Need help on Upper&Lower Ball Joints/Tie Rods

[Greg Jorczyk]

Thank you to all who replied to my previous posting on Tie Rods.



I did some checking of my Tie rods, ball joints and Upper and Lower control arms. Here is what I did and found:



1. With hands on 9 and 3 position I moved the tires back and forth. When I move the Drivers tire it also moves the Passenger tire and shaft which goes to the steering wheel the same exact amount. A little movement moves the opposite tire the same.



2. With hands on 12 and 6 position the Drivers tire does not move at all. The passenger tire moves so slightly. I noticed on the passenger upper control arm the rear bolt/pin allow the back of the control arm to move so slightly side to side. Can I tighten this bolt to see if the play disappears?



NTB said I need a new inner tie rod on the Passenger side.



3. NTB also said I need a new inner and out bearing plus gasket on Driver side wheel. I do not see any grease leaking anywhere at the back of the rotor or front silver cap and no noise is coming from spinning the tire except for the pads slightly touching the rotor. Both tires spin easily.



My daughter is getting ready to go off to school where the truck will sit the majority of the time and I do not want to put parts on the truck if it does not need them, yet I have new Michelin XLT's on the truck.



Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks for the help. Trac is 2wd.



Thanks Greg

 

[swshawaii]

Had the same nut on my UCA came slightly loose causing major clunking over small bumps.

Can't believe NTB didn't catch it. I thought it was the upper ball joint or the control arm bushings causing mine.

You will need an alignment if the control arm has moved. Do you have camber kits installed?

My aftermarket camber kits have flat sided bolts, they didn't move. Alignment not needed.

Tightened nut with a 21mm long socket and torqued to 98 ft/lb with wheels loaded. Problem fixed.

 

[EddieS'04]

#1, you need to do this and look at tie rod knukles. Not the oposite tire.



#2, thighten maybe. Could also be a worn bushing.



#3,how many miles since the bearings were removed and inspected and regreased.

 

[Richard L]

Greg,

as swshawaii said, you can tighten the bolt...If that does not take out the slack you probably need new control arm bushings. Either way, be sure to get your alignment checked especially if you do not have the aftermarket eccentric/off center camber bolts.



...Rich

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

If you do need new control arm bushings, I highly recommend the MOOG Problem Solver line of products.

:supercool:

 

[EddieS'04]

Rodger is right about MOOG suspension products. I have used various brands. MOOG is all I use now. IMO most durable.



If you can. Lay a MOOG control arm and or ball joint on the counter next to any brand. Moog is always beefier, and always has the grease zert.



I wish the companies that sell lifetime lubed no grease zert parts. Would stand by a life of the vehicle warranty. Especialy the auto manufactors.



My Dad damaged the left uppper control arm ball joint on his '01 merc marquis. Suprisingly the dealer replaced it with moog. You can see the difference from the left and right. He didnt replace both sides. Because he intended to get a new Taurus this year. But he passed away last year shortly after the work. Mom being 81, decided to keep her merc. At a 105K miles, it is still a very good car.