front end
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New User
Joined: Jun 2003
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front end
Hi all I have a 1993, shortie, with 127,000 on it. The vans front end appears very sloppy. When I go over rough road it clunks and feels lose up front, I have recently had all the shocks and tie rods replaced and and it contiunes to have this clunking noise. however at highway speed you can not notice anything, I quess I notice it the most between 1 and 30 miles per hour. Any ideas what it might be would be helpfull, please let me know. Thanks
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 93
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Maybe ball joints. Jack up the van so the tires are hanging free and check for side to side and up and down movement. I say maybe because whoever replaced your tie rod ends should have checked them. You would have to have an alignment after replacing tie rod ends, you can't do an alignment with bad ball joints.
John
John
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 467
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From: northwest
I'd say ball joints also. I had a bad one on my 91 shorty 2wd.
it was the upper ball joint. easy to replace, if you know what your doing!
the hardest part was getting the old rivets out, so we could put the new bolt-on replacement in. it would be nice if they made an upper ball-joint and upper arm combo kit, so you could just unbolt the old arm, and pop the new one on and be on your way.
getting the rivets out on mine required the use of a blow torch, not fun.
good luck!
it was the upper ball joint. easy to replace, if you know what your doing!
the hardest part was getting the old rivets out, so we could put the new bolt-on replacement in. it would be nice if they made an upper ball-joint and upper arm combo kit, so you could just unbolt the old arm, and pop the new one on and be on your way.
getting the rivets out on mine required the use of a blow torch, not fun.
good luck!
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 586
Likes: 0
From: Tottenham Ontario Canada
In order to properly check the ball joints, you need to jack up the van so that the spring load is taken off the ball joints. I find the best way to do this is to put the front end on jack stands and then jack under the spring pocket on the A-arm until the frame just starts to lift off the stand on the side you are working on.
The design of a ball-joint keeps it centered as long as the spring load is on it, so you won't see any play until the load is off.
While you're at it, check the condition of the various rubber bushings that mount the upper and lower A-arms to the frame, and also the sway bar bushings and end links. If any of the bushings are bad, they may cause a clunk.
The design of a ball-joint keeps it centered as long as the spring load is on it, so you won't see any play until the load is off.
While you're at it, check the condition of the various rubber bushings that mount the upper and lower A-arms to the frame, and also the sway bar bushings and end links. If any of the bushings are bad, they may cause a clunk.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 319
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From: Sacramento
Front end
You might be pleasantly surprised how much difference a new set of sway bar endlinks, with polyurethane bushings, makes. You can replace them in one half hour, no jacking required, just 2 wrenches, and they are cheap.
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
If you have a drill press, you can drill the rivets out. Then the heads of the rivets can be chiseled out very easily. I found out that the upper balljoints are far easier to replace than the lower ones. Without the drill press it could be very difficult though, since you can neither center the drill bit nor ensure it would go in straight and not ruin your control arm.
