Ball joint worn out? pics
 

Ok guys I've had this on going creaking and groaning from the back of the car so I finally got around to crawling around in there and getting a good look at things.

In the first picture you will see that the ball joint on the the controll arm is at a pretty good slant. Tire is off one corner of the car jacked up. In the second the upper arm is shown with a bit of a slant also. I can twist the ball joint mabye 3/8" with a pry bar, basically held up by the track arm bushing. The upper arm moves about an 1/8" by hand. Thoughts on where to go with this before I start buying parts? Thanks for any help you guys can offer.


http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/upperarm.jpg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/a...controlarm.jpg

Ok so I got impatient and pulled the trailing arm bolt out of the center of the control arm and I can twist it back and forth VERY easy, like left handed till the upper joint binds in its bracket. How much play should be in that joint? Thanks again.

A ball joint is suppose to rotate and be able to move as you described. Does the ball feel loose, can you move it up & down. I would not expect a groan from one. More metal to metal as the ball joint is sealed in grease. A groan noise to me would be more like rubber parts getting hard from age. :)

no it dosn't feel loose at all, I expected it to move about the amount I described and it dosn't move up and down so I think its fine. I think my best best at this point is change out the other 2 bushings on the controll arm with the PowerFlex kit sitting in my tool box and seem what I got from there.

My manual says I have to torque the arm to body bolt on the ground with suspension loaded. Gonna be tricky to reach it, but I'll get on it in the next few days I geuss. Thanks

I don't know what a Powerflex kit is but if it has non-rubber bushing expect the real groaning to begin.

One forum member replaced his bushing and added a grease fitting and greased the sucker. Fixed his problem. :cheers:

Ok one other thing, is the closest arm in the top picture what is replace by the Tarret arms? I am lowering as soon as I figure this all out but if thats the arm I replace I'm not going to buy a urathane bushing for that connection since the new arm should have a new bushing on it no?

I have been having the same creaking noise but it's coming from the bolt immediately to the right of the lower ball joint.

I apologize for hijacking this thread but is that a replaceable bushing?

Thanks for the help.

Yep, thats the toe arm (trailing arm). It is replaced by the Tarrett adjustable toe arms.