Hey guys. I've had some noise going on in my front suspension when driving over bumps or uneven roads back in june so my shop advised me to change my upper control arms because my upper ball joints were done especially the passenger side. They wouldn't change just the ball joint by itself they said they only change out the whole upper control arm, so i had them change both upper arms (not sure what brand they used which i regret but its too late now ) and 85% of the clunking noise went away. That was at 180k now im at 185k, i took a good look under the car today to see what the remaining noise was and noticed the driver side lower ball joint was super dirty and greasy compared to passenger side so i wiped it down and found this HOLE in it! Here's a few pictures of how it looks:

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps93582952.jpg

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps390c1bab.jpg

The lower ball joints have been replaced in the past by the dealership at 98,000 miles.

1. Does this mean that all the grease came out of it and its dry on the inside and needs to be replaced?
2. If i do need to replace it (which im sure i have to do) can i just replace the lower ball joint by it self or does it have to be the whole lower control arm?
3. Is it a better idea to just replace the whole lower control arm unit since the new one will come with brand new fresh bushings?
4. Does anyone know of which brands are better than OEM?

If there isn't a better brand i will stick with OEM but that means i'll most likely have to keep changing them every 80k-95k.

I also noticed my driver side tie rod end had a ball joint looking thing also that was SUPER greasy but the passenger side was not greasy at all! Here's a picture of how greasy the tie rod end ball joint looks:

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps60d1f946.jpg

1. Does that mean that the driver side tie rod end is busted? I changed it using moog parts at 165k and now im on 185k.
2.Is it possible they can go bad that fast ?
Thanks in advance for the help guys it is much appreciated, this site and you guys rock!

 

Hey Cuddy Bang, the upper ball joints are replaceable without needing to do the entire upper control arm. If the bushings were bad, that's different.... it's best to do the entire arm then.

The sway bar end links tend to wear and can cause clunking. The lower ball joints, if replaced by the dealer at 98k should still be ok, IMO. How did the hole get into the boot ? That's unusual, but the boot itself is replaceable if the BJ is still good. A new lower control arm is "not" necessary.

The "Moog" tie rod end replaced at 165k should be ok, IMO. How did all the grease get out ? Do you do your own lubrication of the grease fittings ? It appears that somebody got a bit carried away with over-lubing the zerks. Most of the front end suspension parts can last indefinitely depending on the weather and type of roads that you drive. Get a second opinion, IMO !!!

 

Hi 3.2TLc, thank you for replying. Yeah i knew the upper ball joints were replaceable with out changing the whole upper control arm but my shop wouldn't change just the ball joints. They used a cheap brand called "aftermarket" which i regret now because i found out that each arm only costs $45 online! Ow well as long as they last me 90k ill be satisfied. I did have much louder clunking before they switched out the UCA's now its not nearly as loud.

How did the lower ball joint boot get ripped you ask? I have no idea i really wish i knew. I didn't know the boot was replaceable by itself, good to know thanks for telling me that might save me some money if they are still good .
1. Do you happen to know a good method to test the Lower ball joints?
2. Since there's already a hole in the LBJ boot should i just go ahead and put some grease in there? I'm sure all the original grease already came out by now. (Who knows how long that hole has been there....)
2a. If so what kind of grease should i stuff up in there?

I also have no idea how all the grease came out of the tie rod end. I don't do my own lubrication of the grease fittings because the moog tie rod ends i got installed are not serviceable and are sealed i believe, i don't think there's anything in the OEM front suspension that has grease fittings but i could be wrong i'm no expert, at least the tie rod ends have a lifetime warranty from moog.
4. Is there a way to test the tie rod ends ?

All my driving is city driving, 100% city and no freeway driving. Also it's not just city driving its San Francisco city driving which means ALL hills and a stop sign/red light on every street corner...literally ! That makes it tough on the suspension and car for sure, more wear n tear than a TL driven on freeways.

I never checked my sway bar end links before. Are those located at the end of the sway bar and are they rubber ? Sorry for that dumb question haha im just not sure im a noob kinda. I wonder if having 185k on my front struts is putting more stress on other front suspension parts such as ball joints and stuff. Any how thanks again3.2TLc.