on my 2005 RL, my ball joints are wearing out, I was wondering if i can replace just the ball joints or if i need new control arms??? can someone let me know? or if anyone has done this repair, your input would be very much appreciated!
thanks!

 

are you sure? what year is your car?

 

2005 acura RL

 

160,000 kms on it
i hear rattles when i go over bumps and stuff, my

 

160,000 kms on it
i hear rattles when i go over bumps and stuff,
my mechanic said its the ball joints but that he thinks they come as a complete assembly with the control arms....
this would be a bit stupid in my opinion, but he usually knows what he's talking about... i just wanted to verify on the board

 

on the right side front. but my front end is ok. no ball joint problems.

 

well if you really think .... they are pressed into the upper control arm just like all the other Hondas. Just jack it up first and see if the wheel moves when you hold the top and pull toward the bottom back and forth. It mite be a bushing or engine mount. Ball joints last for around 10 years

 

With ball joints you would feel a slight movement with the suspension when braking. I would double check the brakes cause they can have some play within the pad shims and cause it to rattle, had that problem before

 

istevennl makes a good point. Check the TSB on 05 brakes

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/2g-rl-garage-version-1-1-acura-servicenews-diys-tsbs-etc-738410/

 

i will take a look, the upper ball joints can be found separately its the lower ones that i can't, i think you need the whole control arm... hmmm

 

Do check the TSB first, unless you have had the work done...it talks about the brakes rattling over bumps. Should be a lot cheaper than control arms

SYMPTOM
While driving on rough roads, you may hear a rattle
from the front suspension, or while braking at low
speed, you may hear a squeal from the front brakes.
The vehicle may have both symptoms.

 

dont mean to bring this back up... but when i go over bump it feels like something is loose under my feet and it rattles... like something is hitting the bottom of my car almost... im thinking control arm bushings worn? any input would be greatly appreciated...

 

might want to search for the parking brake cable thread too.

 

ya looked at that... might be the other noise im hearing... but this one is coming from the front... under my feet i can feel something rattling, especially when turning... is there a way to tell when the sway bar bushings go bad? i feel like my friend's MDX had the same issue when going over bumps... sounded like the suspension was about to fall apart (rattled that bad...). i just dont have $ to go to the dealer to diagnose...