Heim Joints

[darealblaster]

Hey guys, for all you guys out there running heim joints, how do yall keep em from stiffening after they get wet on the trail and such. Seems like every time i go through a stream or something. It stiffens and the steering is affected a little. I lube em, but the water jsut runs it off.

 

[badams]

Don't have any experience with atv's using them. At a shop I used to work at we put little boots on a car running them on the 4 link bars. The company was Seals-it. Not sure if there is any other company that makes them. They were not that much either. Can't remember what forum, but I saw some on atv a arms about a week ago.

 

[doc_speeder]

Hey guys, for all you guys out there running heim joints, how do yall keep em from stiffening after they get wet on the trail and such. Seems like every time i go through a stream or something. It stiffens and the steering is affected a little. I lube em, but the water jsut runs it off.

I've come up with a partial solution. I use a white grease that sprays on as a thin liquid, then gets thicker as the carrier evaporates. It lasts the longest of all the things I've tried. Still have to do it every time I ride though. It's reason enough to use ball joints rather than heim joints. Next time...

 

[hotrodaj_2]

I'm noy sure about quads but on sprint cars the heim joints only tighten when you never lube them. If you lubed heims then a splash of water should'nt cause them to stiffen. The heims might be old a worn a bit. We used basic WD-40 or some other stuff like that and never had a problem. My guess is their worn more than anything.

 

[mystahagy]

+1 Heim joints are not a bad thing to have. Sounds like yours are worn/neglected.

 

[doc_speeder]

Doubt it. Mine did it from the first ride when they were brand new. Sounds like you guys don't really understand what this "mud" is we speak of.

 

[mystahagy]

Doubt it. Mine did it from the first ride when they were brand new. Sounds like you guys don't really understand what this "mud" is we speak of.

Seriously? We are very familiar with getting dirty.

My girl is a mud bug and rides the blaster 90% of the time. She gets that thing muddier than most of the sissy dudes on here. Keep your sh*t clean and hit it with a shot of light penetrating oil like dubdee and it should start moving freely over time.

 

[xjma]

I run heims on my jeep....don't feel them get tight but it's got hydraulic assist steering!!

Unless they're cheap-o heims, they should not need to be lubed. They are hardened steel and I think they have teflon or some other type of coating....shoudn't need lubing no matter how much mud gets in there.

 

[mystahagy]

I agree. A proper heim in good condition shouldn't need anything. I shoot all my stuff with oil to prevent corrosion, but for someone with a bad joint it may help in some way.

You may need to look at some other steering component. The steering stem lubrication is less than impressive, but it's easy to open up and get some grease in there.

 

[Blasterdude27]

You may need to look at some other steering component. The steering stem lubrication is less than impressive, but it's easy to open up and get some grease in there.

+1 Last time my stem was put back in it was very hard to fit and very very stiff to turn. There is a small grease zirt ( or whatever you call it ) and you can get some grease in there, however I found some wd-40 every other ride helps greatly to keep the steering smooth.

 

[mystahagy]

Well in addition to that, the upper mount on the stem isn't a bearing at all. Just two plastic clamps with seals on both ends. Opening this portion up, cleaning it, and regreasing it makes a pretty good difference.