Well for quite awhile now I have been hearing a horrible clunking noise when going over bumps or even down my road (I do live on gravel) and i've tightened most everything I can think of in my front end, My dad says he thinks it feels like it is under the front of the passenger floorboard but to me it sounds like it is coming from the two front wheel areas. My mom and I both seem to think it is the ball joints. Can anyone tell me how to check them and where to find some regular replacements (not necessarily steeda upgrades) to replace them, maybe even how to do it. I would like to start with checking these though if that is possible. Thanks a lot!
i just got the front rotors/pads & both balljoints replaced on my '05 last night. i went to Midas which is one of the high end workshops in canada, i'm not sure if U.S has any..but yeah, they just called their parts department and had the correct parts shipped down within an hour and had them installed. im looking at the service record and it says they were $197.12 (canadian) for the pair. just check out local shops, give em a call. u'll get a good idea of where to go from there
P.S- during the rotor inspection, the car was raised and the mechanic called me in..put the front passenger tire back on and moved it up and down..the ball joint moved with it. he told me this is why you'll randomly see vehicles on the highway with the front tires bent inwards at the top. best bet is to replace them right now and you're good for a few years.
Well for quite awhile now I have been hearing a horrible clunking noise when going over bumps or even down my road (I do live on gravel) and i've tightened most everything I can think of in my front end, My dad says he thinks it feels like it is under the front of the passenger floorboard but to me it sounds like it is coming from the two front wheel areas. My mom and I both seem to think it is the ball joints. Can anyone tell me how to check them and where to find some regular replacements (not necessarily steeda upgrades) to replace them, maybe even how to do it. I would like to start with checking these though if that is possible. Thanks a lot!
No!! Do not go replacing parts if you are not even sure if it's a BJ or not! You will only be throwing your money away. Have a shop inspect the front end for your clunk and they can tell you what it is. It could be tie rods, or sway links and bushings too, do not throw a dart and give it BJ's if you are not sure thats what is making your noise.
$197 is pretty high to change 2 ball joints. Spend $30 each side and hammer them out and hammer new one in. total $60. That or buy the Steeda Ball joints if it is lowered for $130.
the ball joints on these cars are not serviceable. you have to replace some control arms. they come as a assembly
its easy enough to check out the ball joint, and better if you have 2 people. just jack up the frt., grab the tire on the top and bottom and push and pull, up and down. if there is any play its probly worn out. if you have 2 people, you can get under and watch the balljoint for play while the other person does the push and pull. any play is bad.
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goina hundred in a 55, and i dont know why..
some things were just meant to be..
05 V6 auto, torch red, basic,:cool: a few mods
06 V6 stick, vista, premium (g/f`s car)
$197 is pretty high to change 2 ball joints. Spend $30 each side and hammer them out and hammer new one in. total $60. That or buy the Steeda Ball joints if it is lowered for $130.
$197 canadian = 2 new ball joints + labour + lifetime warranty. id rather get it done professionally than risk anything just to save a few bucks.
but i agree, check it out first..dont just randomly replace them and completely miss the actual problem
the ball joints on these cars are not serviceable. you have to replace some control arms. they come as a assembly
See, I thought that I read somewhere also that these were not serviceable but how then are people having their's replaced by midas, and why would steeda sell a set if you cannot replace them, that's got me a little confused.
See, I thought that I read somewhere also that these were not serviceable but how then are people having their's replaced by midas, and why would steeda sell a set if you cannot replace them, that's got me a little confused.
beats me. thats what the repair manual says at any rate. i was in a tire shop yesterday and a guy with a newer ford truck had the same issue, and he had to buy control arms too. call and get a price on some and see what they say. the wheel bearings are another item thats not serviceable. you have to buy the hub assemblies.
i just called a oreillys and they said for the 05+,control arms, 180.00 per side( not that they are always right) now the previous model stangs were different.
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goina hundred in a 55, and i dont know why..
some things were just meant to be..
05 V6 auto, torch red, basic,:cool: a few mods
06 V6 stick, vista, premium (g/f`s car)
hmm..the guy i go to at midas has 4 mustangs..a fox body, a '99 GT, an '05 GT and his wife has an '05 V6, said the balljoints can be fixed it doesn't need a full assembly replacement..unless the damage exceeds balljoints. he just replaced the joints, nothing else. now it feels powerful at the steering and i feel like i have so much more control as well.
the guy did exactly what amustangrocks said earlier about raising front end and checking for wobble when moving the tire by hand. it wobbled and i put on brand new ones..it was as simple as that..
Hmmmm. That is interesting, I'll make a few calls on monday but, i'll try and make some time this weekend to jack it up and check it all out, if I can only get a little time off of work to check it out. Thanks for all the replies!
i guess the book could be wrong. make some calls.( ive always replaced my own ball joints on my trucks.) i had a bad clunk in my rt frt over bumps, it was the upper strut nut. a clunk over bumps can also be the upper strut bearing mounts( i replaced those and the struts) and a loose sway bar nut could cause a clunk too. you need to check all that out.
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goina hundred in a 55, and i dont know why..
some things were just meant to be..
05 V6 auto, torch red, basic,:cool: a few mods
06 V6 stick, vista, premium (g/f`s car)
When the manual is saying that the parts are not servicable I believe they are saying they can not be repaired. They do not mean they can not be replaced. Since there is no need for the control arm to be replaced when the ball joint is shot it would not make sense for these two items to have to be replaced at the same time, unless there is actually damage to the control arm.
Had the same statement on my dakota and we definately replaced the ball joints, and the ball joints only, multiple times.
Anyways as others have said get a good shop to check out your front end. The symptoms you are describing sound more like one of the rods has cracked than the ball joints to me. Everytime a ball joint has went on any car we have ever had it didn't make any sounds, just had reduced handeling.
Oh, and please remember that people living in Canada will always over pay for auto parts because we get totally screwed here since most of the parts are brought in from the states. So $197 may seem like alot, but remember a new GT here is $44k not the $25k it is in the states.
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2007 4.0 V6 Premium Mustang -- Auto, Vista Blue
Perfomance Mods -- C&L CAI w/ 91 Race Tune (BamaChips), Steeda STB.
Okay, so I got a day off and I jacked up my car and tried to move the tires up and down and they didn't budge so Im guessing the ball joints are good, however when I push in and out on the front and back of the tire like turning the wheel, it moves just a bit and makes a clunking noise, and Im not sure but maybe thats what im hearing while driving over bumps, but the clunking sounds like its just the stearing wheel in the car moving, I wish I could be under the car listening and working at the same time but I couldn't so I don't know what it is. Any ideas what else it might be or a better way to check? Maybe I can get a friend to help me soon.
If you can move the tire back and forth and it clunks, that is usually tie rods.
How many miles you got?
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2006 Legend Lime GT: Samco, Metco, LPW, Brembo 6 pot brakes with floating rotors, Magnacharger with 8-Rib, LubeLocker, Royal Purple, FR500S front end, APR Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Wing, Roll bar, 10 qt upgraded oil system...Thank you Capaldi Racing for all your help! 2007 Mustang GT/CS : Wife's Car, Magnacharged too. 1966 Mustang GT-K Code Coupe: Restored
I think im up to 22,000 miles now... I had J&M (i think) adjustable upper strut mounts installed at my dealer a few months ago, Im guessing its the tie rods, whats the best way to check those?
How to install balljoints and where to get them 
, I'll make a few calls on monday but, i'll try and make some time this weekend to jack it up and check it all out, if I can only get a little time off of work to check it out. Thanks for all the replies!
, I wish I could be under the car listening and working at the same time but I couldn't so I don't know what it is
. Any ideas what else it might be or a better way to check? Maybe I can get a friend to help me soon.
