IFS 1200 ball joints

[PandK]

I have a 2004 Rexair on a Spartin chassis. The rubber grease seals on all 4 ball joints are split in half and need to be replaced. Tried to get this done on warranty but no luck yet. Looks like the 4 ball joints cost about $1100 and have a labor estimate of $700. Do those numbers sound correct? Anybody have a good place to get a discount on the ball joints?
Safe to drive as is (per the shop that just aligned the front end) but I want to get the joints replaced so it stays that way.

[AC eagle]

The price sounds insane. Call Spartan parts for a price on the ball joints. If you are a Spartan club member they have a decent discount also. Look for a good truck service that will work on your MH. They can do it in several hours. NAPA also can provide the ball joints.
If only the rubber on the joints are split it only helps to hold the grease from drip out and water from getting. If they are still Tight, will not move when pressure is put on them, they are still in working order. Does the unit wander and are the tires wearing proper.
Get another look at it from an Honorable Service Center.
Good Luck

[Norm4015]

It takes a special tool to replace the ball joints on a Spartan IFS and the price is probably about right. A friend had has replaced in 2008 at the Spartan plant and he paid $1300 and change.

That is a known problem and a few years back the manufacturer of the ball joints were providing new parts and the owner paid for labor. Give Spartan a call and see if they are still doing that.

[PandK]

Good input. Does anybody know who makes the ball joints? Tuthill gave me the part numbers (K705383 and K705382) but would neither supply the joints at no cost nor sell them to me, had to use a distributor. Spartan has quoted me a discounted price but it is still high - to me anyway.

[skippers_1]

just had mine replaced at Spartan cost around $1400

[sucker]

I guess I am going to need them as well. the seals are broken up. I wonder if any make seal kit that can be installed over existing ball joints. They make that for joints using tie straps. Mine going down the road fine, but rattles a little when I drive slow over speed pumps.

[gesmone]

I had to have the right side replaced this year while at the Spartan. I am still under warranty but it was not covered. The cut in the boot was on the rear side and I could not see how it could have been caused by road debris. Replaceing it also required ride height and alignment. The cost was about 700.00. To say the least I was not a happy camper. Good luck.

[Don M.]

Just had mine replaced at Spartan on the 11th of October...Their were several coaches there for the same thing. It is a problem with these seals. Their was a 2001, 2002 (mine), 2003 and a 2004 all were there for ball joint replacement. All these in just 3 days how many more need to have this done. Their should be a recall on these something is just not right.

[Jobert]

We had ours done in August, my understanding (I heard Rumors) is that the boot is a known problem by Tuthill and they were extending some models to a 5 year 50k mile warranty on them, but those were in the 2001 to 2004 range I think so they are all expired. The boot on these new ones seems to be completely different, but only have a one year guarantee on them. Time will tell but if it goes, I will rig something up to replace the boot before paying that price so quickly again. They make replacement boots for CV joints on front drive axles that are held by compression bands, no disassembly required, so there has to be some ingenious solutions out there. Some on here have filed somplaints with the NTSB from the way they talked.

Hope this helps Happy trails Bert

[Roadking]

My boots are not split or cracked and I have no noticeable noises, however, my the outside edge of my new right tire is wearing extremely fast. Wondering if this is a simple Alignment issue or a bad ball joint??? Any suggestions on alignment services in bakersfield Ca or Las Vegas NV??

[GaryKD]

Hi Roadking,
My assumption is you have a Spartan chassis. If so, go to their web site or call them. Ask for the Spartan authorized service centers in the area you are in. When contacting the Authorized Service Center, make sure they align to Spartan specs. They should provide a print out when the alignment is completed. The alignment tech can tell you if your ball joints are okay or not. If the shop says they need to be replaced, have them demonstrate how they determined this.

[ricere]

Roadking,

My tires are wearing like you said yours are and I was concerned. I went to Spartan and had a 4 wheel alignment. I asked about the tire wear and Spartan said I shouldn't be concerned about it. It looks like the outer edge tire wear is not really a concern if the wheels are properly aligned. The edge rubber is pretty thick and you will probably not wear out the tires before the 7 year life is up.

As I understand it, the outer edge tire wear is normal on IFS chassis, and my coach drives great. Just make sure the alignment is good.