Abstract: The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore that extends from a wall at a closed end to an open end. A ball stud is received in the inner bore, and a shank portion of the ball stud projects out through the open end. A backing bearing is movably disposed in the inner bore. The backing bearing presents a bearing surface which is in sliding contact with a ball portion of the ball stud. An exit bearing is locked into a fixed position within the inner bore and has another bearing surface which is in sliding contact with the ball portion. A spring is positioned between the wall and the backing bearing and imparts a preload force against the backing bearing. The wall is deformed to preload the spring against the backing bearing and reduce clearances between components in the socket assembly.

Abstract: The socket assembly has a housing with an inner bore which extends from a first end to a second end. A ball portion of a ball stud is received in the inner bore. A backing bearing is disposed in the inner bore and presents a curved bearing surface in surface-to-surface contact with the ball portion. A first spring biases the backing bearing against the ball portion. The socket assembly also includes an exit bearing with a cylindrical portion that is in contact with an equator of the ball portion and a semi-spherical portion that is in surface-to-surface contact with an opposite hemisphere from the first bearing surface. A second spring biases the exit bearing into a predetermined location established by the housing. The exit bearing is movable from the predetermined location in a direction towards the second end of the housing against a biasing force of the second spring.

Abstract: The improved dust boot includes a dust boot body which is made as one integral piece of an elastomeric material and extends from a first end portion to a second end portion. The second end portion of the dust boot body includes a first sealing portion and a second sealing portion which is spaced from the first sealing portion. The first sealing portion includes a plurality of ribs that are spaced circumferentially from one another by a plurality of grooves and includes a plurality of relief valves that are located in the grooves and extend away from the first end portion for allowing a lubricant to pass the first sealing portion in one direction and for restricting the passage of contaminants past the sealing portion in an opposite direction.

Abstract: The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore which extends along an axis from a first end to an second end. A ball portion of a ball stud is received in the inner bore, and with a shank portion of the ball stud projects through the second end. A backing bearing is disposed in the inner bore and has a bearing surface which is in surface-to-surface contact with an outer surface of the ball portion for enabling relative rotation between the housing and the ball stud. The backing bearing also has a lubricant opening which extends therethrough and a plurality of lubricant wells which are spaced around the bearing surface from one another for holding a lubricant. The backing bearing lubricant grooves which are formed into the bearing surface and extend from the lubricant opening to the lubricant wells for filling the lubricant wells with lubricant.