Ball Joints

huntr1

huntr1

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So, I took the Suburban to the tire shop for a tire rotation and balance because I had a vibration at highway speeds. Got it back on Tuesday night. Drove it yesterday, vibration still there, but not as bad. Took it back. They rebalanced the tires and claim the vibration is gone, but now they tell me "You will need to replace the upper ball joints really soon, they are badly worn."
Here's my questions, in no particular order:
Wouldn't they have noticed this Tuesday when diagnosing the vibration?
Wouldn't they have noticed the wear any of the 3 times I have had it in there over the last 3 years for a rotate and balance and "check the suspension for wear"?
They quoted >$400.00 to do the uppers.
 
blazinlow89

blazinlow89

Big Poppa
Some shops do, others don't. Depending on how they are set up, the tire guys don't do the alignments. So the tire guy is concentrating on getting that done. Most of the new machines do not require removing the wheels to align them, so they may not even look at the ball joints. Also considering the ball rotates in the socket, the wear may only be noticeable when the ball joint it a commonly used angle. For instance when the trucks tires are off the ground the ball joint will go to a position that is not commonly used, which may result in a tighter feeling than say the general travel area which will be worn.

Ball joints are cheap, MOOGs can be had for under $50 each, depending on whether or not they are riveted in or pressed in can depend on removal and installation. The press in ones on mine took about 2 hours total for both. Not sure what the Suburban's ball joint style is, however it is easy work and can be done in an afternoon.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
I had a vehicle in to a very reputable shop three times for a pesky front end vibration that was getting worse all the time..especially when braking. New tires..twice (on their nickel the second time..), alignment and rechecks..yadda yadda. Saw a thread on an owners forum about ball joints causing all that, yet being hard to detect. Replaced the ball joints and problem solved.
 
getbent

getbent

Thats how them b*tch's R
I would have thought someone would have noticed it by now as well, but I can see what the other poster was saying about certain people doing certain jobs and that particular part is not what they would be looking at. I was told my ball joints also need replacing (I have an Expedition). I can't drive it without the front end squeaking and creaking. You can hear me coming from a mile away. Just been too lazy to have someone do it.
 
blazinlow89

blazinlow89

Big Poppa
That sounds more like a bad control arm bushing. I replaced the upper ones, but the lower ones are the squeaky ones. You can spry them with either silicone lube or WD40 and if the squeak subsides, you have found your culprit. It could also be the anti sway bar bushings. Ball joints tend not to make much noise when they go bad, they just move a bit in the socket. If you remove the control arm and the ball joint moves freely, they are bad.
 
Chris0nllyn

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
blazinlow89 said:
That sounds more like a bad control arm bushing. I replaced the upper ones, but the lower ones are the squeaky ones. You can spry them with either silicone lube or WD40 and if the squeak subsides, you have found your culprit. It could also be the anti sway bar bushings. Ball joints tend not to make much noise when they go bad, they just move a bit in the socket. If you remove the control arm and the ball joint moves freely, they are bad.
Click to expand...

You can tell when someone else has dealt with a S10/Blazer. :lol:
 
blazinlow89

blazinlow89

Big Poppa
Chris0nllyn said:
You can tell when someone else has dealt with a S10/Blazer. :lol:
Click to expand...

Yep, the Trailblazer has similar issues, even though it's a redesigned steering system. The GM engineers must have had other things on their minds when they designed it. I have even got to the point of assembling my own end links that I can rebuild with little cost. Off roading takes its toll on them.
 
huntr1

huntr1

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So they re-re-balanced the tires yesterday. No more vibration. That's good.
They did something that screwed up the alignment though. Steering wheel now has to be turned to the left (between 10-20 degrees) in order to go straight down the road. Alignment was almost perfect before I took it to them. It didn't pull at all.
 
huntr1

huntr1

.
blazinlow89 said:
Some shops do, others don't. Depending on how they are set up, the tire guys don't do the alignments. So the tire guy is concentrating on getting that done. Most of the new machines do not require removing the wheels to align them, so they may not even look at the ball joints. Also considering the ball rotates in the socket, the wear may only be noticeable when the ball joint it a commonly used angle. For instance when the trucks tires are off the ground the ball joint will go to a position that is not commonly used, which may result in a tighter feeling than say the general travel area which will be worn.

Ball joints are cheap, MOOGs can be had for under $50 each, depending on whether or not they are riveted in or pressed in can depend on removal and installation. The press in ones on mine took about 2 hours total for both. Not sure what the Suburban's ball joint style is, however it is easy work and can be done in an afternoon.
Click to expand...
The upper ball joints on my '97 are riveted on. Will have to cut the head and then drill/pound them out. Replacement ball joints are bolt on.

Replacement Moog ball joint from Advance Autoparts is $45.00. I can get the entire Moog control arm, with installed ball joint for $99.97 from partsgeek or summit. Dorman control arm is about $2.00 cheaper. I know the name Dorman and Moog. Either better than the other?

Should I do the lowers when I do the uppers?
 
blazinlow89

blazinlow89

Big Poppa
MOOG tends to have a better reputation, and they are official NASCAR part. You will need an alignment with the new control arm as well. Might as well throw in some tie rod ends while your at it, if they haven't been replaced. Lowers would depend on the wear toy have on those parts. I replaced the ball joints and lower strut mounts when I did my stuff, I can order the bracket with the bushings separately and may go that route in the future.

I used an angle grinder on my old S10, took a while but it worked. An air chisel makes it a breeze.
 
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huntr1

huntr1

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If I do need to replace them, I will go with the Moog control arms with the ball joints already installed. Already have to have the alignment redone. Should I replace the mounting/camber adjustment bolts when I replace the control arms?
 
blazinlow89

blazinlow89

Big Poppa
They should be reusable. Unless they are rusted, have messed up threads or are stretch bolts then you should be fine. If they are cheap enough though, I would consider it based on the year.
 
huntr1

huntr1

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blazinlow89 said:
They should be reusable. Unless they are rusted, have messed up threads or are stretch bolts then you should be fine. If they are cheap enough though, I would consider it based on the year.
Click to expand...

It's a '97. Everything under there is rusty. No telling what condition they are in other than the surface rust. They're $18.00 from Summit. At that price, I'll probably just go ahead and order them. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.
 
huntr1

huntr1

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Turned out Summit wouldn't get them shipped to me from Moog until 5/20. No telling what the transit time would be. Since I will be working on this on a "time available" basis, getting the parts sooner is better than later. I ended up buying from Amazon and paying $8.00 more than Summit, but the parts should be in on Friday.
 
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