[wisdommaster]

If your ball joints need to be replaced how does your car act at a high speed? I am trying to determine if miness(ball joints) needs to be replaced.

[MizzouMike76]

Who told you they were bad?

Or do you just suspect they are?

What is your car doing?

I have replaced ball joints on a few different cars. The old joints, when they wear out, just get sloppy. If they are bad, you will feel a difference with the new ones; your steering and suspension will feel a bit more 'precise', is how I would describe it. Less sloppy.

If you think you have a component that is bad, it is best to have a good mechanic check it out. It's an old car, parts will wear out. The last thing you want is to compromise your safety. However, if you are suspecting this yourself, please tell us about your car (year, etc), your suspension mods, if any, and what the symptoms are. That will give us (okay mostly others that are smarter than me) a better shot at helping you out

Michael

[heavy metal]

hey,hope this helps...jack up front end,wheels about an inch or two high,put a bar under each tire and lift,you should see the balljoint play if its bad.also rock tire from left to right and look for play in tierods,etc.

[wisdommaster]

I have a 73 mustang and the ride is sloppy. I went to firestone to have them change my oil and they recommended this. However, I don't trust those overprice shady (I am about to lose my religion) people.
Thanks for the info, is this a difficult thing to change? or should I hit the shade tree mechanic shop?

[Elwood]

I had a 1969 Cougar (390) which had sloppy steering -- especially noticable at high speeds. I would have to steer maybe an inch in either direction before I could feel the tension which felt like it was engaging with the rest of the steering bits. Not sure if it applies to the 1973, but I had a shop tighten the steering box. If you look at the travel into the box vs. what comes out of the box, you might see the slop there. They tightened and I had no more wandering at highway speeds.

[MizzouMike76]

Wisdom,

a sloppy feel could be a number of things, and is probably a combination of several:

1. Is this your daily car, or a sometimes car? I have a '90 and a '66. When I haven't driven the '66 for a while, dang that thing handles like a shrimp boat. But, after driving it for a few days, I get better used to it, and it really isn't so bad at all.

2. Bad ball joints. If they are even close to worn, get new ones. The lowers, at least on a '66, require replacing the whole arm. Uppers are riveted on, and the rivets are drilled and the new ball bolted down. The uppers aren't so bad, I've done them a few times. The press fit (later model cars) are a kick in the crotch, but still doable in the garage. If you have a good mechanic and don't mind paying for the work, I would go that route. As my Dad always says, you can do it yourself and save money, or watch someone else do it for you

3. Tie rods, idler arm, pitman arm: When they wear out, the car will wander about on the highway.

4. Sway bar bushings/end links: again with the sloppy ride. If the bushings are cracked or worse, get new ones.

5. If you aren't planning to do any of this yourself, I would have a long talk with your mechanic after he gives your car the once over. See what he recommends, and go with it.

Firestone. Everytime I go there, they "recommend" about $1,000 worth of stuff. The only reason I go there is they have good tire deals, and I have lifetime alignment service with them. It's always good to see a recommendation for parts I just replaced. Nice.

Good Luck,

Michael

[wisdommaster]

Thanks I have an appointment set up for this friday