How do you check ball joints?
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Junior User
Joined: May 2004
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How do you check ball joints?
I have a noise (clunking) when I hit small bumps in the road. Stuff like man hole covers, road repair work. I'm having a hard time chasing the noise down. Tommorow I'm going to be doing my front bearings. I don't think it is the problem, it's just time to do them. When I go over bigger bumps when the suspension actualy compresses and unloads there isn't the cunking sound.
So anyway, how do you check for ball joint wear?
Thanx, Tim
So anyway, how do you check for ball joint wear?
Thanx, Tim
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,959
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From: USA
To check ball joint wear, jack up the frontend and support the axle with tires off the ground. Grab the tire at the top and bottom and see if you can wiggle it at all. May want to also try it with someone else watching the ball joints for movement. There should be no looseness.
For the info below, I'm assuming you're talking about a '94 F150 or 250.
From your description, it doesn't sound so much like worn balljoints are the problem as maybe a bad shock, worn shock bushing, or worn swaybar bushing.
Does the truck drive straight down the road or does it wander? Wandering can be caused by bad ball joints, tie rod ends, axle pivot bushings, radius arm bushings, or loose steering box or lower steering column. Wandering, plus the noise you're talking about, points to bad radius arm bushings or axle pivot bushings if the shocks/bushings and sway bar bushings are good.
If your balljoints are worn badly, your tires will look like this / - \ (negative camber) when viewed from the front. Bad axle pivot bushings can also cause that.
For the info below, I'm assuming you're talking about a '94 F150 or 250.
From your description, it doesn't sound so much like worn balljoints are the problem as maybe a bad shock, worn shock bushing, or worn swaybar bushing.
Does the truck drive straight down the road or does it wander? Wandering can be caused by bad ball joints, tie rod ends, axle pivot bushings, radius arm bushings, or loose steering box or lower steering column. Wandering, plus the noise you're talking about, points to bad radius arm bushings or axle pivot bushings if the shocks/bushings and sway bar bushings are good.
If your balljoints are worn badly, your tires will look like this / - \ (negative camber) when viewed from the front. Bad axle pivot bushings can also cause that.
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Thanx desert rider. Well to make a long story short, my 2 hour bearing job turned into an all day, bearing, break and ball joint day.
Turned out I had a bad lower ball joint, not much left on my pads so I just went ahead and replaced them.
At least it is done.
Turned out I had a bad lower ball joint, not much left on my pads so I just went ahead and replaced them.
At least it is done.
