Greased zirk fittings - ball joint sprung a leak!

[RedrumRH]

I used the Red N Tacky grease, thank you forum for the recommendation. A few of the fittings, around the rubber seals leak grease. I made sure not to overfill. SO I am going to replace tie rods, ball joints and corresponding parts.

Does this kit look good, comprehensive and decent quality? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYK8G1L/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Looks decent for $149 but I am willing to spend more for a quality kit if anyone can recommend.

No lift, all factory stock, 31' tires, and steering stops, 2 washers. That the extent of mods to height, the 31's. So I assume any good quality factory type OEM set will work. Thank you in advance for the tips on what brand to get.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Grease leaking out of a joint while greasing it doesn't indicate a problem, that is normal. In fact it's flushing the old dirty contaminated grease out. Wipe it off with a rag and consider the job done.

 

[RedrumRH]

Thank you for the feedback Jerry. One ball joint boot clearly has a very small 1/8 inch puncture in the side of the oval boot. So I assume that is a bad boot. So it holds much less grease because it oozed out. The tie rods lust had some come out between the boot and the metal area. That one ball joint might wear a little quicker, but if i can keep it working correctly as is that works for me!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Holes or splits in the boots are common, they seldom stay intact for more than a few greasing sessions. Things are not delicate under the boots, just grease all 7 zerks a couple times a year and you'll be fine. You can cause problems by undergreasing the joints behind the zerk fittings but you can't cause any problems by overgreasing them.

 

[RedrumRH]

Holes or splits in the boots are common, they seldom stay intact for more than a few greasing sessions. Things are not delicate under the boots, just grease all 7 zerks a couple times a year and you'll be fine. You can cause problems by undergreasing the joints behind the zerk fittings but you can't cause any problems by overgreasing them.

Jerry,

Many thanks for your generous efforts to educate me, so this TJ experience is more fun! I have never considered myself a mechanic, and now I find myself doing shocks and other stuff with your tips and others suggestions. THis is such a welcoming and giving forum.

Bobby

 

[tworley]

Second Jerry's statement. Just keep them greased more often than not. I completely lost the boot from the drag link to the pitman arm, I just slathered grease on it every other month (I dont recommend) until I swapped the whole assembly out.

 

[rouxbicon]

Second Jerry's statement. Just keep them greased more often than not. I completely lost the boot from the drag link to the pitman arm, I just slathered grease on it every other month (I dont recommend) until I swapped the whole assembly out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the quantity of grease in the boot is not too important. The grease in the boot is old grease that has already done it's job inside the joint itself, and subsequently been pushed through and out of the joint by fresh grease. Typically if the boot is in good shape, there's no need to pump grease in until it comes out from under or around the boot. Just enough until you see the boot start to swell a little is plenty. In the case of boots with splits or cracks (been there, done that), pump enough that you're sure you've displaced the old grease in the joint itself, and then wipe up the mess. Replace boot or entire joint when convenient.