97 Blazer Ball Joints

[imnprsd]

The ball joint boots are cracked. I think this means grease will not be protected from moisture. So I have a few questions:

1) Do all S-10 Blazers with 100K+ miles have bad ball joints... and how bad do they have to get before they really need replacing? I hear this is a common problem and not a safety concern. What do you think?

2) If I need to replace my ball joints, should I get the type which allows you to adjust camber?

3) My steering is sloppy... Can the ball joints contribute to this problem? ...Or is the problem in my gear box? ...And if the problem is in my gear box, how do I fix it. The sloppy stearin is driving me nuts when I take a road trip because the car drifts when going straight, and it gets a little worse at speeds over 70MPH.

[Mikado14]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

The ball joint boots are cracked. I think this means grease will not be protected from moisture. So I have a few questions:

1) Do all S-10 Blazers with 100K+ miles have bad ball joints... and how bad do they have to get before they really need replacing? I hear this is a common problem and not a safety concern. What do you think?

2) If I need to replace my ball joints, should I get the type which allows you to adjust camber?

3) My steering is sloppy... Can the ball joints contribute to this problem? ...Or is the problem in my gear box? ...And if the problem is in my gear box, how do I fix it. The sloppy stearin is driving me nuts when I take a road trip because the car drifts when going straight, and it gets a little worse at speeds over 70MPH.

1) Not all Blazers have bad ball joints unless they were ignored by not feeding them enough grease in a timely manner. But then, this is true with any vehicle. I grease mine at every oil change. My originals went to a little over 150K and the only reason I changed them was due to a little play. The new set lasted about 25K and the upper right became real loose so I changed them all out and used Moog joints.

2) Ball joints are not instrumental in camber adjustments. Camber is adjusted on the upper control arm.

3) If the ball joints have play, they can cause drifting. Remember, they are the pivot point to the movement of the tie rod. If the pivot point is loose, it will have an effect. Before I would do anything to the steering box, I would check all the steering components in the front end. Play in any of the joints will have a cumulative effect on the slop.

[Fractured1]

I have owned several s/10's and blazers...check the idler arm...all mine seem to have worn...KEEP GREASE IN THEM....

[BlazerLT]

Yes, there is 11 grease fitting on a 4x4 s10 front end.

imnprsd,

Grease them and see if any grease come out. A little surface cracking is normal and they won't have to be chaged just because of that.

Grease them until they become full and inflated. 3-7 pumps should do it.

[Sunliner]

FWIW...

I have a '97 S-10 Blazer with 110k on it.
I grease the balljoints (as well as everything else) every 3K miles & she's pretty darn tight; no play & no signs of the grease fittings trying to retract (usually an indicator of wear).
Just had the first front end alignment done about 2 weeks ago.
So I'd say the front end is pretty well-constructed.

It's all about maintanence, man! ; )

-Mike

[tazrock]

Check the recalls for 97 blazers.

GM will replace the Upper Ball joints, but only in the US, not in Canada. They could not give me a good reason why!


THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1996-1997 4-WHEEL DRIVE CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY, AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. SOME OWNERS HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS THAT HAVE SEPARATED. GM IS PROVIDING A SPECIAL POLICY TO THESE OWNERS TO COVER UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT IF THE CUSTOMER FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE CHASSIS LUBRICATION AND THE VEHICLE STILL REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS DUE TO SEPARATION.
Consequence:
THIS COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy:
GM HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE UPPER BALL JOINTS ON AFFECTED VEHICLES. THIS SPECIAL POLICY IS FOR A PERIOD OF 8 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST, FROM THE DATE THE VHEICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PLACED IN SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF OWNERSHIP. THE UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT, DUE TO SEPARATION, WILL BE MADE AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER DURING THIS PERIOD. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-862-4389, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537, CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM.
Notes:
N/A

[mike2004tct]

Tazrock, Here's the recall notice from NHTSA (It was a recall on mine, not a special policy notice you posted above (dated Dec,2001), or also a special policy notice like the wiper pulse board)

In the States, recall noticies are mandated by the NHTSA, unless the Manufacturer issues a volintary recall (Hence the special policy)
In this case, GM issued the special policy to avoid discriminating (law suits) against the states that weren't included in the original recall- dated June,2001.

I don't know how or who issues recalls in Canada, perhaps our northern members will expound upon this.



Make : CHEVROLET Model : BLAZER Year : 1997
Manufacturer : GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 01V200000 Recall Date : JUN 15, 2001
Component: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 48600
Summary:
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN, AND IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. FAILURE OF AN UPPER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY COULD OCCUR DUE TO CORROSION.
Consequence:
THIS CAN RESULT IN IMPAIRED STEERING OR STEERING LOSS, OR A PARTIAL OR COMPLETE COLLAPSE OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH UPPER BALL JOINTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 4, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
Notes:
ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

[BlazerLT]

That is "IF" they grease the balljoints regularly.

[imnprsd]

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

That is "IF" they grease the balljoints regularly.

I replaced my ball joints.... That feels better! Here are some of my observations:

1) Not all Blazers were recalled. It's VIN specific, limited to 100K miles, and yes the GM will only pay for it if you have proof you have serviced/greased the BJ regularly; i.e., not much help defraying the cost there. But if your Blazer's VIN was mentioned by the recall it makes sense to get the BJs replase ASAP. My guess is that these vehicles had lower quality BJ installed in them and hence the recall is VIN specific.

2) My Blazer had 115K miles on it and while the upper boots were torn and wouldn't hold grease, after removal I saw medium wear on the upper BJs and little wear on the lowwer; i.e., I could easily drive another 25K miles on them -- providing I had them greased at every oil change... This vehicle has also been in TX 100% of it's life so if you live in harsher climate then I can see why they recommend you changing the BJs when they start to show signs of wear and that probably means the boots are torn as well.

3) Of course, this is just my opinion. Point being, I don't think you don't need to go off an replace the BJs just because one mechanic says they are bad. In my case, I had 3 mechanics say they needed replacing and while that was true... the question is when will your budget allow for a $500-$800 BJ job for the upper and lowers? Just one word of caution: Don't put it off too long!

4) There are a lot of different prices being quoted out there. Shop and you will save $300 - $500. I'm serious! TRW BJs run $120 for the set of upper an lowers for both sides. Moog are about 50% more. Personally, after seeing the wear on my Blazer, I went with TRW with a lifetime guarantee. Whatever you do, don't use cheep BJs. For $50 more you can get TRW... Which means the saving is in the laber. It took me 4 hours to do both sides and on my Blazer I had to air chissle off the rivots on the upper and lower control arms.

5) Charging $800+ for replacing the BJ is Highway Robbery! Plan ahead and save money

6) My ride is smoother and quieter. The tires feel like they are grabbing the road better. And the suspension does not make the "loose sound" when I hit a pot hole.

7) Note: My controll arm bushing were fine. I did not replace them, but I would have if I had the press to do the job.

[BlazerLT]

Also, check the sway bar end links.

[2Blazers]

We have replaced our upper and lower ball joints twice now and the truck just turned over to 100,000 miles. It is faithfully taken care of every 3,000 miles. The 2nd time they were replaced it was still under warranty with Moog parts. Yep....the service place could not believe they had to eat that much money.

We have been told even by Chevy dealers that the ball joints is a common problem with the Chevys.

[BlazerLT]

Very weird.

Who was servicing them, you, or the lube place?