MOOG balljoints beware
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: Cincinnati, OH
MOOG balljoints beware
Just an FYI, for upper balljoints the "problem solver" gold body with a zerk fitting advertised on MOOG website is not accurate. I call MOOG and they confirmed they now outsource and simply buy the balljoints which are now silver body and non-greasable. Unless you find some "old stock" before this change sitting on a store shelf then you get lucky.
PN K500134 for uppers arrived from Amazon yesterday and all are silver/non-greaseable
I'm waiting for MOOG K6537 lowers to arrive today which are again advertised as greaseable. We will see what shows up.
A new alternative would be Proforged brand units which have been suggested and are greaseable.
Just thought I'd share what to expect.
PN K500134 for uppers arrived from Amazon yesterday and all are silver/non-greaseable
I'm waiting for MOOG K6537 lowers to arrive today which are again advertised as greaseable. We will see what shows up.
A new alternative would be Proforged brand units which have been suggested and are greaseable.
Just thought I'd share what to expect.
No Hostility Be Happy
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From: South Hill Wa
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Unfortunately Smitty I'm pretty sure you are not the first one to have run into this.
Hopefully there will be even more alternatives in the future.
My solution was to buy a car with only 26k miles on it haha.
Hopefully there will be even more alternatives in the future.
My solution was to buy a car with only 26k miles on it haha.
Le Mans Master
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Yeah, I've seen this a few times over the last few months. The gold ball joints are a thing of the past. Thanks for the heads up though. I know there had been some discussion about counterfeit parts and the like. However, since you talked to Moog, it sounds like there's another good product that has gone to ****.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Yep, I know I'm not the only one that saw this. I heard rumors but never found a definitive answer or forgot to look for the conclusion. A similarly priced option right now are the Proforged brand (division of Holley apparently...what isn't these days??). Within a couple bucks of MOOG and DO have zerk fittings LOL.
Or you can be savvy and just drill/tap for a zerk fitting. Not rocket science as long as you can keep shavings out of the inside.
The MOOG tech support said "ahh yes there was a revision and also due to the 'low volume' demand they switched to outsourcing and buying them instead of making them."
Which I promptly replied "well marketing needs to get on top of their stuff because all the info online is confusing/contradicting itself"....he didn't care.
I have no idea if I even NEED balljoints. I'm doing a bushing install and figured I'd have parts on hand in case I needed them assuming 70K mi on originals and the fact I autocross the car it would be a good idea. If my originals are fine I'll send them back and get $400 back in my pocket which will buy a helmet I need for next season.
Or you can be savvy and just drill/tap for a zerk fitting. Not rocket science as long as you can keep shavings out of the inside.
The MOOG tech support said "ahh yes there was a revision and also due to the 'low volume' demand they switched to outsourcing and buying them instead of making them."
Which I promptly replied "well marketing needs to get on top of their stuff because all the info online is confusing/contradicting itself"....he didn't care.I have no idea if I even NEED balljoints. I'm doing a bushing install and figured I'd have parts on hand in case I needed them assuming 70K mi on originals and the fact I autocross the car it would be a good idea. If my originals are fine I'll send them back and get $400 back in my pocket which will buy a helmet I need for next season.
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Seems like many things are changing and going to parts that do not offer the same level of quality as before. Hopefully the lower ball joints will be as advertised.
Safety Car
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Someone on one of the facebook groups ran into this problem early 2021 or late last year. Definitely a silly design change, but that explanation makes sense (however poor it may be).
Team Owner
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Sadly, I agree, and for limited production cars like Corvettes, especially older ones, the situation will likely get worse.
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Race Director
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Bad news, Moog was my go to for quality, now their stuff is in question also. Mostly when I hear the word “outsourced” it’s a euphemism for poor quality offshore stuff. Now sometimes that’s ok, but not parts I stake my life on.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Well the lowers showed up last night and are in fact gold body with zerk fittings...AKA original/correct versions.
So I either lucked out getting the correct lowers or MOOG never made a change to outsource the lowers or both.
So I either lucked out getting the correct lowers or MOOG never made a change to outsource the lowers or both.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Merritt Island, FL
The lowers fit a wider range of years and vehicles than the uppers. So there's probably enough units of the lowers sold to meet Moog's goals. The uppers are C5, C6, and XLR only. Easier to buy a few hundred from someone else and slip em into yellow boxes. Also interesting is that Rockauto doesn't even show any applications for the Moog K500134
Last edited by VetteMed; Nov 30, 2021 at 04:27 PM.
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While I, in no way, shape, or form, condone the abandonment of US factories, and sending the work to China, let me say this....these days, most manufacturing processes are handled on automated machines, controlled by computers. Therefore, the parts that are made by these machines are only as good (or bad) as the program that's written and then fed into the machine. Feed "top notch" parameters into the machine, and it will produce good parts. Feed loose tolerance parameters into the machine, and you get sub-par parts from it.
The real difference is that the Chinese worker gets paid $4-5/hr. to operate the machine, whereas in America, the worker wants $25/hr to do the same job. Also, in China, if the machine blows off a hydraulic hose, and spills a gallon of hydraulic fluid, before they can hit the "off button", they simply mop it up, spread some acetone around, and mop that up, too, while the hose is replaced. In America, the same situation occurs, and it's a "Federal case", with all sorts of "hazmat driven" procedures, and the machine is shut down for a week, while the "root cause" of the failure is investigated.
The real difference is that the Chinese worker gets paid $4-5/hr. to operate the machine, whereas in America, the worker wants $25/hr to do the same job. Also, in China, if the machine blows off a hydraulic hose, and spills a gallon of hydraulic fluid, before they can hit the "off button", they simply mop it up, spread some acetone around, and mop that up, too, while the hose is replaced. In America, the same situation occurs, and it's a "Federal case", with all sorts of "hazmat driven" procedures, and the machine is shut down for a week, while the "root cause" of the failure is investigated.
Drifting
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From: CSRA, SC
While I, in no way, shape, or form, condone the abandonment of US factories, and sending the work to China, let me say this....these days, most manufacturing processes are handled on automated machines, controlled by computers. Therefore, the parts that are made by these machines are only as good (or bad) as the program that's written and then fed into the machine, the quality and maintenance schedule of the tooling, fixturing, quality process and inspectors, etc. etc.. Feed "top notch" parameters into the machine, use quality tools and replace them on schedule, use durable and rigid fixtures, have an effective quality process and it will produce good parts. Feed loose tolerance parameters into the machine, and you get sub-par parts from it.
