Need Help on Suspension Kit ??

[Watchman]

On my 93 ex, I planned on replacing radius arm bushings and thought I would go in and change front upper and lower ball joints, maybe even tie rods. I need feedback if these ebay deals where they sell these as kits with tie rods included are worth it. Here is an example.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-tie-r...93|Model:Explorer&hash=item2c90912994&vxp=mtr

These kits offer 12 month warranty. What do you guys think ? Or is it better to buy separately from known vendors ? Please advise. Thank you for your feedback.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Personally, I'll only ever put greasable joints in a vehicle. Nobody likes crawling around underneath but the ability to perform maintenance is key in my opinion.

Even though I use eBay a lot, I don't generally buy car parts there unless it's a NOS Ford part. I stick to Rock Auto (for the selection), Advance Auto Parts (for the insane coupons) and my local NAPA (friendly, knowledgeable, quick access to parts).

 

[Maniak]

Personally, I only ranMoog Problem solver Radius arm bushings and I've been running Raybestos Profressional Ball Joints ever since they came out the the higher end ones. I'm pretty hard on my ball joints and I'm still getting quite a bit of time/mileage out of the Raybestos Pro. joints.

I've been buying them from RockAuto but I haven't had to warranty one of those ball joints as I get way more than 2 years out of them..

The Moog Problem solver RA bushings are rubber.. Some like Poly, personally, I liked the rubber ones.. I no longer have stock ends on my radius arms so I no longer use RA bushings.

If you go through rockauto, don't forget to find your ExplorerForum discount code.. Rockauto has a thread in the vendor forum with the 5% off code.

If you need it faster, and have amazon prime, you can get them there too and it would be cheaper than rockauto.. BUT, only when you need it faster.

~Mark

 

[Watchman]

Thanks Nate and Mark - I want to get this explorer back to decent mechanical condition. And I want to buy the better quality product. I see that Rock Auto has a close out sale on 1st gen explorer parts that are probably not selling. Need to make sure to see if they have some good quality deals. Thanks again for your input. On the RA bushings, I'm still torn between grinding off the rivets or just use one of the recommendations to just lower the axle. I've also got to do something about the rocker panels - but that's another thread !

 

[arco777]

Stay away from the Mevotech ball joints, they don't fit right in the eccentrics.

I have read that most greasable joints do not actually last as long as sealed-for-life units. My experience seems to support that theory, both on U-joints and ball joints.

Moog Problem Solver units are good quality. As for radius arm bushings, I have tried everything from the cheapos to high end units and they all work fine. However very few are a snug fit in the brackets so I usually take up the extra space with some e-tape. Seems to help with NVH.

Changing radius arm bushings is a giant pain in the butt if you don't remove the brackets. Grind off the heads of the rivets with a cheapo angle grinder or whatever, knock out the rivets, and install the best bolts you can buy. Makes bushing replacement so much easier. Pulling the axle forward... ugh. Never again!

For the effort involved in replacing ball joints, don't cheap out. Same theory as with fuel pump replacement. Do your really want to save $30, but have to do the job 3 times in 3 years?