Would bad ball joints do this?

[SHOtimer]

I know that my cars ball joint/control arm assymbly is shot, as it is the original at 150k. I have a shaking at around 45-55mph, not at 60+ nor at -40, I figured it was my tires which were old and bald so I put 4 new ones on and it is slightly better but still there. The car also has a fresh alignment with all new tie rods and alum subframe bushings. The shaking does not affect the dash, it is only the steering wheel shaking from side to side. I am hoping this is a sign of bad ball joints, if not what direction should I go in? Thanx,
Doug

 

[rangerj]

Shotimer,

Whoever did the alignment should have checked the ball joints, and the lower control arm bushings.

Your vibration could be ball joins, but it could also be bearings, tire balance, inner tie rod ends, CV joints, etc.

Because of all the work done recently you can rule out just about everything but the ball joins, and possibly the bearings.

If the lower control arms are original your instincts are correct. Start with the lower control arms, which include ball joints and new bushings. You will need to get another alignment after you replace the ball joints.

Given the milage on the car I would also replace the front bushing on the tension struts as well. rangerj

 

[SHOtimer]

Well, the wheel bearings only have about 1.5k on them I replaced them with Timiken ones and all the tie rods were replaced with Moog about 1k ago also so those are not suspect. The tires only have about 200 miles on them and the old set did it also so I can rule those out too. I know that my entire suspension is original and I've also been told that the tension strut bushings that you mentioned are shot on my car as well. I'm going to go through and replace every bushind and wear item that needs it but for $ reasons need to tackle one large portion of it at a time, so I figured I can start with this. Also, would the bad balljoint/control arm cause my steering to have a bit of play in it as well?. I was reading the other ball joint post and am going to replace all of those nuts and bolts as you suggested what are other "while your in there" things that can be accessed easier with all of this apart. I'm going to do all new struts and springs cuz mine are shot but that can wait untill this stuff is done because I think that can be another project and I won't have to take all this apart to do that, or do I? Thanx,
Doug

<small>[ September 29, 2003, 12:48 AM: Message edited by: SHOtimer ]</small>

 

[shojuan]

Get that passenger side front wheel bearing checked out. I remember it seemed a little iffy when I was putting the tire back on. Sorry I forgot about it until now. That was a long day. Yes, the worn out ball joints can cause troubles.

 

[SHOtimer]

Is there anyway I can inspect it myself or examine it? What exactly would I be look for? Yea I bet that was a long day.
Doug

 

[SHOguy 92]

you brought it in for alignment it should have been inspected to see if anything needed to be replaced.

 

[MotoArts]

SHOtimer:
Is there anyway I can inspect it myself or examine it? What exactly would I be look for? Yea I bet that was a long day.
Doug

Jack up the front by the frame so both wheels are off of the ground. Lift, push, pull, turn each wheel and EVERYTHING that moves (tie rods, control arms, upper strut plates, etc.) in all directions. Listen for any clicks, bangs, thunks and feel for any obvious play. ANY slop/play is NO GOOD and unsafe, IMO. It's sometimes easier to do with one guy doing the grunt work and one guy doing the looking.
While you're at it, do the same for the back wheels, too. Certainly can't hurt. If you do find anything loose, take it back to the alignment shop and ask them how they can honestly align it with worn/sloppy parts...

<small>[ October 02, 2003, 01:02 AM: Message edited by: MotoArts ]</small>

 

[SHOtimer]

Thanx, I will try that.
Doug