sbuswell

When I drive my car over a bumpy road every bump I hit on the drivers side will make a rattling sound. if I hit a good bump on the passengers side it will rattle a little bit, probably the driver side traveling. I am thinking bad ball joint, but lower or upper ball joint is the question and what is the best method to check a ball joint and is it hard to replace? I plan on doing it myself.

thanks.

JDM96specCTR

i think i may have the same issue as you, i think mine is the outer tie rods tho, as mine seemed a lil loose..

ac5320

I dont know how to do it...i just got mine done a few months back by my mechanic. In terms of your problem though, im not sure its a ball joint. When my ball joints went, i could hear a metal to metal screeching over bumps and when i was driving at low speeds. Also, when our outside the car just push down on the hood and make the car rock. if you hear squeeking noise its probably your ball joints. Rattling im not sure what that would be.

6spMike

Support the car on jackstands from the frame with the front wheels off the ground. Use a jack to take the spring load off the ball joints. You can then shake the tire to see if it's upper or lower.

sbuswell

thanks for the tips, I'll give that a try this weekend.

JDM96specCTR

i changed a lower ball joint on a civic before, pretty simple, this should be pretty much the same.. u will need snap ring pliers, since thats what locks it in pretty much.

u can seperate the joint from the LCA a few different ways..

A. ball joint seperator fork and a small sledge hammer. u can rent it from autozone for like $15, and get all ur money back when u return it. this method is ok if ur replacing the ball joint, because it will usually tear it

B. after removing the nut, place a jack stand or other jack or brick or whatever under the ball joint and lower the car slowly onto it. sometimes the weight of the car will be able to pop it loose. this doesnt always work though

C. after removing the nut, take a sledge and hammer the shit out of the lower control arm. should pop the joint loose after a few blows (i havent looked at the TL front suspension setup to know if this would work, but it works on other hondas)

tip: put the new ball joint in the freezer for a few hours b4 u do the job. it will freeze and contract very slightly, making it easier to slide in

fsttyms1

on the tl you have to remove the axle to get it out

JDM96specCTR

yea i forgot to mention that.. u will have to take the axle out of the hub to actually get the ball joint out of the knuckle. pretty much if u can change an axle, u can change a lower ball joint. just get the snap ring pliers, it makes it alot easier

fsttyms1

sbuswell

Therein lies another problem. I have never changed an axle or a ball joint, but I am handy and loves doing things myself especially when I am learnign something new. How hard it is to get the axle off? Is there anything special that needs to be supported or taken off before I can remove the axle? Aside from the wheel and brake assembly.

myTaLizaS3.2

i had the same problem like yours, going over bumps you hear a knocking noise, and when turning the steering wheel all the way while busting a U-turn. But I took it to the dealer and i had some loose bolts somewhere down in the suspension to cause the noise. Drives smooth like a babies' butt now.

Severin

Make sure it's not your front sway bar. I had nocking sounds for months before we finally figured out what it was. Once the bushings get loose, the front end will sound all sorts of bad when you hit bumps. For me, it was especially evident at lower speeds (ie. under 35mph).

sbuswell

I took a closer look yesterday. I took off the wheel (front drivers side) and checked out the brakes. The brakes looked fine. I then checked for any signs of grease leaking and found none. I then checked all the rubber bushings and there is a tear in one. It's the lowest bushing at the bottom of the strut tower right underneath the rotor. It had a very visable tear in it. Could this be the problem with the noise I'm hearing? I'll take a picture of it later if I can and post it.

sbuswell

Here is the bushing in question. A little hard to see but it's torn pretty good. How hard is this to replace(I have very little experience with suspension systems. Also could this bushing be the cause of the rattling sound I hear when going over bumps?

01tl4tl

Torn boot = no grease and all dirt inside= makes for serious problems and thunks and steering issues
If not sure what the prob is- take to alignment shop and ask
If not skilled with tools- have the same place fix it and align for you

sbuswell

Would that be the boot, it's pretty small. I thought it was a rubber bushing. I am handy, but I've never had to work on the suspension of a car, only engine related stuff. I know this sounds remedial, but what is the boot or bushing connected to? Would that cause the noise I'm hearing? How hard is it to replace and does anyone have a DIY?

01tl4tl

Inside is a shaft that allows movement of the steering- broken boot allows grease to escape- part fails- alignment wont hold- steers funny etc

sbuswell

is that what could be noising the rattling noise?

01tl4tl

take it to an alignment shop and have it looked at by a pro- we can guess all day and they can inspect and advise

acitydweller

isnt that boot a part of the lower control arm?

fsttyms1

No. Its attached to the knuckle. You have to remove the knuckle to replace the balljoint