Symptoms of loose ball joints
▪︎ Noise - Usually the first indication of worn or loose ball joints will be a faint, intermittent clunking noise that seems to be coming from a corner of your vehicle. The sound may be more pronounced when going over a bump or a dip or when going around a corner. While the sound may be faint at first, as time goes on and the wear continues, the sound will become louder and more frequent.
▪︎ Steering - Worn ball joints can affect your vehicle’s steering, usually making the steering sloppy or stiff depending on how the ball joint is wearing. Feeling a vibration in the steering wheel while driving down a level, straight road, or your vehicle drifting to the right or left when going over bumps may also be signs of ball joint wear.
▪︎ Front End Vibration - Worn ball joints become loose in the socket and cause excessive vibration when the vehicle is in motion. You may feel vibration through the seat, steering wheel or brake pedal.
▪︎ Tires - Uneven tire wear may be a sign that your ball joints are wearing out. Specifically, if the inner or outer edges of your front tires are wearing out faster than the rest of the tread, there is a good chance that the cause is worn ball joints. However, if both edges are wearing out faster than the middle, the problem is not ball joints, but under-inflation of your tires.
▪︎ Double wishbone suspensions have two ball joints (upper ball joint and lower ball joint)
#automotive #automobile #suspension #tools #honda #doublewishbone #MechanSkill