Need replacement for Moog upper ball joint boots

[koda2000]

I installed Moog Problem Solver upper control arms and lower ball joints on my 2001 5.0L Explorer about 13,000 miles ago. I was maintaining my truck today and went to grease my ball joints to find that the dust boots on both upper bj's were torn. Apparently Moog does not sell replacement dust boots. I see many aftermarket dust boot options on eBay, but I have no idea what size I need (small hole, large hole, boot height). Anyone know what dimensions needed?

 

[masospaghetti]

If you figure a source of boots, this would be a huge help for everyone. In my experience, the joints only fail because the boots rip -- if you can catch it early, just the boot needs to be replaced. Boot replacement is much easier than replacing the whole arm or component, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

I was able to get boots from the dealership for my Honda but it doesn't look like Ford provides this service.

 

[CDW6212R]

I too hunted for replacements for Moog upper BJ boots a while back. I found about three sizes of urethane boots, and the similar in rubber choices. I bought three boxes that seemed close in size, but I didn't have a control arm handy to test any of them. I haven't gotten to my Mercury yet that has the boots which are toast(and about four years old). I bought new CA's last Winter to do my 99 which has never been done. I hope to test the aftermarket boots on those old CA's, which are stock.

Long story ... I'm doubtful the urethane type will fit well and hold grease. I suggest trying some version in rubber, and the size looks to be about 1.5" by memory. The aftermarket choices were aimed at TRE's also, so some are very small.

 

[koda2000]

If you figure a source of boots, this would be a huge help for everyone. In my experience, the joints only fail because the boots rip -- if you can catch it early, just the boot needs to be replaced. Boot replacement is much easier than replacing the whole arm or component, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

I was able to get boots from the dealership for my Honda but it doesn't look like Ford provides this service.

I only see one measurement listed by Moog. I'm going to try calling their customer support tomorrow. I did see one set of aftermarket dust boots that listed quite a few different manufactures. The boots are pretty cheap (around $7 for 2 silicon, $5 for rubber) so I may just take a chance and order a pair. To bad such good ball joints come with crappy boots. Ford boots don't hold up either.

As I have the Moog upper control arms I should be able to just replace the upper ball joint when the time comes. That's s/b pretty easy, rather than having to mess with the control arm bolts and the alignment.

 

[floridacatfan]

I called moon and spoke with customer service and the sent me replacement boots that I’ve not put on yet - I thought it was just something I was doing stupid - I may measure the boots before I put them on - it wasn’t easy getting the boots. I’m not sure about the boot durability.

 

[koda2000]

I called moon and spoke with customer service and the sent me replacement boots that I’ve not put on yet - I thought it was just something I was doing stupid - I may measure the boots before I put them on - it wasn’t easy getting the boots. I’m not sure about the boot durability.

I tried to chat with Moog customer service on-line and also tried sending them an email (Federal Mogul Customer Service). The email could not be delivered and in the chat I was told that they did not sell the boots separately... IDK. I'm thinking their dust boots probably wont hold up any better than my original boots, but if you could measure the boots you received it would be a big help to us.

Here's a link to what I saw on eBay. There's a chart showing some various size boots on the bottom:
2 X HQSilicone 18 40 28 Ball Joint Dust Cover Suspension Replacement Rubber Boot | eBay

 

[floridacatfan]

Moog upper replacement boots

There is no pn on the box they sent me. There is a number on the boot that’s is 8975L

I’ve already tried to search it but if you find a reference or cross reference please post. I don’t have a lot of confidence when I get the new ones back on they will last - they certainly don’t last the way they are supposed to burp out grease when filling.

Bc the things are so hard to get on I have been taking an approach to these more frequently

Measurements
I used crappy calipers - usually I have inspectors to this

I’ll call the standing free height - like a spring at 39 mm
The smaller of is 20 mm
There is a angled step on the bigger end the smaller I’d is 47.4 mm that angles out to a 58 mm diameter.

I’ve ripped these in any number of ways by I always find the when filling. There just not very robust

Hope this helps

 

[floridacatfan]

Thinking about it don’t think you need exact fit - the 47.4 would be the most critical to make sure it stays on the base - btw - moog said they rarely get any returns back on the boots - probably bc people just replace the entire part

 

[floridacatfan]

Keep in mind the dimension I measure on the is of the bigger end get “pressed” on to the moog boss - I see your choices - maybe the thickness at the large end could help ?

 

[koda2000]

Thinking about it don’t think you need exact fit - the 47.4 would be the most critical to make sure it stays on the base - btw - moog said they rarely get any returns back on the boots - probably bc people just replace the entire part

According to the size chart these boots look to be the closest to the measurements you've provided and they're not that close (nothing near 47.4 mm). I suppose for $7.10 they might be worth a try. Even if they're not a perfect fit they'd probably offer more protection than a boot that's torn wide open.

2 X UNIVERSAL Dust Boot Silicone 20 45 30 Track Rod End and Ball Joint Boots | eBay

 

[floridacatfan]

I see the one I would pick - omg - we gotta get a European fabricator - I really think moog should make the boot avaliable

 

[koda2000]

I see the one I would pick - omg - we gotta get a European fabricator - I really think moog should make the boot avaliable

Which one would you pick?

 

[floridacatfan]

The o e you said or the 18/47/30 - what I would try to match first is the 47.5 - I went back and measured again to b sure - the 47.5 is what will keep it on the bj - maybe the 18 will stretch to 20

Let me know which one you choose and how it works

 

[floridacatfan]

I’ve searched this a lot and came up frustrated - we should wrap them in by cycle inner tube and duct tape and send moog a pic

 

[floridacatfan]

You might look at energy suspension - I can’t remember if I specifically looked at their options or no - I think the have quiete a few options - I just didn’t have the ball joint in hand

 

[koda2000]

The ES boots I saw on line didn't show the actual dimensions. Maybe if I contact their customer service they can help. I see the ones you liked 18x47x30. That might work better than the 20x45x30 I was considering.

I just looked at ES's on-line catalog and I don't see anything for ball joints (though they have a category for "Tie Rod and Ball Joint boots".

 

[CDW6212R]

Two of the boxes I got were ES boots, one I was planning to try on TRE's, they are small. The urethane boots are stiffer obviously, so they would have to be a near perfect fit to work well.

 

[ibstang]

Casual observation...It's rare to find a group so dedicated to the maintenance of their greasy bits. At least for my generation, we just took it for granted (okay, foolishly) that we could expect 100K+ miles without a need to crawl under the front bumper. We'd motor blissfully along until something started to squawk/squeal/clunk, or speeds past 40-45 would induce an alarming "Funky Chicken" scenario. That was then...

This is now...I just have to wonder if this age of enlightenment has led us to "over-awareness", where we've become so maintenance aggressive that we disturb things best left alone. For 60-70s era vehicles, an occasional squeeze on the grease-gun zerks was worthwhile, but many thought you should keep pumping 'til you had a rag full of clean grease. I was taught to take a gentle pinch on the boot, and back off when you felt it swell a bit. The only part that counts is the new grease where things rub together. The comments re failed boots makes me wonder if we aren't killing 'em with kindness .. ..

 

[floridacatfan]

Good casual observation - I think it's trying to follow directions to closely - lol - maybe it's the cost of the equivalent transportation vs the obsessiveness

Maybe my refusal to try synthetic or brand name motor oils offsets my over-awareness. At least joints in the 70s came from the factory with grease fittings )))))))). I think I am fighting a throw away society. .

 

[koda2000]

I don't believe I "over-maintain" my vehicles. IIRC these Moog upper BJ boots have a grease pressure-release nipple on them, so if I had pumped too much grease into them (which I don't think I did) the excess should have come out the nipple. I also believe that this was my second time greasing these ball joints in 13,000-14,000 miles and I typically only give the grease gun a couple of pumps. That doesn't seem obsessive or excessive to me.

When I was buying brand new vehicles every 3-4 years I didn't worry about maintenance that much, other than regular oil changes/filters and I never replaced any suspension parts during my 40k-50k miles of ownership. I'm retired now, don't drive very much and the 3 vehicles in our household are all about 20 years old with 200k+ on them. I live on a fixed income and can no longer afford to buy new vehicles, as such I do my best to stay on top of maintenance and repairs so that we can get the most out of our vehicles.

In my experience, if you wait until your tires start wearing funny and/or your ball joints start thumping and squeaking it's only going to cost you more money to make repairs, effect your vehicles safety and reliability and will likely have you working on your vehicle in less than ideal conditions when you don't have the time to spend on them.

When I replace parts I always try to make sure that the part I'm replacing is the issue and never just throw money at a problem. For example. my '01 EB 5.0L has recently started howling/humming at idle. I removed and cleaned the IAC valve, but it didn't help so I'm fairly confident that I need to replace the IAC valve soon. If I want to be 100% sure the valve needs to be replaced I'd try swapping it with one of my other vehicles, but I don't think that's necessary. This isn't the first IAC valve I'm had go bad.