Upper and Lower Ball Joints
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Upper and Lower Ball Joints I was installing outer tie rods today and saw that the lower ball joints was pretty bad on the passenger side. the boot was all torn up and pretty much gone. I am gonna go ahead and replace them, since the car is already jacked up in the air. Im gonna go ahead and the sway bar end links as well, cuz they looked pretty worn out. My question for u guys is since im doin the lower ball joints, should I go ahead and bite the bullet and do the upper ones as well. Car has almost 107k miles on it, but looking at them they looked alright. the boot was in decent condtion. So what do u guys think?
Also, should i go ahead and replace the inner tie rods? How do i know if they are bad and need to be replaced? I took the rack boot off and was lookin at but really didnt know what to look for. Any help will be much appreciated.
Also, should i go ahead and replace the inner tie rods? How do i know if they are bad and need to be replaced? I took the rack boot off and was lookin at but really didnt know what to look for. Any help will be much appreciated.
Last edited by Yahelou; Mar 31, 2011 at 03:09 PM.
replace the upper ball joint. the inner tie rod should be firm to move not just flop around like a cheap dumb hooker. Id also look at getting lower control arm bushings because of the milage you have, your uppers are prob ok, I replace all mine at 120k and its a night and day change in how the car feels on the road.
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how impt is the upper ball joint? They look like they are still in good condition. If they dont have a great importance in the suspension, then i think i will leave them alone. How do i check if the upper ball joints need to be replaced or not? I dont want to be changing parts just for the heck of it.
The lower ball joints take the brunt of the suspension load, but at 125K miles, I'd replace both. I fully realize that I have the tools and experience to do ball joints and bushings all day long, so I consider them a "wear-out item", and probably have replaced them excessively, over the years.
BUT, those parts are what connect the spindles to your car, which connect the wheels and tires to your car. How much value do you put on that?
BUT, those parts are what connect the spindles to your car, which connect the wheels and tires to your car. How much value do you put on that?
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The lower ball joints take the brunt of the suspension load, but at 125K miles, I'd replace both. I fully realize that I have the tools and experience to do ball joints and bushings all day long, so I consider them a "wear-out item", and probably have replaced them excessively, over the years.
BUT, those parts are what connect the spindles to your car, which connect the wheels and tires to your car. How much value do you put on that?
BUT, those parts are what connect the spindles to your car, which connect the wheels and tires to your car. How much value do you put on that?
so let me go over everything im gonna replace from the old suspension: outer tie rods (im checking inner tie rods tonight), lower control arm bushings(upper bushings should still be good), lower and upper ball joints, sway bar end link bushings(i checked the sway bar bushing and they looked good).
anything else i should look at the front or rear suspension?
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Surprisingly on my car with 124k miles the upper and lower ball joints are original and ok.
Bear in mind, the upper ball joint is easy to do (mounted with rivets, replacement comes with bolts), but the lower ball joint needs pressed out and the new one pressed in.
Bear in mind, the upper ball joint is easy to do (mounted with rivets, replacement comes with bolts), but the lower ball joint needs pressed out and the new one pressed in.
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One thing that did help when I experienced a "banging" noise when encountering speed bumps was to replace the exhaust hanger bushing. It's relatively cheap and not too difficult to install. If you have that sort of banging, that's another area to look at.
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So I was looking at my LCA bushings and sway bar bushings today and they looked like they were in good condition. No dry rotting or cracking and nothing looked like it was missing. I think im gonna leave those bushings alone. I dont think my suspension was as bad i originally thought. what u guys think?
Last edited by Yahelou; Jul 24, 2009 at 12:19 PM.
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Uppers don't take as much of a beating as lowers. They may need to be replaced; they may not. Uppers are easy enough to replace. With tie rod ends, inners usually last longer, but if they need replacing, they need replacing. 125k is a good amount of mileage. Check them out, and replace if necessary.
Make sure not to cheap out on the parts, especially the lowers, and tie rod ends if you do that. Go for Spicer/Raybestos professional grade (though service grade would be fine for the uppers IMO) or XRF or Moog. Most people seem to recommend Moog first but I would take Spicer Pro or XRF over them.
If your bushings are in good shape then they are in good shape. Don't spend too much money when you don't have to. Besides, and I mean no offense here, the car does have 125k on it. Unless you're planning on rebuilding things as they blow.
Make sure not to cheap out on the parts, especially the lowers, and tie rod ends if you do that. Go for Spicer/Raybestos professional grade (though service grade would be fine for the uppers IMO) or XRF or Moog. Most people seem to recommend Moog first but I would take Spicer Pro or XRF over them.
If your bushings are in good shape then they are in good shape. Don't spend too much money when you don't have to. Besides, and I mean no offense here, the car does have 125k on it. Unless you're planning on rebuilding things as they blow.
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Uppers don't take as much of a beating as lowers. They may need to be replaced; they may not. Uppers are easy enough to replace. With tie rod ends, inners usually last longer, but if they need replacing, they need replacing. 125k is a good amount of mileage. Check them out, and replace if necessary.
Make sure not to cheap out on the parts, especially the lowers, and tie rod ends if you do that. Go for Spicer/Raybestos professional grade (though service grade would be fine for the uppers IMO) or XRF or Moog. Most people seem to recommend Moog first but I would take Spicer Pro or XRF over them.
If your bushings are in good shape then they are in good shape. Don't spend too much money when you don't have to. Besides, and I mean no offense here, the car does have 125k on it. Unless you're planning on rebuilding things as they blow.
Make sure not to cheap out on the parts, especially the lowers, and tie rod ends if you do that. Go for Spicer/Raybestos professional grade (though service grade would be fine for the uppers IMO) or XRF or Moog. Most people seem to recommend Moog first but I would take Spicer Pro or XRF over them.
If your bushings are in good shape then they are in good shape. Don't spend too much money when you don't have to. Besides, and I mean no offense here, the car does have 125k on it. Unless you're planning on rebuilding things as they blow.
