balljoint failure
08-25-2006, 04:26 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6
balljoint failure
Hello every one,
I own a 97 GT that all of a sudden had a balljoint failure. Here is the story on this subject madder, I drove to my aunt's house when after I pull into her drive way, the balljoint just broke in two ( like your arm separating from your sholder socket), causing the tire to basically become diconected from the car (granted the strut is still holding the tire from rolling out), but it basically caused the car to collapse on the driver side tire. Now I don't know about you, but when your on the free way, this could cost you your ride, or maybe something much worse could have happened, as for me I am lucky that this happened on my aunt's drive way, but just a few moments earlier I had just exited the free way. Any ways, if this has happend to anyone out there before then please let me know by responding to this thread. It is really dumb that ford did not design any "safty nets" to prevent this.
Thank you,
Phoolthrtl
I own a 97 GT that all of a sudden had a balljoint failure. Here is the story on this subject madder, I drove to my aunt's house when after I pull into her drive way, the balljoint just broke in two ( like your arm separating from your sholder socket), causing the tire to basically become diconected from the car (granted the strut is still holding the tire from rolling out), but it basically caused the car to collapse on the driver side tire. Now I don't know about you, but when your on the free way, this could cost you your ride, or maybe something much worse could have happened, as for me I am lucky that this happened on my aunt's drive way, but just a few moments earlier I had just exited the free way. Any ways, if this has happend to anyone out there before then please let me know by responding to this thread. It is really dumb that ford did not design any "safty nets" to prevent this.
Thank you,
Phoolthrtl
08-25-2006, 06:53 PM
#2
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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Posts: 1,566
RE: balljoint failure
You didn't notice it in your steering first??? Is this the inner tie rod or outter tie rod??? The inners are a little more difficult to fix...but your local auto zone or pep boys can rent you a tie-rod-separator for a few bucks. The outters are an easy fix...thing is...have the car alligned IMMEDIATELY after you replace them. I went through a brand new set of good years in 4,000 miles cuz I replaced my outters w/o getting an alignment done.
GL
GL
08-28-2006, 03:48 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6
RE: balljoint failure
Hey GL,
Thanks for responding. Now that you mention it, the steering alingment was starting to become a little off not too long (a few days) before the ball joint failed. I have replaced the ball joint and when I was doing so, I took precaution to inspect the tie rods and the a-arms and anything els that had to do with the stock suspention. However, I have parked the stang until it gets a front end alignment to make shure everything is in its place, but if you think that the tie rods are the cause of the ball joint failure- then I guess I'm going to have to take another look at them, but the last time I glanced at then they looked fine. Do you have any suggestions as to how to identify a bad one (any specifics)?
Thanks Again,
Phoolthrtl
Thanks for responding. Now that you mention it, the steering alingment was starting to become a little off not too long (a few days) before the ball joint failed. I have replaced the ball joint and when I was doing so, I took precaution to inspect the tie rods and the a-arms and anything els that had to do with the stock suspention. However, I have parked the stang until it gets a front end alignment to make shure everything is in its place, but if you think that the tie rods are the cause of the ball joint failure- then I guess I'm going to have to take another look at them, but the last time I glanced at then they looked fine. Do you have any suggestions as to how to identify a bad one (any specifics)?
Thanks Again,
Phoolthrtl
08-28-2006, 06:19 PM
#5
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 2,489
RE: balljoint failure
so you had no popping or clicking noises coming from the car at all prior to this? When mine starting going bad it would pop and rattle when i turned or went over bumps. Do you have your radio blasting all the time?
08-28-2006, 07:53 PM
#6
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: In between Your Mom's Titties, skeet skeet..
Posts: 2,045
RE: balljoint failure
ORIGINAL: mikev08826
You didn't notice it in your steering first??? Is this the inner tie rod or outter tie rod??? The inners are a little more difficult to fix...but your local auto zone or pep boys can rent you a tie-rod-separator for a few bucks. The outters are an easy fix...thing is...have the car alligned IMMEDIATELY after you replace them. I went through a brand new set of good years in 4,000 miles cuz I replaced my outters w/o getting an alignment done.
GL
You didn't notice it in your steering first??? Is this the inner tie rod or outter tie rod??? The inners are a little more difficult to fix...but your local auto zone or pep boys can rent you a tie-rod-separator for a few bucks. The outters are an easy fix...thing is...have the car alligned IMMEDIATELY after you replace them. I went through a brand new set of good years in 4,000 miles cuz I replaced my outters w/o getting an alignment done.
GL
There are more "ball joints," than just your Tie-rod ends.. There are the joints on the lower control arm as well, which go through the steering knuckle..
Sure, you'll feel some shimmy, lots of vibration, and your steering wheel will feel like slush on one side, but okay-to-mediocre on the other side...
True enough though, you should have really felt this thing failing well before it separates, but that's not always the case... Your tires should have been a good giveaway..
JT
08-30-2006, 03:27 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6
RE: balljoint failure
Yeah, It was weird and sudden. Weird because there was no indicaton that the ball joint on the control arm was bad. There was no carking sounds or anything at all. I know when a ball joint is out because I have had to replace the one on the passenger's side. That ball joint did make all the warnings in the world, from screeching to loud poping noises every time I turned the wheels. And to be clear to droptopponny, no I do not have the radio balsting all the time, no matter how much I jam to Led Zeppelin[sm=burnout.gif].
08-30-2006, 11:59 PM
#8
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 2,489
RE: balljoint failure
ORIGINAL: phoolthrtl
Yeah, It was weird and sudden. Weird because there was no indicaton that the ball joint on the control arm was bad. There was no carking sounds or anything at all. I know when a ball joint is out because I have had to replace the one on the passenger's side. That ball joint did make all the warnings in the world, from screeching to loud poping noises every time I turned the wheels. And to be clear to droptopponny, no I do not have the radio balsting all the time, no matter how much I jam to Led Zeppelin[sm=burnout.gif].
Yeah, It was weird and sudden. Weird because there was no indicaton that the ball joint on the control arm was bad. There was no carking sounds or anything at all. I know when a ball joint is out because I have had to replace the one on the passenger's side. That ball joint did make all the warnings in the world, from screeching to loud poping noises every time I turned the wheels. And to be clear to droptopponny, no I do not have the radio balsting all the time, no matter how much I jam to Led Zeppelin[sm=burnout.gif].
i know when i had my system pumping i couldn't here the rattle....when i replaced mine i upgraded to the 04 Cobra control arm with ball joints already installed. Its a good upgrade for our cars. ford part # m-3075-d cost me @ 140 for the set....
