i am loooking to replace them and the ball joints... not necessary yet,but i figure do it before it breaks... anyway, on a scale of 1 to 10 how easy is this job?

what do i need to buy...

- 2 sets of Moog Ball joints
- 2 inner tie rod ends at like $40 a piece
- 2 outer tie rod ends at like $30 a piece

is that right??

 

if it aint broke dont fix it...

but for me.. balljoints and tie rods are easy since ive done them all the time when i worked at a lift shop...

tie rods just unscrew after you pop them out...(a paint pen will give ya a good reference mark to screw back to..)

just check the ball joints and see if there is any play in them.. if not... no point in fixing them

 

How many miles are on your truck?

Like the above poster said, don't fix it if it ain't broke. The ball joints and tie rod ends will give you warning before they break.

My truck has 90K miles on it and all of the original ball joints and tie rod ends, and I drive on some extremely rough roads. Everything is still in good shape.

 

to check the balljoints.. park on flat ground, get a metal bar(the bars used when putting tires on rims works well) put it under the edge of the tire, you will feel the free play if there is any.. i cant describe the feeling but you will know..
and then also try to twist the tire side to side... and you will feel it if they are getting worn down

 

I just replaced the upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, cv axles and shocks on my friends 95' nissan pathfinder. The only hard part was breaking through all the rust!

 

the lower ball joints are easy, just get a ball joint press from autozone (free to rent, you just have to put a deposit)