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So I had my driver's side ball joint go bad a couple months ago (very loud grinding/squeaking noise) and had it replaced on July 27. Everything seemed fine until yesterday when my axle exploded while driving down the road. The shop I've used for over a decade did the ball joint replacement and is now fixing the axle. They said the ball joint still looked fine and the 2 problems aren't related. I'm still wondering if they messed up something on the ball joint install that led to this. What do you guys think?
Oh and it is an 06 TL with 176k, stock except for koni yellows on lowest perch.
I'm getting a new aftermarket axle and new tire. The fender also needs some work..
and the tire skid mark left behind while I came to a stop from 45:
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69217653@N03/20926751548/in/datetaken/" title="Axle problems"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/20926751548_253b8925ce_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="Axle problems"></a>
Last edited by jblessing; 09-03-2015 at 10:39 AM.
Reason: more car info..
My thought, is they either used a shitty ball joint. ( someone else had a similar ball joint explosion when they used a MOOG ball joint. I believe that problem was due to the ball joint nut not being wide enough and could easily slide out from the mount.
How did the ball joint look after this happend? Have any pics?
its your ball joint give out to cause that issue, if your axle snapped then you will get really bad torque steer but not to the point like the pictures.
Shop, like many others, did the job correctly but if the part is incorrect for the application separation occurs and you see the result.
Check with shop as to what BJ was used as there have been NHTSA recalls on certain brands because of misapplication. The stud nut is
of insufficient diameter at the flange for the Acura TL application as separation from the lower control arm can occur.
Check it out as the company may be liable for the repairs.
Thanks guys. After having time to search around here more, there is no way the axle was the primary problem. The ball joint was still attached when this happened, but I didn't get a photo of it. I think you're right Turbonut.
So I talked to the shop again and they said the whole lower balljoint, along with castle nut and cotter pin all just pulled out of the LCA when "the axle malfunctioned." I don't know how that is even possible.
Is there anyway I can prove they installed the lower ball joint wrong/loose and caused this problem?
So I talked to the shop again and they said the whole lower balljoint, along with castle nut and cotter pin all just pulled out of the LCA when "the axle malfunctioned." I don't know how that is even possible.
Is there anyway I can prove they installed the lower ball joint wrong/loose and caused this problem?
There's a sleeve the lower control arm that goes around the lower ball joint. It sounds like the sleeve pulled out. An OEM castle nut has a flange that extends beyond the sleeve and would hold it in, but if your ball joint was aftermarket it may not have had the flange and let it slip out. Looking at your picture, I don't see the sleeve in the LCA anymore. I bet it's still on the ball joint.
Check out this thread. Especially post #7. Here's a quote from the thread. "In fact....the Moog replacement ball-joints from several years back included a new castle nut with no flange. Because there was no flange, and the nut was smaller diameter than the sleeve, the sleeve was able to slip out of the UCA while driving." "These ball joints were quickly recalled because of this stupid flaw."
Find out what brand ball joint they used, take pics of it. If it was from a faulty design and you can prove it, contact the manufacture and insist on them covering the damage. If the whole ball joint, castle nut and cotter pin pulled out of the LCA without breaking there was either a faulty design or they used an incorrect part. It should NOT be able to do that.
Just to update...the shop is taking full responsibility and is fixing everything. The owner isn't positive what happened, but his guess is the wrong size flange/castle nut was used so it all pulled out of the lca.
Just to update...the shop is taking full responsibility and is fixing everything. The owner isn't positive what happened, but his guess is the wrong size flange/castle nut was used so it all pulled out of the lca.
That's great news! It's too bad this happened in the first place, but at least they are taking responsibility. It's a good thing you didn't get in a serious wreck because of it too!
Just to update...the shop is taking full responsibility and is fixing everything. The owner isn't positive what happened, but his guess is the wrong size flange/castle nut was used so it all pulled out of the lca.
ya that's what I was going to say. The LCA hole is empty. No nut or bolt in it. If the ball joint broke apart, I would think the lower nut would still be there while the ball and joint itself would break apart.. But since the nut and lower part of the ball joint is not in the hole, it looks like the entire ball joint came out of the hole. Like the nut fell off.. yuk.. bad installation.. there is a cotter pin in there to help the nut from coming off.
That's great news! It's too bad this happened in the first place, but at least they are taking responsibility. It's a good thing you didn't get in a serious wreck because of it too!
so, this happened to me while driving on monday. luckily i was approaching a stop sign and only going about 20 MPH. i thought it was a blowout until i came to a stop and got out and looked at the wheel/tire and was in shock what i saw.
long story short the dealership said "someone" installed the "wrong" castle nut at some point and this is what cause the malfunction. pretty scary stuff. 2100 $ later....and i'm now scared to drive the darn thing.
12 TL 72k miles. bought it about 6 months ago and have NOTHING but problems.
I have seen many people on youtube as well as acurazine bang on the lower control arm with a hammer until they knock the lower control arm off the ball joint. What happens is that instead of the ball joint coming out of the sleeve (which is mounted in the hole in the LCA), the entire sleeve comes out. So, when they go to re-install everything, the nut and possibly even the washer is not wide enough to cover the sleeve too. So, what happens is the nut is screwed on and essentially does nothing. Or if it does hold in place temporarily, it only holds for a while until it slips apart from road impacts and usage. Honda says that if that sleeve comes out then you should replace the LCA. This is probably why. Probably because it tends to come apart easier. So, in summary, the mechanic has to use the right tool to extract the ball joint out of the sleeve rather than breaking the sleeve and the entire unit out of the LCA.
in this picture you can see that the nut is bigger than the sleeve.. So, it shouldnt come out even if the sleeve is loose. BUt still, there is less surface area of the nut holding it all in place.. By half..
09-03-2015, 10:38 AM
