Is the lower ball joint on the driver’s side fixed as one part with suspension arm or detachable?
Hi my car 2007 Nissan visia 1600 petrol manual transmission, my garage m.o.t. Replaced suspension lower arm with ball joint attached . Was it not possible to replace ball joint only when they said ball joint had excess play ? , did not have any obvious symptoms when driving . Thank you
My car has 90000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hello. The ball joint is available separately, and as part of the control arm assembly as you note. Although it can be purchased separately, removing it and replacing it into the control arm requires heavy duty presses and tooling (great force required). And if the control arm is aluminum, it is a more risky process since the aluminum is softer than steel, and the remove/replace process may not result in the ball joint fitting as tightly in the control arm as would be safe. For the mechanic, sometimes the separate ball joint is not readily available, only the control arm with ball joint. And the labor time to press out the old, press in the new may result in a more expensive repair anyway because of the additional labor cost. It’s a toss up sometimes, especially with parts availability being a deciding factor.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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On non-strut equipped vehicles, the spindle is attached to both the upper and lower control arms with a ball joint. The ball joint is a steel ball enclosed in a steel socket that allows the spindle and front wheel to rotate left and right and allow the wheels to move up and down following the roads surface.
Use a socket wrench to remove the axle nut. Push the axle back through and loosen the knuckle assembly, moving it to gain access to the ball joint. Separate the ball joint from the lower control arm with your ball joint separator. You can operate the tool with a socket wrench, using an appropriately sized socket.
At the steering knuckle end, the control arm connects via ball joint to allow smooth wheel movement in all directions. The ball joint allows the steering knuckle to pivot and gives the wheels the ability to turn while the vehicle is in motion.
Lower Ball Joints
In a short long arm (SLA) suspension system, compression- and tension-loaded ball joints are load carrying ball joints that support the vehicle`s weight. These ball joints typically wear faster due to the additional stress on the socket.
You can have upper or lower ball joints, depending on the type of vehicle and suspension. The difference is usually that upper ball joints are nonload-bearing (also known as “followers”), while lower ball joints are typically load-bearing.
The replacement of a ball joint which is pressed into the track control arm, in most cases requires a removal of the track control arm. You should therefore consider replacing the complete track control arm.
Many technicians recommend replacing both joints at the same time (both lowers, both uppers or all four). Another item that should be checked when ball joints are replaced is the stud hole in the steering knuckle — especially if the ball joint stud has broken or is loose.
Ball joints are made of a bearing stud and socket that fit snugly inside a lubricated casing. They connect the control arm to the steering knuckles and allow for smooth and solid movement in the suspension. The front suspension of most cars has at least lower ball joints and in some cases upper ones as well.
Below, we have outlined the two main types of control arms and their applications: Strut Type Suspension or MacPherson Strut Suspension.
Depending on the type of suspension, most cars have both upper and lower ball joints. The lower ball joints are usually larger and wear out faster due to the weight of the front of car that rests on them.
Ball joints are most commonly found in the lower arms of front suspensions, depending on your vehicle you may have four ball joints on your front suspension and some ball joints in the rear of your vehicle.
No. You should not drive with a bad ball joint. Continuing to drive can cause damage to other vehicle components and if the joint fails completely you could lose control of the vehicle, leading to a crash and injuries.
Where are ball joints and tie rods located? Both ball joints and tie rod ends are each a part of the front suspension and steering system of your car and are located between the front wheels.
A control arm connects the wheel hub and steering knuckle to the frame of the vehicle. They are typically equipped with bushings on the frame side of the vehicle and a ball joint on the wheel side of the vehicle that allow flex and controlled movement according to road conditions and steering input from the driver.
While ball joints may last 70,000 miles or more, they don`t last forever. Their actual lifespan will depend on your driving habits, road conditions and exposure to road splash and salt.
A ball joint is connected to the top and bottom of the spindle, while the tie rod end connects to the spindle and controls its pivot which allows vehicle to be steered.
On the chassis side, a control arm mounts by means of bolts. It hinges on rubber or polyurethane bushings called control arm bushings. The wheel assembly end of the control arm features a ball joint. That way, the component moves on both ends.
They are made up of three main parts: bushing, body and ball joint. The control arm body connects to the vehicle frame via the bushings (usually rubber bushings) and connects to the wheel side of the vehicle suspension with a ball joint.
They are made up of three main parts: bushing, body and ball joint. The control arm body connects to the vehicle frame via the bushings (usually rubber bushings) and connects to the wheel side of the vehicle suspension with a ball joint.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Is the lower ball joint on the driver’s side fixed as one part with suspension arm or detachable?
ANSWER : Hello. The ball joint is available separately, and as part of the control arm assembly as you note. Although it can be purchased separately, removing it and replacing it into the control arm requires heavy duty presses and tooling (great force required). And if the control arm is aluminum, it is a more risky process since the aluminum is softer than steel, and the remove/replace process may not result in the ball joint fitting as tightly in the control arm as would be safe. For the mechanic, sometimes the separate ball joint is not readily available, only the control arm with ball joint. And the labor time to press out the old, press in the new may result in a more expensive repair anyway because of the additional labor cost. It’s a toss up sometimes, especially with parts availability being a deciding factor.
Torn lower ball joints and torn tie rods – 2006 Nissan Sentra
ANSWER : Hi there. Unfortunately, diagnosing what type of service may have been performed by a different mechanic without physically inspecting the vehicle is difficult, as is knowing how long your vehicle can be driven with worn out ball joints and tie rods. The problem with worn out suspension parts is that they can fail and break, which can cause an unsafe driving situation.
It might be a better idea to have a professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, come to your location to inspect all the front end components for damage and give you an idea as to how much longer you can drive your vehicle before you must replace the damaged parts or buy a new vehicle.
I need to remove torsion bar from lower control arm.
ANSWER : Be very careful messing with the torsion bar. It is under an extreme amount of force. Make sure you have all of the tension removed from the torsion bar by loosening the adjustment bolt. Count the number of turns you loosen it so that you can put it back the way it was. If you are still having problems, a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, will be able to complete the control arm repair for you.
I replaced my balljoints upper and lower on both sides but now the ball joints don’t sit against the control arms
ANSWER : Hello, and thank you for writing in. Without having the vehicle to inspect, it is difficult to tell. The assembly of the hub and control arms to the ball joints can be difficult, and making sure it goes back exact is critical. There was likely a mistake made when reassembling the components. The replacement could have also been a mismatch depending on where you got it from. Without taking it in, or having us out to inspect it, you should start by taking wheel and rotor back off, and giving it a full visual inspection, of not attempting to realign it. Make sure you are following torque specifications on the repair as well. For more help, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.
lower ball joint broke in half
ANSWER : To give you a usable answer, we (and possibly a lab) would have to have the failed part in hand to determine the failure mode. The problem is there are quite a few disparate causes for a failure of the type that you are describing which includes improper assembly, metal fatigue around the joint, product and/or design defect and so forth. Depending on the failure mode, and the full set of circumstances, this might be a situation where the failure should be reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the event that you have unwittingly stumbled on a "product defect" (such reporting could save other people’s lives and that is no understatement). These reports to NHTSA are easy for consumers to enter online at www.nhtsa.gov and/or you can simply call their 800 number to make a report.
Ball joints are obviously designed to withstand tremendous impact forces and thus are not typically "broken" by even substantial potholes. That fact has meaning of course because you claim to not have even hit anything and yet the part failed. Obviously, you don’t want that happening at 65 miles per hour while trying to negotiate a winding curve.
Consequently, in your circumstance, what I would do, is first ask the shop WHO the manufacturer of the control arm is. Aftermarket parts are not created equal. Depending on exactly what company manufactured the part, I might be able to offer more specific advice as to how to interpret this or what action to take.
But, what I would do is take that "who" information to a Mechanic who is highly knowledgeable about the "parts" aspect of the automobile repair business and both get his view and have him re-examine the OTHER side. Going forward, generally, a SAFE choice for parts is OEM (dealer). A lot of repair facilities will not use OEM parts, or the BEST parts, and yet charge you full fare. It may be best to have a second opinion on the work that was already completed. A certified technician from YourMechanic can perform a thorough inspection of your vehicle and provide necessary information to address this. Hope this helped.
Can I replace the ball joints on just one side, or should it be done one both sides?
ANSWER : If you change the ball joints due to wear on one side of the vehicle, then the other side will likely go bad in a short time. After replacing the ball joints on one or both sides you will need to get an alignment done. If you only replace one side, get the alignment done, and need to replace the other side in a month, another alignment will need to be done. I would recommend replacing both sides at the same time so only one alignment needs to be done and you have the peace of mind that your front ball joints will be good for a long time. If you need help with this replacement, YourMechanic can dispatch a certified technician to your location.
Front driver-side seat (part that you sit on) will not move forward or backwards; can you fix this issue?
ANSWER : From what you’ve described, your power seat has an electrical issue. There is separate control setting for each seat position. The power seat has motors that drive a track assembly to move forward or backward. The motors or related wiring could have failed causing this condition. This will require an inspection of the power seats system. Consider YourMechanic if you need assistance with getting this done.
Driver side door lock button not working, and passenger side sliding door makes a buzzing noise
ANSWER : Hi there. These door issues are common on this vehicle. Most of the time the main issue is the master door lock switch on the driver door. It sounds like you already replaced that. As for the sliding door problem, most of the time, this is a failure within the door module or it can be a connection issue.
I typically take the door apart and check the connections on the module and inside of the door just to make sure that there is nothing apparent in there. If the connections and the wiring are fine, then I use a scan tool to check the module to see what the inputs and outputs are doing. If you need to have this looked at, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your door problem and recommend a repair.
