Why do you need a ball joint for a control arm?
Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement. Other vehicles include control arms with built-in ball joints that must be replaced as a unit if they begin to fail.
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.
Where are the bushings and ball joints on a car?
They are typically equipped with bushings on the frame side of the vehicle and a ball joint on the wheel side of the vehicle that allow flex and controlled movement according to road conditions and steering input from the driver. Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement.
Can a worn ball joint cause steering alignment to shift?
Excessively worn ball joints, bushings, or a combination of these can cause the vehicle’s steering alignment to shift, which may cause the steering to pull to the left or right when traveling down the road. This will require constant driver correction to steer the vehicle straight.
What does control arm and ball joint assembly do?
Filter your results by entering your Year, Make, Model to ensure you find the parts that fit your vehicle. A control arm and ball joint assembly contains a control arm, ball joint, and bushings and are essential components for suspension and steering. Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement.
How do you know if ball joints need to be replaced?
Inspect the ball joints to make sure they need to be replaced. Figure out if your vehicle’s got a strut-style suspension or a control arm, then check the ball joint by either jacking up the control arm near the ball joint to check for wheel play, or by jacking up the car and using a pry-bar to check for wheel play in a strut-style suspension.
Why are ball joints important to a vehicle?
Because ball joints are an important component of any vehicle’s suspension. When they begin to have problems or fail, the overall handling and ride characteristics of the vehicle are likely compromised.
What are the symptoms of a bad suspension ball joint?
1. Clunking Noises From the Front Suspension One of the most common symptoms of a problem with suspension ball joints is clunking noises coming from the vehicle’s front suspension. As ball joints wear out they become loose in the socket and rattle and knock as the suspension travels up and down over the road.