Lower/Upper ball joint P5

gsmooth

Member
I have a new suspension (installed in december 2007) with about 10,000kms on it and both of my front wheel bearings were changed about 20,000 kms ago.
I'm feeling a vibration on the driver side front wheel, I'm guessing its the lower ball joint from the control arm that i changed about 3 years ago thats worn out. I bought it used from a '01 LX drove on a bad suspension and bad worn out wheel bearings for a while.

anyone have an idea of how long the ball joint can last? should i worry about driving another 300 kms?

Thanks

GG
 
more than likely you threw a wheel weight if you're getting a vibration from the front end.
 
thats a first...I never thought of checking that....will go have a look right now!!!!

new summer tires just installed about 2 months ago

[edit: nope, all the weights are there]
 
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thats a first...I never thought of checking that....will go have a look right now!!!!

new summer tires just installed about 2 months ago

[edit: nope, all the weights are there]

Just because the weights are there doesn't mean it's still balanced; go have them rechecked where-ever you bought them.
 
the tires are brand new..they have about 3000 kms on them...just had my cousin install them (he works for KAL tire) I highly doubt they're unbalanced!

hmmm....maybe a lil play but not that much....barely noticeable
 
You know what? I quit. How about this: you're right. There's no way that it could have thrown a weight in 3000 miles.

Now, go replace your lower control arm before it explodes.
 
A ball joint won't cause a vibration. Wheel bearings, wheel balance, bad tire, half shaft, etc will. Generally, only things that rotate will cause a vibration.

A bad ball joint will cause a clunk, rattle or alignment problem.

It's definitely possible that your wheel wights could have shifted (yes, even in 3000kms) or you have a belt separating in your tire (yes, even a fairly new tire).

Set your e-brake, jack up the front of the car (one side, if you have an open diff, both sides if you have an LSD), start the engine, put the car in gear and let the tires spin in the air. Look for warpage, bent wheels, tires doing funny things, etc.
Pull off both front wheels, inspect the tires for bulges, damage, etc.
Rotate the back wheels to the front and repeat the procedure.
Turn off the engine, crawl under the (safely supported) vehicle, grab your axle shafts and see if they clunk around forward and back or in and out. They should have VERY little movement.
Stick a pry bar between your steering knuckle and control arm and see if you can get them to move apart (they shouldn't).
Grab the top and bottom of the wheel and see if you can wiggle it back and forth (wheel bearing).
Grab the front and back of the tire and move it back and forth while watching your tie rod ends. There should be no movement other than rotational from the TRE (could be a shimmy, not a vibration)
Once you've done all that, if you haven't found anything and you still have a vibration, take it back and have the tires balanced again. Your cousin may have screwed up or, as previously stated, the weights may have shifted.
Better yet, maybe take it somewhere else to have the balance checked.
 
Funny you mention that. I helped a friend mount new wheels / tires on her car yesterday, and one of them had a nice goose-egg on the inner shoulder of one of the tires. Brand new, zero miles lol
 
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