Ball joints, tire wear, steering wheel vibration!

[abracadabra]

Folks-

I've got a problem I'm trying to figure out.

In the last year I've been having issues with steering wheel vibration at speeds over 55 or so. It doesn't seem to be due to the quality of the roads either, sometimes I'll be at 55-60 on a so-so road and the vibration is minimal/non existent, and sometimes on smoother roads it might vibrate.

I suspected tires at first. I have a set of Hankooks on that I didn't rotate for a long time, I bought them new in Oregon and put close to 7k on the vehicle. So I took the van in and had the tires balanced and rotated.

And guess what, at first the ride seemed worse! I hardly ever have to go over 55 here so it hasn't been a big deal but when I get on the Interstate its nice to hit 60-65 without the vibration.

So, today I went out and rotated my own tires. I noticed that the left front tire was very worn on the outside edge only. No other tire showed strange wear patterns, which is funny because if the tires were rotated before then there should be another tire with wear too, right?

Anyway a light bulb went off as I realized that the LF side is where I was told I had a bad lower ball joint. Could this be my issue? It hasn't been anything that's bothered me so I never thought about having it fixed. I was hoping it might just be an alignment thing but I hate to pay for an alignment only to have it be not the problem!

Any thoughts? thanks!

Mark in Maine w/ '87 4WD LE

[timsrv]

Any time there's an irregular tire wear issue you should take it in for an alignment. I don't know where to go to in Maine, but here I recommend Les Schwab. Les Schwab will align the vehicle for $50. Part of the alignment is checking critical components (like ball joints & tie rods). One thing I like about Les Schwab is they don't charge unless they make an adjustment (alignment is free). Due to liability reasons, if they find a part that's bad or worn beyond acceptable limits, then they won't adjust (it's still free).

Since you already know the lower left ball joint is bad, then it's a no-brainer (replace it already). After replacement take the van in for an alignment. Putting it off will cost you more in the long run (tires are expensive). Having an alignment issue will also decrease your gas mileage. Worn parts (like ball joints) make it impossible to accurately align a vehicle and improper alignment is the #1 reason for irregular tire wear. This is the reason many people (myself included) have their vehicle's alignment checked EVERY time new tires are installed. Tim

[abracadabra]

Well I think an alignment is in order, yes.

The lower ball joint I've known about but because I didn't notice any problems due to it being bad I never looked in to fixing it.

I have to say the procedure seems straightforward EXCEPT for the several "SST" required and also removing the steering knuckle seems a little tricky, does it need to come off for just replacing the lower?

thanks!

mark

[Burntboot]

Mark - If one lower ball joint is bad, don't take chances, replace both sides, they are relatively cheap and I guarantee you will notice a huge improvement in handling with fresh joints in there.
Noises over bumps will be significantly decreased as will the the crosswind effect.
I couldn't believe the difference when I did mine, night and day.
They are easy enough to check as well but if they are original, it is a no brainer.
Just remember the proper procedure for checking and don't confuse it the way I did.

I was jacking up the lower arm and levering between tire and road and of course everything seemed fine as the joint was under load.
In reality, you have to lever between the rim and the lower arm, because the "spring" is on the upper arm.

Ignore the manual when it comes to procedure, there is absolutely no reason to pull the spindle.
I used a ball joint press and a hammer (back off the nut, load up the joint, then give it a whack) then unbolt the base and remove.
While the press may have been overkill I had less chance of whacking something important and could easily see when the joint separated.
IIRC, it was necessary to disconnect shocks and sway bar ends to get enough movement from the lower arm though.

BB

[abracadabra]

Funny thing is, I feel like the van handles really well right now and I don't notice noises going over bumps, maybe my stereo is turned up too loud!

Anyway I haven't checked the ball joint myself but I had the van in to a shop in Philly last year to check out a different problem he said the ball joint was bad, and I just made a mental note, and now with the the whole worn tire on that side well it seems kinda like the problem....

By the way, it seems Rock Auto doesn't have any options for lower ball joints for 4WD, I do think the part number for Toyota is 43330-29165 and Toyota Parts Zone has that one in for $60 or so.

mark

[timsrv]

The number you posted is the old number for the right hand lower joint. The current part numbers are 43340-29116 for left hand lower and 43330-29166 for right hand lower. $60 is a pretty good price for a Toyota joint. Looks like the lowest price on www.rockauto.com is about the same as Toyota. FWIW, these are MOOG Part # K9531 (left lower ball joint) & MOOG Part # K9529 (right lower ball joint). Since price is a wash, I'd go with Toyota.

I replaced the factory ball joints on my 89 2wd cargo van at around 130k miles. They were still pretty tight, but I just decided it was time. I got some Beck Arnley joints on a rockauto close-out sale for $7 each. During a random check at around 150k miles I noticed the lower right ball joint had almost 1/2" vertical play in it . So I ended up changing it again. Moral of the story, I would rather have spent the $60 for Toyota and saved the trouble of doing it again. I had purchased a bunch of the $7 ball joints & needed the van the next day, so I grudgingly put another Beck Arnley joint on it. I had saved the original joints and was very tempted to put them back on. I'm guessing my experience was a fluke, but time will tell. Tim