When driving down the road do you keep hearing a loud clunk noise when you drive over a bump? Are you noticing uneven tire wear? It could be a bad ball joint.
But what is a ball joint, what are the symptoms of failure, and what is it going to cost you if that is indeed the problem? We will explain all of that here!
What Is a Ball Joint?
You can find ball joints on almost all vehicles. They are very important parts of the vehicle’s suspension and steering system.
A ball joint can best be described as a bearing that allows components in the suspension and steering systems to pivot without metal-to-metal contact. The ball-joint is simply a sphere that resides inside of a ball-joint bushing, which is very often a rubber component that you fill with grease.
The ball joints are necessary in making sure your vehicle operates smoothly, and if the ball joints continue to be properly taken care of, it can extend the life of many components used in the suspension and steering systems of your vehicle.
You can have these ball joints on both front and rear suspension components, and you typically have one on the end of each tie rod in the steering system.
Ball Joint vs Tie Rod
When you read about ball joints, it’s an easy mistake to think, “isn’t that just the tie rod?”. The reality is that although the tie rod has a ball joint on the tie rod end, they are not the same part, but you will nearly always replace them together.
The ball joint is simply the rubber piece with the threaded bolt at the end of the tie rod. While new tie rods come with a new ball joint, it is not the only ball joint in your vehicle. Two other commonly used suspension parts that use a ball joint, are the upper and lower control arms.
Symptoms of a Worn Ball Joint
Now that you know a little more about what a ball joint is and what it does, it’s time to see if that’s actually what’s going on with your car. Below is a list of four different signs that could indicate that it’s time to replace your vehicle’s ball joint.
#1. Clunking or Rattling Noise.
Sound is the most common sign of a bad ball joint. Whether its a blown-out ball joint bushing, or it’s a damaged ball joint if there is excessive play, you’ll hear the noise as it bounces around down there.
Metal on metal action isn’t quiet and doesn’t sound good. This noise will usually be the most pronounced you can notice when going over bumpy surfaces since that is when the ball joints have their most room to bounce freely, making a ruckus and noise all over the road.
#2. Loose Steering.
Whether it is a damaged ball joint on the tie rod end or the control arm, your vehicle will not steer correctly with a damaged ball joint. This is because there is play in the vehicle’s steering system, which means you’ll have to turn the steering wheel with a greater distance to get the same results.
Not to mention it may make your vehicle chatter down the road a little bit while turning, while that ball joint bounces side to side. You probably will notice that once you take your hands off the steering wheel, your vehicle will pull to the right or left as well.
It would also not be outside the realm of possibility for your vehicle to pull to either side completely depending on how the bumps were hitting it that time.
#3. Excessive Cabin Vibrations.
When you have things bouncing around in your steering and suspension system, odds are you are going to feel it. Your vehicle is bouncing and the systems that are supposed to level out your vehicle is not working as they should.
Most likely you are going to feel it, but there is a decent chance it isn’t as excessive as you would think. The odds are unless the ball joints are really worn down, they aren’t going to be bouncing around a ton.
But it will be pretty loud to the point you will not feel like you are driving down the road with a new suspension system.
#4. Uneven Tire Wear.
While it is better to catch a worn-out ball joint before it gets to this point, if you let it go long enough you will probably see uneven tire wear. This uneven tire wear will usually occur on either the inner or outer tread of the tire but not both.
Not to mention there will be a decent likelihood that your vehicle’s tires will wear out much faster than they would if everything was working properly.
Can You Drive on a Bad Ball Joint?
There isn’t a lot of risk of a disastrous malfunction if you are driving with a bad ball joint, but there is still a risk. A ball joint holds an important piece of your steering or suspension system and at some point, if it wears down, it’s going to separate and you can & will lose control of your vehicle, putting yourself at risk for an accident.
This is why we highly advise you to replace bad ball joints as soon, as you recognize a problem.
Ball Joint Replacement Cost
The good news is, if you need new ball joints for your vehicle, you shouldn’t break the bank. If you have a mechanic replace these parts for you, you can expect to pay approximately $250 to $350.
About $200 to $300 of that total is part of the labor, but if you think you can take it on yourself, you might want to reconsider. You are going to need a ball joint press to push out and install the new ball joint, which I doubt a lot of home mechanics have on hand.
If you are going to take it on yourself, your best better is replacing the entire component, usually costing the same as a mechanic replacing just the ball joint for you.
Should Ball Joints Be Replaced in Pairs?
Even though it’s not a requirement, we recommend replacing ball joints in pairs. If you are aware of the fact one is bad, there is a good chance that the other doesn’t have much life left in it as well.
If the mechanic is pressing out the old ball joint and replacing the ball joint, we highly recommend having them replace both ball joints at the same time.
It only makes sense because the labor part overlaps, and you are paying for excessive hours if you force the mechanic to come back to replace the other ball joint later.
Is an Alignment Necessary After Replacement?
Most likely not! If you are only replacing the control arm ball joints, and the last time an alignment was done, the ball joints were in healthy condition, there is no need for an alignment after the swap.
If you replaced the tie rod ball joint that was the problem, yes you will need an alignment. If you feel your vehicle pulling after the replacement, it is likely the previous alignment was off because of a bad ball joint, and you didn’t realize it.
Finally, if you kept the bad ball joint on your vehicle long enough, it could have thrown the alignment off before you replaced the ball joint. But you shouldn’t assume you need an alignment just because you are replacing the ball joint.