[rsmwrangler]

If you can adjust them without removing the set screws completely I would do that. Between my Teraflex ball joints and TF adjustable steering rod ends I have had a few set screws messed up after completely removing them. The space and angle can be difficult to get the set screws rethreaded; the material of the joints seems to be soft and easy to cross-thread if you aren't careful. I believe all the Teraflex set screws for both joints uses a 2.5mm hex key. Make sure you have a good quality hex tool. I would look for one without the rounded/angled hex head for best grip and control of the set screws. You may want to bench test the ball joint to verify that you can just loosen the set screw enough without removing it. I would mark your balljoint with a paint pen or scribe and try to loosen it and retighten it to get a feel for the required preload torque since the wrench won't let you check for torque.

ah very good so i should be able to loosen the adjuster and retorque to 70 in/lbs without having the BJ's installed yet correct ? I'm actually taking the Jeep off today to the dude that will weld my C-gussets so he's doing the BJ's and replacing the axel seals for me since the axelshafts have to come off.

 

[Rob50lx]

I adjusted mine when I had the final hidden 3rd set screw removed. That could only be done with the knuckle removed because the 3rd set screw pointed outward and was blocked by the knuckle. The blocked set screw was because I had to orient the grease fittings for the RCV shafts. I was able to set the preload to 70 in/lbs without any weight on the ball joint. I played with the adjustment with the weight on the vehicle and I couldn't get enough grip with the TF tool or the skinny Park bike tool. Although the ball joints seem good so far; I only need them to last until I hopefully get my final rebuildable joints that won't require any more pressing.

 

[CVJeepDude]

I just loosened the set screws. When I was adjusting the second ball joint, I told myself I should have marked them to see how much it turned. Hopefully I remember the next time around. I bought a 32mm crowfoot as well. It's way thicker than the wrench from amazon, but when I have some free time I am going to grind it down to fit and will double check the torque then. The wrench provided by Teraflex does not need to be as thin and soft as it is. Maybe I expected too much, but they can definitely do better.

 

[rsmwrangler]

I tested the brand new wrench and it fitted perfectly on my passenger side but not the driver so i i shaved some of the material until it fitted. Will see how easy/complicated it's is to adjust them when the time comes , 70 in/lbs is nothing, about 8 n/m and i adjust a lot of stuff in my MTB's to that torque specs with a wrench so if i have to guess snug them up and add a tiny little ummh more Imagine 70 in/lbs is about 5.8 ft/lbs.

 

[CVJeepDude]

I tested the brand new wrench and it fitted perfectly on my passenger side but not the driver so i i shaved some of the material until it fitted. Will see how easy/complicated it's is to adjust them when the time comes , 70 in/lbs is nothing, about 8 n/m and i adjust a lot of stuff in my MTB's to that torque specs with a wrench so if i have to guess snug them up and add a tiny little ummh more Imagine 70 in/lbs is about 5.8 ft/lbs.

What bike are you riding? I picked up a Vitus Mystique 3 years ago and it has served me well. Like all my other activities, life has gotten in the way the past couple years, so haven't riden it nearly as much as I would like.

 

[rsmwrangler]

What bike are you riding? I picked up a Vitus Mystique 3 years ago and it has served me well. Like all my other activities, life has gotten in the way the past couple years, so haven't riden it nearly as much as I would like.

I started out a couple of years ago with a Giant Trance X but my 14 yo son stole it from me so i bought a Polygon Siskiu T7. He is now jumping a lot higher than me so i've added some nice goodies to both but more into his bike. We go out every weekend with friends and what not. I'm doing more MTB now days since our Jeep offroad mountain trails are closed until June and hopefully they'll reopen soon.

2023-04-09_02-41-20 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

2023-04-09_02-32-30 by RAM RSM, on Flickr

 

[CVJeepDude]

Very cool you have your son is involved with the biking. Our son is 15, but he keeps himself busy with Track and Cross Country. We got my wife a D5 Siskiu a couple years ago. She doesn't do any of the technical stuff, so it's perfect for her needs.

 

[Wolfslash16]

I was disappointed with the TF HD adjustable ball joints, as well as the customer service. They asked me to send them a video, I sent them two, and they wanted more. I felt like the videos clearly showed an issue. 🤷🏼‍♂️ several mm. of movement, clearly visible in video which won’t load to this post.
Ended up tossing them and ordering some RC ball joints which have been great and haven’t been an issue.
Yes, the TF ball joints were installed correctly. Made sure I read the included instructions before install.

The warranty on the Teraflex ball joints is different than normal, for the TF joints having play do not immediately mean they are bad or faulty since the pre load can be tightened and loosened. TF asks for proof that they either A, have been adjusted to the max of their adjustment range (hint pre load collar amount showing/sunken into the housing) or "side to side movement", which can not be adjusted out. Showing them "in and out/up and down" style movement does not directly mean they're bad.

 

[rsmwrangler]

Wanted to update the thread as the Amazon tool came in handy. Worked like a charm on both sides no issues with the lower BJ adjusters. I didn't put too much torque just snug and little more ummp thinking you're only supposed to put 6 ft/lbs in them, again 70 in/lbs is literally 6ft/lbs so that's nothing. i'm used to little torque like that because of my MTB's. Did the adjustment because i did a very rocky trail a couple of weeks ago and after that, the steering felt a bit sloppy/wandering driving on the street more apparent after i removed my Rubi swybar and went back to my front Antirock setup. Tigthtening down the adjusters fixed that. Scary as i only have 1000 miles in those TF BJ's. At least i know how it feels when the adjusters need to be messed up with

 

[Trees]

Well, I wish I had actually seen this to know to buy a different 32mm wrench, but I do have a solution for the RCV guys who can't access that last set screw.

DIY a ball head to be a stubby. I did this with just a hand torch and a hammer with the tip clamped in the vise.

My set screws were still freely moving, I would advise anyone with these in a corrosive environment to just cover this area with grease. Use a brush. Get it in there.

 

[luke26smith]

Has anyone else had a problem with the provided adjustment wrench not fitting the adjustment nut on the lower ball joint? Trying to adjust mine for the first time and sure seems like it should be a simple task, but on mine the wrench keeps sliding off. I've got the set screws loose and Jeep is sitting on it own weight, as the instructions state. Wondering if the wrench I have is just from a bad batch, as it's a sloppy fit.

I took two of the wrenches an used a bench vice to slowly push to open end back to where they fit snug. It was a lot of adjust just a little and test fit. Then welded the two together around the outside edges. Works great.

 

[Got it at last]

I took two of the wrenches an used a bench vice to slowly push to open end back to where they fit snug. It was a lot of adjust just a little and test fit. Then welded the two together around the outside edges. Works great.

Welcome to the forum @luke26smith

 

[dmulk]

Just curious.... Can these be rebuilt while pressed in the axle? (Assuming the set screws and the 32mm wrench can back the adjustment all the way out? Thanks!

 

[Rob50lx]

Just curious.... Can these be rebuilt while pressed in the axle? (Assuming the set screws and the 32mm wrench can back the adjustment all the way out? Thanks!

They are easy to disassemble with the BJ body remaining in the axle "C" once the knuckle is removed. With the knuckle removed the set-screws are easy to get to and it is easy to unscrew the cap. I'm not sure if they are actually rebuildable and may only be serviceable/adjustable. I have not heard of anyone getting replacement parts nor have a seen a parts kit. I would guess that you could easily buy a 2nd pair of new TF BJs and use the internal parts as long as the pressed-in body doesn't get damaged.

 

[dmulk]

They are easy to disassemble with the BJ body remaining in the axle "C" once the knuckle is removed. With the knuckle removed the set-screws are easy to get to and it is easy to unscrew the cap. I'm not sure if they are actually rebuildable and may only be serviceable/adjustable. I have not heard of anyone getting replacement parts nor have a seen a parts kit. I would guess that you could easily buy a 2nd pair of new TF BJs and use the internal parts as long as the pressed-in body doesn't get damaged.

I recently had one of mine seize up. I had warranty left and the shop just pressed a new one in....however....we know we have a limited amount of times we can do this until we get to the point we need knurled. I'd like to avoid that. I'm also considering moving to the Metalcloak joints in the future if this happens again because I hear they are fairly easily rebuildable while pressed in the C.

<D>

 

[rsmwrangler]

Wanted to update the tread because i did the first official adjustment today. It was super easy with zero zero effort. Loosen the 3 little screws on each side, turning the wheel left to reach the front and rear screw on each side, then repeat turning all the way to the right , i did loosen all 6 of them 1.5 full turns. Then grabbed my custom wrench and tightened the adjusters down. Passenger side move very little, driver side needed more. No idea how long we're supposed to go before we need to adjust them but i checked i got these installed back in 2023 when the Jeep had 43k miles, and today my Jeep has literally 74k miles so it's been 31k miles and couple of years since i haven't touched the BJ's.

Decided to check for BJ play for the sake of it given the number of miles and age Had very very little play on the passenger side, and a little more on the driver side so i decided to adjust them. Checked for play again and now there is none. Maybe i'll check them for play every 15-20k miles or so since TF doesn't really say when to adjust them, they only mention grease them at every oil change so i guess check them and adjust them if you see a little play in them like i did ? or just snug them up every 15k-20k miles regardless ?

 

[Trees]

I snug them roughly every oil change.