How to check upper ball joints

[icarl]

My mechanic said my upper ball joints are both bad. But my Al's a-arms are less than a year old. But how am I supposed to check them? How do you support the vehicle while doing the check? From under the lower arm or does it matter?

 

[ShafferNY]

As long as you're supporting the vehicle safely under the LCA, you should be able to feel any play by grabbing the top of the steering knuckle and moving it back and forth. You may also detect movement by trying to lift the UCA up and down.

 

[kj924]

Yeah jack it up under the LCA to take the weight off them. Do the "in &out" test by rocking the tire at the top of the wheel. Then with a long bar/lever(with jackstands for safety ) check "up&down" play from underneath the tire with the lever....just pry up enough to feel if there is any excessive play.

 

[JeepJeepster]

You can check them while its sitting on the ground with tires on.

I usually just take the tire wrench and stick it back in the coils then pry up on the a arm and watch for play in the joint. Do the same thing but pry down on it also. Check it from both the top and bottom in other words. You can also use a big screw driver if you have one.

Have you kept them greased? Funny theyre already bad. My stockers have yet to fall apart or get a bad joint.

 

[kj924]

You can check them while its sitting on the ground with tires on.

I usually just take the tire wrench and stick it back in the coils then pry up on the a arm and watch for play in the joint. Do the same thing but pry down on it also. Check it from both the top and bottom in other words. You can also use a big screw driver if you have one.

Have you kept them greased? Funny theyre already bad. My stockers have yet to fall apart or get a bad joint.

I wouldn't trust that method myself, you need the weight off the joint to check axial and side play.

 

[icarl]

Thanks. I will check them. Yes it is hard to believe they have gone but maybe I haven't been putting enough grease for the conditions I drive in. Will let you know what I find.

 

[icarl]

I found this method of checking ball joints. I'm guessing the KJ is scenario number 2.

 

[icarl]

I found this method of checking ball joints. I'm guessing the KJ is scenario number 2.

I mean scenario number 1. Ubj and Lbj both tension loaded on kj's right?

 

[icarl]

I tried to check my upper ball joints but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I can't get them to budge however I try. Yet the mechanic said they show lateral play. I wonder how he measures that? I do agree that my wheel bearing are shot because I can wobble my tire back and forth.

 

[icarl]

There is also lots of grease in the ubj. I can squeeze it out.

 

[JeepJeepster]

I wouldn't trust that method myself, you need the weight off the joint to check axial and side play.

There is no weight on the upper ball joint when the Jeep is sitting on the ground. There will be some force in the x direction but none in the y direction.

There will also be force in the x direction with the tire off the ground since its keeping the whole knuckle from falling off the Jeep. Not as much as if it were on the ground but theres still some.

 

[icarl]

Yeah jack it up under the LCA to take the weight off them. Do the "in &out" test by rocking the tire at the top of the wheel. Then with a long bar/lever(with jackstands for safety ) check "up&down" play from underneath the tire with the lever....just pry up enough to feel if there is any excessive play.

I did this method but I don't see or feel any play other than the previously mentioned wheel bearings. Does this mean the mechanic was wrong or maybe he just looked at them and thought they were bad because they are a little dirty???

 

[kj924]

How many K? on the KJ? He may just be going by mileage too, some guys will prescribe BJ's if the mileage is high and he/she sees that they are original equipment.

 

[icarl]

Example of bad ball joints: (not mine)
Bad Lower Ball Joints
Bad Upper Ball Joints

 

[icarl]

How many K? on the KJ? He may just be going by mileage too, some guys will prescribe BJ's if the mileage is high and he/she sees that they are original equipment.

He knows my a-arms are aftermarket. It says so on the invoice. I have over 165K (KM). But my a-arms are less than a year old with about 10000 KMs on them. Greased every 2 or 3 months.

 

[kj924]

Oh yeah the top ball joint for sure, the lowers....well they ain't gonna get any better in the future. Better off if you can swing it is to replace all four at the same time, then you have a good tight front end....those lowers will always clunk.

Since you have it apart anyways...save ya some labour in the long run.

 

[icarl]

Oh yeah the top ball joint for sure, the lowers....well they ain't gonna get any better in the future. Better off if you can swing it is to replace all four at the same time, then you have a good tight front end....those lowers will always clunk.

Since you have it apart anyways...save ya some labour in the long run.

Sorry. Those weren't my ball joints in the video. They were just on u-tube and i wanted to see an example of bad ball joints and decided to post them. My Lower ball joints were replaced about 1.5 years ago under recall. My upper ball joints about 1 year ago. Looking at my upper there is no play when prying the tire up with a crow bar and no play when shaking the top of the wheel back and forth. There is also no play on the lower ball joint.

 

[icarl]

I'm thinking I may have to find a new mechanic.

 

[JeepJeepster]

As a side note the mechanic also said the right outer CV boot was leaking. After inspecting the boot I found a small amount of grease. I cleaned the grease and did not see any perforations in the boot. However the location of the grease is right under the upper a-arm and it is not uncommon for me to drop a little grease from there or to put too much grease in the a-arms so that it leaks out and drops down onto the boot.

Maybe he thought since the balljoints had some grease on them that they were bad?

If the boot had a drop of grease on it and he said the boot was leaking then yeah, I would find another mechanic. Why not just not find another??

 

[icarl]

As a side note the mechanic also said the right outer CV boot was leaking. After inspecting the boot I found a small amount of grease. I cleaned the grease and did not see any perforations in the boot. However the location of the grease is right under the upper a-arm and it is not uncommon for me to drop a little grease from there or to put too much grease in the a-arms so that it leaks out and drops down onto the boot.

I have to withdraw this statement as after closer inspection i did find a small puncture in the boot.