Balljoints

[bank2me]

So how do you guys tell if the balljoints are bad?How can you tell when they are on the car?

[russiankid]

Jack the car up, and wiggle the wheel side to side, back and forth. The wheel should not move and be sturdy. For the rear, jack up that car, and grab a hold to the spindle assembly and wiggle it. You should not get any movement.

If movement is seen, further inspection is needed to track down which one it is. Also, when the ball joints go out, they like to squeak.

[bank2me]

I thought if movement is seen going back and forth that means a bad tie rod?

[russiankid]

I thought if movement is seen going back and forth that means a bad tie rod?

Well the tie rod is a ball joint...

[AccordB20A]

jack the front of your car up and prise the wheel up and down with a crowbar to check bottom balljoint play.

[MessyHonda]

i replaced mine after they looked dry and riped...all brand new front ball joints.

[fullthrottle_man]

I thought if movement is seen going back and forth that means a bad tie rod?

Not always. My 1g Prelude had a bad ball joint and it only wiggled side-to-side like a tie rod does. It was tight trying to move it up and down.

Also, another symptom of a bad ball joint is clunking when hitting bumps...

[bank2me]

My bro had to change his balljoint recently on his 91 maxima and it was like a creaking sound. When I pushed down on the front it would squeak. When I drove it it almost sounded like something was about ready to snap (creaking noise). My honda sometimes makes a clunk noise when I hit a pothole, like something is loose in the front. I will prolly just pry between the balljoint and see if it moves. :beer:

[A18A]

i replaced my hub

[bank2me]

A18 How did you know it was bad? :gun:

[A18A]

the person who i got the car from said it needed one. i wouldnt of known otherwise, lol

[Layson]

There shouldn't be any movement. I just replaced the ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, and lower control arm bushings. All not too hard to install if you have a press.

The ball joints and tie rod ends are real easy to fix yourself. You don't need any special pullers or tools to replace them. They are pretty cheap to replace!

[bank2me]

How would you not need any special tools to replace the tie rod ends and balljoints? I would think atleast a puller?

[fogged]

Lower balls press in and out. I had to use a puller to get mine off. On a side note the upper ball on the LX-i is premounted on the control arm. My ? is can you use the upper control arm (with a replacealbe ball joint) from the LX, so it would be cheaper in the next time it has to be done.

[bank2me]

Good question. So for doing lower you would definately want a puller. ok

[markmdz89hatch]

Lower balls press in and out. I had to use a puller to get mine off. On a side note the upper ball on the LX-i is premounted on the control arm. My ? is can you use the upper control arm (with a replacealbe ball joint) from the LX, so it would be cheaper in the next time it has to be done.

All control arms and ball joints are the same throughout all trim levels and body types, so there's no cost savings of going one over the other. The upper control arms are purchased as a whole unit which includes the ball-joint, so there's no need to worry about pressing any or in/out.


Honestly, if you're in doubt, or unsure if they are still good, just replace them, especially the lower front, and upper front and rear control arms. I had a rear upper let go on me while driving (and did not notice ANY strange sounds, or very sloppy handling [any moreso than what would be expected with bone-stock susp.]) and it's definitly not fun, and one tow to your house will cost you more then a complete set of ball-joints and control arms if you DIY.

Replacing them is money in the bank if you ask me.

[Oldblueaccord]

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64456


I found these here. Good deal and the joints replaceable. So far they are working well.


wp

[Dr_Snooz]

I haven't been enormously impressed with the whole tire wiggling procedure. There are just too many variables when you are that far from the jt in question. If you do get play, it could be a bad ball jt or a tie rod. It could also be a bad wheel bearing, any of 35 bushings, a bad rack and pinion, bad strut, loose lug nut or just tire flex. If I am in doubt, I grab the suspension members near the jt and yank them around, feeling for play.

In truth though, I watch rubber. If your boots are cracked and the grease is gone, the jt is bad presently or will be before too much longer. If you have cracked boots, you have jts that need love. I can't seem to find boots for less than jts, so I usually just change the jts.

[AccordB20A]

in reckon. if theres no grease its going to fail someday, and knowing luck it will be when your cornering at high speed.....

[bank2me]

Yea I've had one replaced and the fuckin guy made it sound like it was some big job. So how long does it actually take and what type of tools do I need? I've never done them so might take longer.

[Dr_Snooz]

The uppers are reasonably easy. You should rent a front-end kit from Kragen. Also use a torque wrench to get all the bolts torqued right. Also check my response here regarding squeaking:

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64943

If memory serves, the lowers are a pretty big job as you have to pull the knuckle and take it to a shop to have the new ball joints pressed in. Getting them in is tricky, so don't let idiots do it.

If you're going to go to all the trouble, you might consider replacing wheel bearings, CV boots and whatever else might need it while it's all apart.

Good luck!

[bank2me]

Can I press the bottoms in myself?

[markmdz89hatch]

some claim that you can, and some (me included) say leave it to a shop w/ a press, and have them do it.

[russiankid]

If you have a big enough vice you can do it yourself. All you would need is some type of thick pipe to go on the side of the joint where it goes through the control arm so you do not damage it. You will need a cheater bar. I have never done this on a 3gen Accord, but I have seen people do it this way.

[lostforawhile]

Can I press the bottoms in myself?you can knock the old ones out with a big hammer,after you take the spindle off the car. there is a circlip on some of them,some of the replacment ones don't have a circlip. doesn't matter if you damage the old one,it's junk anyway. i used the moog, get them from summit,best deal you'll get on a quality balljoint. moog says you can leave the boot on during assembly, but theres no way to put it through the hole in the wishbone,unless you remove the boot first. you can reinstall it with a big socket and a vise, vise goes on the flat side of the ball joint,and the socket goes over the end that sticks through the hole{the threaded part}. while you have the spindle off,go ahead and have the wheel bearings replaced,they are not that expensive. i would not drive a car this old with original wheel bearings. try to get the nsk bearings if possible. cheap insurance. also while they are doing the bearings,have new wheel studs put in, you can replace all eight in under ten minutes with the hub off. wheel studs get metal fatique over time, they may look fine,but they have seen a lot of stress in their life. i bought arp ones from summit. not too bad in price,actually cheaper then chinese made ones at autozone. the arp are much much stronger then original, and they are designed to start the lug nut without crossthreading. good insurance against the idiot at the tire store also. very hard to snap off.

[lostforawhile]

If you have a big enough vice you can do it yourself. All you would need is some type of thick pipe to go on the side of the joint where it goes through the control arm so you do not damage it. You will need a cheater bar. I have never done this on a 3gen Accord, but I have seen people do it this way.
i did it that way,worked just fine, good chance the shop will do the same thing.

[lostforawhile]

here ,some of the pics on my thread still work, dam image station. http://www.3geez.com/forum/index.php

[bank2me]

The site just took me to the 3geez main page.

[russiankid]

I just took a big pry bar and checked my lower ball joints. They didn't budge one bit, so check yours before you attempt this.

[snoopyloopy]

you can knock the old ones out with a big hammer,after you take the spindle off the car. there is a circlip on some of them,some of the replacment ones don't have a circlip. doesn't matter if you damage the old one,it's junk anyway. i used the moog, get them from summit,best deal you'll get on a quality balljoint. moog says you can leave the boot on during assembly, but theres no way to put it through the hole in the wishbone,unless you remove the boot first. you can reinstall it with a big socket and a vise, vise goes on the flat side of the ball joint,and the socket goes over the end that sticks through the hole{the threaded part}. while you have the spindle off,go ahead and have the wheel bearings replaced,they are not that expensive. i would not drive a car this old with original wheel bearings. try to get the nsk bearings if possible. cheap insurance. also while they are doing the bearings,have new wheel studs put in, you can replace all eight in under ten minutes with the hub off. wheel studs get metal fatique over time, they may look fine,but they have seen a lot of stress in their life. i bought arp ones from summit. not too bad in price,actually cheaper then chinese made ones at autozone. the arp are much much stronger then original, and they are designed to start the lug nut without crossthreading. good insurance against the idiot at the tire store also. very hard to snap off.

any part numbers for those items?

[lostforawhile]

The site just took me to the 3geez main page.here,sorry about that http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52746&highlight=front+spindle+rebuild

[lostforawhile]

any part numbers for those items?
all you have to do is call summit racing, tell them what car you have and they should have the moog stuff in stock., same with the wheel studs, they are a standard metric stud. they will have them in stock.

[markmdz89hatch]

ok, just got off the phone w/ Summit.

ARP Studs:
Standard Length:
P/N: 100 7709 $17.95 Per set of 4 studs

Extended Length:
P/N: 100 7711 $17.95 Per set of 4 studs

Moog - Front Lower BallJoint:
P/N: K9385 $43.99 each

Moog - Lower Front Control Arm Bushing Set
P/N: K9759 $33.39 each



That's all I got...

[lostforawhile]

you should be happy,those are really good quality parts. the lug studs are so much better then stock. never understood why honda built such a nice car,but put such weak studs on it. when you put the boot back on the ball joint, it's an expanding ring, you'll have to spread it out with something,then lock it in that position,maby a small pair of needle nose vise grips, then slip it over the joint expanded and release the visegrips. you'll see what i mean when you get it, the ball joints cannot go through with the boots on.