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  • Ball Joints

    Ok after doing some research I have come to the conclusion that my lower ball joints are bad. How long can you drive on bad ball joints and what will happen if I keep driving with them being bad? The reason I ask is that I go to school over an hour away from where I live and was wondering if I could make it back to my house so I can replace them my self Also how hard is it?
    Thanks

  • #2
    Re: Ball Joints

    hard to say how long you can drive on them, sometimes they will hold together for a while and other times they wont. You dont want to be in the car when they let go, it can be very dangerous if you are on the highway (accually any road) if one was to break your front wheel would kick out and be pushed into your inner fender, bending and breaking alot of stuff on its way, it would probably spin your car out of control too, and theres not much you can do about it but hang on and how for the best, because you wont have steering anymore to correct it. As for replacing them its not too bad, you'll need some special tools, and a decent amount of time, but its do-able for a person who is some what mechanically inclined. if they are not really sloppy you should be able to drive it home, id reccomend you replace alot of stuff while your in there so you dont have to tear it down again later, id replace upper and lower BJs, and might as well do the tie-rod ends while your at it.

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    • #3
      Re: Ball Joints

      david, just take it to a mechanic.

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      • #4
        Re: Ball Joints

        That would be to easy. Besides I have done the springs and shocks my self why not my ball joints.

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        • #5
          Re: Ball Joints

          how do you know if your ball joints are bad?

          Abbott long tubes,homemade true duals,slp ram air,whisper lid,eibach springs,kyb shocks,BMR subframe connectors, BMR LCA reloc brackets,BMR LCAs. T-top/manual converted

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          • #6
            Re: Ball Joints

            jack your car up and grab the front wheel from the top and the bottom and shake it, if it pivots back and forth then your ball joints are bad, and if you grab the side of the wheel and shake and it pivots that way then your tie-rod ends are bad. usally when your ball joints are bad they will make a popping sound on bumps and turns.

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            • #7
              Re: Ball Joints

              Originally posted by Meatyshells
              how do you know if your ball joints are bad?
              somebody cut him off so he ran up on a curb. bent a rim too.

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              • #8
                Re: Ball Joints

                I dont know if that caused the bad ball joints. The mechanic told me when I took it to get the rim looked at. He showed me the rim pivoting and said it was the ball joints.
                Last edited by elkindw; 02-06-2008, 06:03 PM.

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                • #9
                  Re: Ball Joints

                  Originally posted by Meatyshells
                  how do you know if your ball joints are bad?
                  I hear that when you are driving down the road you can notice the car getting caught in the ruts in the road. When you turn and straighten up the car still wants to pull that way some. When you hit the breaks you can feel it pulling a certian way. Also symptoms of my car. Thats what I read on this board at least.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Ball Joints

                    actually this happened to me... after drifting practice the next day my lower ball joints popped while im driving to work... then figured out my upper ball joints are loose too same with my outer tie rods... when it pops it feels like you have hydraulics... actually you need to use a press for the lower ball joints.. then after than its just bolt-on.. just remember to have a wheel alignment afterwards... peace


                    Horsepower is how fast you hit the Minivan... Torque is how far you take the Minivan with you... :wavey:

                    Originally posted by Firehawk N Wv
                    Mine were rusted also and the I had to cut my nuts off .

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                    • #11
                      Re: Ball Joints

                      Originally posted by HossV6
                      jack your car up and grab the front wheel from the top and the bottom and shake it, if it pivots back and forth then your ball joints are bad, and if you grab the side of the wheel and shake and it pivots that way then your tie-rod ends are bad. usally when your ball joints are bad they will make a popping sound on bumps and turns.
                      ^ that is how you tell if ball joints or tie rods are bad. Enough posts answering it again already! :slap:

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                      • #12
                        Re: Ball Joints

                        Originally posted by elkindw
                        I hear that when you are driving down the road you can notice the car getting caught in the ruts in the road. When you turn and straighten up the car still wants to pull that way some. When you hit the breaks you can feel it pulling a certian way. Also symptoms of my car. Thats what I read on this board at least.

                        sounds more like rod ends, my truck was all over the road when my front end was worn out, i replaced everything but the passenger side inner rod end (a$$ at auto zone charged me for it and never put it in the bag...) i can still feel the passenger front wheel wondering around and it will really throw off the steering on ice to dry pavement. not to mention it killing my tires

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                        • #13
                          Re: Ball Joints

                          ball joints are no easy task. im positive that certain ones have to be pressed into place by a machine
                          Heady Navy Blue Metalic<br />Heady Catback Flowmasters<br />Heady Bilstien HDs, PAnhard rod, LCAs,SFCs<br />NGK\'s and MSD Wires, K&N flowin + Smooth Bellow<br />Y87 3800 GT Performance.<br />I love the way this car makes turns!<br /><br />1989 black Camoaro RS. R.I.P.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Ball Joints

                            Originally posted by HeadyFirebird'00
                            ball joints are no easy task. im positive that certain ones have to be pressed into place by a machine
                            Snap on, OTC and a few other make hand held presses that do this. You can probably rent one at Advance Auto.
                            sigpic

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                            • #15
                              Re: Ball Joints

                              Back when I was in high school, I stopped at a stop sign and the front end of my car dropped right on the ground with the wheels folded up underneath it.

                              I still laugh when I think about it:rock:

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