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Ball joint question

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Old Oct 18, 2008 | 04:04 PM
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Question Ball joint question

I'm a know nothing. Recently bought an 01 Expy XLT 2WD with 61K. Previous owners were from the California central valley. I had it inspected and it needs ball joints. The front end appears to be slightly raised.

Two questions:

Could the raised front end impact the ball joints - if so, should I have it restored to normal?

Is replacing ball joints at 61K reasonable? If not, what driving behavior would prematurely wear them out?

Thanks.
 
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Old Oct 18, 2008 | 04:51 PM
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Is the front end raised or is the back end sagging?
Yes, ball joints can go bad at 61K or even earlier. Rough or uneven roads will wear them out faster. Also, if the alignment was out and not corrected, the added stress on the ball joints will wear them out faster.
 
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Old Oct 18, 2008 | 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by alloro
Is the front end raised or is the back end sagging?
Yes, ball joints can go bad at 61K or even earlier. Rough or uneven roads will wear them out faster. Also, if the alignment was out and not corrected, the added stress on the ball joints will wear them out faster.
Here are a couple of photos. Looks to me the front is raised.


 
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Old Oct 18, 2008 | 07:46 PM
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From that picture, it doesn't look like the front is raised, it looks like there's a smaller tire on the front. Is there? The vehicle itself looks level.
 
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Old Oct 19, 2008 | 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by alloro
From that picture, it doesn't look like the front is raised, it looks like there's a smaller tire on the front. Is there? The vehicle itself looks level.
I agree it looks that way, but they're alll 255/70/R16!
 
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Old Oct 19, 2008 | 04:08 PM
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For a 2WD, to me the front end looks like it is is raised somehow. It is hard to tell though as it also looks like your tire is turned towards the curb a bit...
 
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