Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

While tackling my hub bearings today, I noticed that it seems my upper ball joints were 'leaking' grease. It just looks like they have a short rubber boot on them that doesn't go all the way down to the steering knuckle. When I poked at it I could feel the stud. Shouldn't the boot cover the stud all the way down?

Also, does it seem like it's at an extreme angle? Just seems awkward that the UCA is on one plane, and the ball joint is on a completely different plane.

Reference pictures are below, sorry for the crappy quality, didn't want to get the new camera dirty so I used the ol' EasyShare.

The reason I'm asking is because I don't want dirt and grime to get up in the boot and prematurely wear the ball joint. If this is an installation issue, I want to make sure it is rectified before any damage is done.

[IMG]local://upfiles/5485/D58FCF315FD34215B472D172416EF973.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/357ACC4F6481415897A34674A477066C.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/B8674C0729A94085B84DA9C0A7FCC3D3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/130718B10FA84FEFBCAC22EC88DCA7F7.jpg[/IMG]

EDIT: Forgot to add that these are Moogs, replaced on 10/26/07.

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

What do they look like with all of that grease wiped away? From the looks of them, they just look over greased... Which really can't happen with ball joints, but you should wipe excess grease up! LOL

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

Wiped away the grease and these are the best shots I can get at night. What about the angle? I recently posted that I cranked my torsion bars opposite directions but have since returned them to where they were. Does the angle that the stud comes through the UCA seem steep?

[IMG]local://upfiles/5485/FEE7B3E2F5DA4757B7321EF41D537628.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/063B457E577C4507A5B1C3991BB99131.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/C2938092A5684CC1BAE1A8880C22866B.jpg[/IMG][IMG]local://upfiles/5485/68A341B59F3549F1B0E02EF1DA1C142F.jpg[/IMG]

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

Doesn't seem to bad... They look about normal.

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

Ok, just cautious because I can feel the stud if I stick my finger under the boot. Thought they were supposed to be encapsulated so no grime got in there. Or do I have to worry more about the actual boot having a tear and leaking grease?

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

The boot should just seat nicely on the steering knuckle so that stuff doesn't get in there during normal use, if you are lifting the boot up to feel the stud then that is normal. Also I think between the lift and having the vehicle jacked up it make the angle seem worse than it is. Is seem to be pretty normal to me, I just replaced mine this fall. Just make sure that none of your boots are torn and wipe up excess grease like that.

RE: Should my upper ball joints look like this?
 

Yup when you have the vehicle weight on there it shouldn't be too bad.