Ball joints consist of a ball and socket similar to the hip joint of the human body. Ball joints of your front suspension provide pivoting movement between the steering knuckles and control arms to provide a safe, smooth ride and allow you to precisely control your vehicle. Ball joints consist of a metal housing and stud.
The stud can swing and rotate within the housing. Bearings inside the housing can be comprised of metal or plastic. The socket is filled with grease to provide lubrication, keep debris and water out of the socket, and maintain noise free operation. A rubber boot opening of the joint to keep debris out and grease in. Many original equipment ball joints are designed as sealed units. If the protective boot fails, water and road debris will quickly cause wear and ball joint failure.
Some aftermarket ball joints use an improved design that allows lubrication to flush out contaminants to extend the life of the joints. Maintaining a good dust seal and lubrication in the socket are important to maximizing ball joint life. Not only does it need to handle the load of the vehicle, but it also absorbs the shocks of potholes and other bone-jarring road hazards. It is for these reasons that ball joints should be lubricated and inspected according to proper service schedule intervals.
The time for regularly scheduled lubrication is the best time for front suspension maintenance and ball joint inspection. First look to see that the rubber boots holding the grease inside the ball joint are in good shape. If the boot is torn, or just plain gone, chances are so is the ball joint. If the ball joint is capable of being greased, use only the grease that is recommended for the job.
Some ball joints come lubricated for life and are therefore incapable of being greased — the paradox though is that they don't usually live very long. Worn ball joints can be held accountable for clunks and sloppy steering.
As the socket and ball wear out together, the tolerances become greater and the ball joint becomes loose. The ball can literally rattle and clunk around in the socket — causing clunking noises.
On the other side of the wear equation, the ball joint can bind and cause a tight spot in steering travel. Replacing the ball joints can bring smooth steering back to your old clunker. Determining if the ball joints are good or bad depends largely on which type of suspension and ball joints are used in the vehicle in question. If you're lucky, the ball joints will have wear indicators built right in, in which case, checking them is easy.
If not, relieve the load on the suspension by jacking the vehicle up and inspecting each individual ball joint for play. As there are more than a few types of suspension setups out there, the best procedure to follow is the one that's spelled out in your vehicle's service manual.
As severe failure of a ball joint can cause a car's suspension to come apart, it is best not to take guesses when dealing with suspension issues. While all automotive ball joints more or less perform the same task, there are many different designs out there. Some are exceedingly simple yet require liberating most of the suspension for replacement.
Other types of ball joints are of the press-in variety and require specialized tools for proper installation. On some cars, the ball joint is integrated into the control arm. Not all ball joints are created equal.
Parts that are made from premium materials with an innovative design have greater strength and durability. MOOG ball joints are made from superior compounds that are better able to cope with high temperatures, dirt and abrasion. The housings are forged from a single block of fine-grain alloy steel for greater strength. Ball joints play a major role in the steering and suspension of cars and can last a long time. However, driving on bad ball joints can cause major damage and total ball joint failure can be fatal.
Discover long-lasting parts and problem-solving tools that make ball joint replacement easy. Read more. Seven reasons to visit a mechanic. How much does it cost to fix your car's suspension.
How a car steering system works: easy guide. Please review and accept our Privacy Policy before signing up for the newsletter. Find My Part. Products Light Vehicles Commercial Vehicles. Why MOOG. Where to buy. About Us.
0コメント