What are the ball joints on a jeep?
Ball joints connect your steering knuckle to your axle, allowing the knuckle to pivot so you can steer your Jeep. They can wear out over time, causing sloppy steering response or wandering when driving down the road.
How can I check the ball joint on my front suspension?
If your front suspension uses MacPherson struts, look for a wear indicator, which is usually a grease fitting. Grasp the fitting and try to wiggle it. If the fitting moves around inside the housing, you’ll need to replace the ball joint. Jack up the car on the front cross-member.
What happens when a car’s ball joints wear down?
The ball joints allow the suspension of your vehicle to move up and down, while at the same time allow the wheels to turn left and right. Over time, a car’s ball joints may wear down. If a ball joint starts to loosen, you’ll hear clunking sounds from the front as the joint rattles in the socket.
Can a worn out ball joint be replaced?
If you’ve installed oversized wheels and tires, that can wear out the original factory ball joints faster than usual. You can replace you worn out ball joints with factory quality ball joints, or take the opportunity to upgrade them to heavier duty ball joints to help keep them from wearing out prematurely again.
What happens when your steering wheel is out of alignment?
When the ball joints are in good condition and the wheels are in proper alignment, the steering wheel should stay mostly straight and direct in response. Worn ball joints will cause the vehicle steering to wander to the left or right, which will require the driver to compensate for the issue.
What happens when a front ball joint fails?
Should a ball joint break, the wheel becomes totally free to move in any direction, which can damage the car’s fender, tire, and several suspension components, if not more. Usually, when front ball joints start to fail, the vehicle will display a few symptoms that alert the driver a problem has occurred.