Quote:
Originally Posted by 72c105speed
Grease up the control arms shafts, ball joints... Then I'd take a jack under the control arm to load the suspension, then jack up the front end. Load and unload the suspension and watch for binding
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UPDATE
Well, this can't help... I jacked up the front end by putting a jack under each front control arm instead of under the frame. The driver's side seemed OK, but the passenger side is messed up. The lower ball joint slides up an down at least 1/4" in the bore of the A-arm. It's as if the ball joint wasn't tightened down all the way or something, even though the length of exposed threads matches from side to side. It seems tight when you grab the wheel at 3 & 9 (tie rod end check) and 6 & 12 (ball joint check), but when I put a long pry-bar under the wheel and lifted up, the passenger side ball joint just easily slides up and down. Is it possible that something inside the ball joint has somehow collapsed? I'm guessing the lower A-arm on this side is going to be junk if the ball joint can just slide up and down like that, or are they not a press-fit? The ball-joint isn't loose from side to side in the bore of it's hole, just up and down.
Here you can see in this photo of the bottom of the A-arm how the ball-joint can slide up/down.
