Paul-JK
15-09-12, 10:27 PM
How much play should there be (if any) in the ball joints on the JK?
I've read that the factory ball joints are a weak design and they and wear out easily and when they do can induce DW's so I thought I'd check mine the other day. Had a look underneath while my girlfriend moved the steering back and forth and couldn't see/hear any obviously excessive movement in any of the steering links etc. Then put the front axle on stands, got a pry bar under the wheels and lifted them up/down and I could detect some movement, enough that I could hear a clunk as the wheel moved. I'd say there was at most 1mm of movement. Is this OK/good/bad?
The JK's coming up to the end of it's warranty period so I'm trying to go through all of the obvious things to check before the warranty expires and this was one of things on my list. Having said that, if my ball joints do need replacing then I'm not sure getting the old badly designed ball joints replaced with some new badly designed ball joints is necessarily the way to go, even if it's done under warranty. Probably better to look at stronger aftermarket ones I'd guess.
Thanks,
Paul
I've read that the factory ball joints are a weak design and they and wear out easily and when they do can induce DW's so I thought I'd check mine the other day. Had a look underneath while my girlfriend moved the steering back and forth and couldn't see/hear any obviously excessive movement in any of the steering links etc. Then put the front axle on stands, got a pry bar under the wheels and lifted them up/down and I could detect some movement, enough that I could hear a clunk as the wheel moved. I'd say there was at most 1mm of movement. Is this OK/good/bad?
The JK's coming up to the end of it's warranty period so I'm trying to go through all of the obvious things to check before the warranty expires and this was one of things on my list. Having said that, if my ball joints do need replacing then I'm not sure getting the old badly designed ball joints replaced with some new badly designed ball joints is necessarily the way to go, even if it's done under warranty. Probably better to look at stronger aftermarket ones I'd guess.
Thanks,
Paul