for a 98 and can scan the appropriate sections, I'd really
appreciate it. I'm almost afraid to do anymore work to the truck; it seems
lately that everytime I fix something, I find something else, more
expensive broke.
Now for the 2nd thing. After I got done with the front brakes, I was on my
way over to Dover AFB to get a few things. While I heading southbound on Rt
113, near the main gate, I got passed by a SUV. I saw it in the rear view
mirror, but it didn't register on me what it was. After it passed me, I saw
the vehicle emblems on the lift gate, the dealer tag, and was I surprised.
A brand new Dodge Durango and it had the emblem on the lift gate: HEMI. No
dealer decal or anything to see where it came from. That was the first one
I saw. Now I'm wondering if the dealer here in Dover has any on the lot yet
that I can go look at. I'm also wondering if since DC retooled the Durango
so they could fit the Hemi under the hood, how much longer will it be for
the Dakota?
Ray Irons
Dover, DE
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