Should I be worried about squeaky ball joint??

Old 02-18-2014, 06:28 PM
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Should I be worried about squeaky ball joint??

So both my front suspension started to squeak as i turn steering and when the road isn't smooth (i.e. speed bump). The squeak that is common in very very old shitboxes


I don't notice anything loose right now and the boots are in good condition..


Is this a safety issue that I should address immediately? or just minor annoyance of squeaks?
Old 02-19-2014, 09:23 AM
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How many miles on the clock? What year?





I would have a look, just to avoid these scenarios.
Old 02-19-2014, 11:19 AM
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Yes you should. Stop being cheap and replace the joint or entire arm.

My brother asked me the same thing on his Accord, i told him to fix it and not even 4 month later the ball joint let go and his wheel broke off and took out the side of the car. Mileage and year dont matter.
Old 02-19-2014, 11:35 AM
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acura doesnt sell the front ball joint separately, they sell the whole upper control arm in 1 piece with the ball joint pressed in
Old 02-19-2014, 11:50 AM
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yup, if I were you I would replace it asap! The noise would drive me insane
Old 02-19-2014, 12:53 PM
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Although it could certainly be a ball joint, there's other parts of the front suspension that could be at fault (like worn swaybar bushings allowing the swaybar to clunk). What I'd recommend is to take the car to a shop (dealer, indy, or suspension shop) and have them assess everything to see what needs replacement. You could do the work yourself if you're up to it, but you don't want to replace parts you may not need and still have the noise. How is the steering, handling, and suspension otherwise? Any looseness in the steering?
Old 02-19-2014, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Vlad_Type_S
How many miles on the clock? What year?





I would have a look, just to avoid these scenarios.

Scary :| it's 2007 with 128k miles and its first salty winter ever. Skunk2 upper arm installed early last summer. (At the time, there were no damaged or worn suspension parts, said the Acura tech I was buddies with)


Originally Posted by paperboy42190
acura doesnt sell the front ball joint separately, they sell the whole upper control arm in 1 piece with the ball joint pressed in


Luckily(?) for me, I can just buy replacement upper ball joint, (Skunk2) undo 4 allen keys, and replace it.

Originally Posted by erdoc48
Although it could certainly be a ball joint, there's other parts of the front suspension that could be at fault (like worn swaybar bushings allowing the swaybar to clunk). What I'd recommend is to take the car to a shop (dealer, indy, or suspension shop) and have them assess everything to see what needs replacement. You could do the work yourself if you're up to it, but you don't want to replace parts you may not need and still have the noise. How is the steering, handling, and suspension otherwise? Any looseness in the steering?


Dealers sometimes get it right, sometimes don't. They certainly do have more experience.


I didn't notice any looseness


I'm gonna get a stethoscope and try to locate it...
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Old 02-19-2014, 07:31 PM
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Update : it squeaks more when "hot". When I just take off from driveway, it doesn't squeak, but after 10-15minutes of driving I start noticing squeak and it gets louder until everyone notices it within 10ft of my car and looks at me.
Old 02-21-2014, 07:20 PM
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Update : As temp went above 40F,,, it did not even squeak. Still took it to a reputable Honda suspension shop, they found nothing loose or out of place. I'm gonna stop worrying about the noise now.
Old 02-21-2014, 10:33 PM
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Old 02-21-2014, 11:14 PM
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^ Troll living up to his name, please contribute if you can.. Although I'm not worried I still want to know what the noise is.
Old 02-21-2014, 11:54 PM
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I think he's just disappointed that you won't do anything about the problem. There isn't supposed to be a noise, so obviously something is wrong. In many cases, extreme conditions surface issues that would otherwise not be obvious. It's also easy to overlook these kinds of problems, especially when the symptoms have disappeared. I knew there was a problem with my clutch MC, but the dealer also told me it was fine... If you have a jack, you can troubleshoot the ball joints and tie rods with this method.

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Old 02-22-2014, 09:42 AM
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Originally Posted by 4drviper
^ Troll living up to his name, please contribute if you can.. Although I'm not worried I still want to know what the noise is.


Vlads right but whatever I don't care if your wheel comes off; not my car. Your ignorance never ceases to amaze me. GL
Old 07-14-2015, 08:14 AM
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Had a similar issue and told that it was a bushing noise. Well it wasn't - if you are getting noise have them check the ball joints again. Here is my 2006 TL on the wrecker... glad I was going slow at the time of separation.
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