This is a 17-mile Moog dust boot

"MM54" (mm54mk2) 04/12/2018 at 20:37 • Filed to: FB RX7, MOOG CHASSIS PARTS

0

25

At the ripe old age of 17-miles (aka still brand new) the dust boot on the RX7's idler arm has split. It was barely hanging on when I noticed it after going for the first drive of the year (which was also the first on this boot).

Note how it has split completely down the right side

Warranty time. I’m not taking this arm off (and rendering the car inoperable) until I have the replacement, which I’m really not looking forward to changing out. Again.

HammerheadFistpunch > MM54 04/12/2018 at 20:44

0

This is why I have a hard time considering Moog parts as replacements on the GX

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > MM54 04/12/2018 at 20:52

1

Was the joint overfilled with grease? Or just a bad boot? I’ve had really good luck with moog parts, unless I overfilled the joint, then the boot blows out, though none as bad as yours.

MM54 > HammerheadFistpunch 04/12/2018 at 20:54

0

These parts aren’t even made by Moog, they’re re-branded 555s, but yeah. I don’t know who even makes good parts anymore.

MM54 > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 04/12/2018 at 20:55

3

Not over-greased, in fact now that it’s off, I see that it could have used another pump. The ‘bottom’ of the boot doesn’t even seal to the arm, so if you were to overfill this one it would just goop out.

HammerheadFistpunch > MM54 04/12/2018 at 20:57

1

I hear Moog is either 555 or other makes in a random mix but you won’t know what your getting ever. Sounds like you lost the lottery

Urambo Tauro > MM54 04/12/2018 at 20:57

1

Wait, doesn’t Moog have different grades of parts? A lot of parts manufacturers do, offering both “service grade” & “professional grade” stuff. And sometimes there are more than just two tiers...

That’s why I don’t harp on Fram as much as I used to. They’ve made some pretty crappy filters, but also some of the best.

Was this a “Problem Solver” part?

MM54 > Urambo Tauro 04/12/2018 at 21:07

0

Yes this is the ‘problem solver’ professional line part, actually made by another company. This particular part is one of the best upgrades for the steering of the first-gen RX7 since it’s a different and much stiffer design than factory.

MM54 > HammerheadFistpunch 04/12/2018 at 21:08

0

I hope the inner tie rods, outer tie rods, etc. hold up better than this.

Urambo Tauro > MM54 04/12/2018 at 21:45

0

Weird. I don’t have a *lot* of experience with Moog parts, but I feel like the Problem Solvers that I’ve encountered have the Moog logo on the boots.

MM54 > Urambo Tauro 04/12/2018 at 21:50

2

I’m hoping this is just a fluke and the boot had an imperfection in the rubber which led to it tearing when I turned and not a design issue where I’m going to be going through boots all the time.

Teh Penguin of Doom > MM54 04/13/2018 at 02:55

1

The thing about parts warranties is if you make a warranty claim, your reward is getting another of the same crappy part that failed the first time around. And in most cases labor is more expensive than the part.

For Moog, look at part numbers. Anything that starts with C or K is fine. Anything that starts with R is rebranded cheapo parts that don’t meet Moog standards.

http://www.suspension.com/blog/moog-control-arms-ck-k-or-rk/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/moog-part-numbers-fyi.931473/

Teh Penguin of Doom > MM54 04/13/2018 at 02:57

1

Also, obligatory Moog Cookbook:

Long-Voyager > MM54 04/13/2018 at 07:24

0

Welcome to replacement parts.

I can’t seem to find anything decent anymore. OEM, OEM replacement, “Professional” grade, etc all are lucky to make it 10k.

Really pisses a person off when you’re replacing original 225k mile parts and the replacement lasts less than 10k.

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > MM54 04/13/2018 at 07:57

1

This is a real problem with aftermarket parts these days. So many of the different brands, even the “quality” ones like Moog are using the same like 4 suppliers from their parts and it’s all crap. It’s often hard/impossible to find a genuinely decent quality part even if you are willing to pay a premium because they just don’t exist.

MM54 > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig 04/13/2018 at 18:19

0

It’s getting really bad. I have had more defective / failing parts recently than ever. I’m starting to think it all comes from the same place in china, regardless of the claimed country of origin.

MM54 > Long-Voyager 04/13/2018 at 18:20

1

I know all about it. At 170k miles I replaced the original TPS on the crown vic with another motorcraft one as a “while I’m in here” preventative maintenance. It failed 15k miles later, so I put the cheapest one from autozone on it (still can’t find the take-off, I know I didn’t throw it out). It’s been almost another 15k and it’s working fine. What a crap-shoot.

MM54 > Teh Penguin of Doom 04/13/2018 at 18:22

1

Yeah this is a K3969 - I avoid the R-line since like you said they’re the bottom of the bin. At least this was a boot failure and not the arm itself; I’m hoping it was just a bad boot and not a design problem where this is going to keep happening.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > MM54 04/13/2018 at 19:11

1

That’s a pretty bad deal then. I’m surprised the boot did that though.

MM54 > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 04/13/2018 at 19:34

1

It was a really lousy fit, I remember noticing when I put it on how much it squished down when the taper is seated; having come from rockauto there’s always a chance someone returned it with the wrong boot or something stupid. I’ve had worse happen.

Teh Penguin of Doom > MM54 04/14/2018 at 00:15

0

Are you making the warranty claim with Moog or rockauto? How is it turning out? I remember rockauto customer service being a huge hassle to deal with, which is why I usually prefer buying from amazon.

MM54 > Teh Penguin of Doom 04/14/2018 at 11:06

0

Through rockauto. We’ll see how it turns out; since I wasn’t going to take it off and send it back, then wait for them to receive it before sending out the replacement, they made me buy another one, which I’ll be reimbursed for when the bad one gets to them. I have not been very pleased with them lately so who knows how it’ll turn out.

Teh Penguin of Doom > MM54 04/14/2018 at 13:32

1

Have been in that situation with them. Getting refunded for the original part is a ton of hassle, and then they want to take all kinds of deductions from the refund, etc, etc. Those flashbacks usually send me to Amazon.

Only slightly related: I’ve also been very happy with service and returns at AutohausAZ, but sometimes (not always) their prices are significantly higher than RockAuto and Amazon. Importantly, they sell a lot of “dealer only” OEM parts that others don’t have.

Long-Voyager > MM54 04/16/2018 at 07:00

0

Right now it’s motor/trans mounts for me. I replaced the original mounts at 194k when I swapped drivetrains. Since then I’ve replaced the trans mount twice, the front mount 3 times, and judging by how it feels this weekend, they need to be done again.

Conspiracy to get older vehicles off the road if you ask me. * puts on tinfoil hat*

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > MM54 04/16/2018 at 07:58

1

That is absolutely the case. So many different “store brand” parts, even the “platinum” or higher grade parts all come from the same factories in China/Taiwan with the same crap metallurgy.

gettingoldercarguy > Long-Voyager 04/16/2018 at 23:10

1

With printing becoming more and more available and technical, there’ll be a point in time when you can buy the exact part you want at the grade you want.