If you mechanic has suggested that you replace the ball joints in your vehicle, they must have detected some irregularities in your suspension. Ball joints are basically part of your vehicle that connects the control arms to the steering knuckles. These small flexible balls and sockets give the vehicle the power to steer properly and the suspension to move. Vehicles that do not have any strut suspensions generally have four ball joints that are located at each of the upper and lower sides. On the contrary, vehicles that are equipped with strut suspensions are only fitted with two ball joints, one on each side.
Like most parts of a vehicle, ball joints are inclined to wear and tear such as becoming loose. This malfunction may eventually lead to misaligned wheels, noise and bumps in the suspension. The joints of a vehicle are easy to check, which should be done before greasing the area. Although they are easy to inspect, each one has a different procedure, and using the inappropriate new will simply deliver misleading results. The right inspection procedure depends on the loading and location of the ball joint.
Some newer vehicles are equipped with built in wear indicators for the ball joint, which makes it easy to check them. However, these vehicles must still be inspected on a drive on ramp and with full weight on the vehicle not with just a supported suspension. Furthermore, no measurements are required for ball joints that have a wear indicator, because internal play is displayed by the position of the grease fitting. Generally this fitting or boss sticks out about half an inch on a newer ball joint, and then recedes into the housing as the joints wears.
For ball joints that do not support wear indicators, the joints must be checked when the vehicle is unloaded and with the lower control arm raised by a jack stand. Measurements of the play are taken with a dial indicator, and the direction to take them depends on the application, but will be clearly stated in your owner’s manual. The common mistakes when taking ball joint measurements to determine the level of play are either using a pry bar with excess force or inserting the pry bar between the knuckle and the control arm instead of the wheel.
You must religiously follow the joints replacement date stated in the owner’s manual, or if the joints display wear and tear, whichever comes first. Generally, ball joints are usually replaced in sets such as both upper and lower sides. This is simply because joints on one side tend to display the same level of wear and tear, meaning if one side is defective so is the other side. Usually, ball joints that carry heavy loads tend to wear faster than those that don’t or hardly carry extra weight. So it may not be necessary to replace the lighter ball joints and just replacing the side with the weight will suffice.
In order to be done properly, ball joint replacement should be done by a professional. The replacement process entails that the control arms be separated from the knuckles before getting started. Depending on the design, age and model of the vehicle, ball job replacement might be an easy or difficult process. If it extremely difficult, a fork tool is used to loosen the ball joints from the main knuckle, and this is why it is best done by a professional car repair mechanic.
