Bad lower control arm ball joint?

[Hurlz07Tahoe]

I've had a front end shimy for a while. So I got my tires rebalanced and an alignment done. It helped a little but the shimmy is still there. So I thought maybe the front hub I just replaced might be a bad part. So I checked it out for extra slop. Instead I found that when I push up on my front passenger side steering nuckle there is a slight amount of play in the front passenger lower control arm ball joint where it mounts to the nuckle. Maybe about 1 or 2 tenths of an inch.

Does this indicate a bad ball joint? I've got about 110k miles and I've been running 12.5 inch wide tires for about 60k.

If so, is the ball joint replaceable or the whole control arm?

---------- Post added at 09:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 AM ----------

I've also tightened down the ball joint nut and no change in the amount of play...

 

[Hurlz07Tahoe]

Found this in the service manual:
"Lift the knuckle towards the lower control arm and record the dial indicator measurement.
If the dial indicator reading is more than 0.50 mm (0.020 in) , replace the ball joint or the lower control arm as applicable for this vehicle."

That tells me my ball joint is bad. It also looks like the ball joint is serviceable which will save some $$ in parts. Now just to figure out if I have the energy to replace the ball joint myself...Those things were a bear to get out of my jeep.

 

[Wake]

Glad you figured it out.

I rebuild the entire suspension on my 05 before I got rid of it for my 07 and I'm about to start over again.

Ball joints are a PITA but doable if you have a ball joint tool. I ended up on the 05 just getting whole new LCAs based on how the UCAs looked (bushing shot). The LCAs were just fine outside of the ball joints. They make a noticeable difference after you replace them.

 

[08grey]

The local parts shop removed my old one and pressed in a new one for me for 25 bucks. It's not a easy task at all.

 

[Wake]

The local parts shop removed my old one and pressed in a new one for me for 25 bucks. It's not a easy task at all.

Yeah, I know. Last time I changed them myself I had to use a 3' breaker bar on the tool and when the ball joint let loose it sounded like a pistol fired off a round. I actually jumped!

 

[OR VietVet]

You can rent the ball joint tool from a parts store but I use a method that works fine for me. Since you have the front end off the ground, hopefully with the jack stand under a crossmember, just put a jack stand under the lower control arm near the lower ball joint and adjust it up to almost parallel to the ground. Grab a big hammer and drive the ball joint out of the hole. Then clean the hole with a wire brush and lube with grease. do not put the grease zerk in the ball joint yet. Use the jack stand and a flat piece of hard wood to be under the ball joint after you have positioned the ball joint in the lower control arm hole. Use that same big hammer and whack the edge of the control arm driving it down and the ball joint up and in. I usually do it in 2-3 whacks. You gotta hold your tongue just right when you do this.

 

[08grey]

^ that's some scary ish. Btw the ball joint tool didn't work for me.

 

[OR VietVet]

I take extra precautions when I do it that way. That's why I said parallel with ground because at an angle is just crazy. Something I left out, if the torsion bar is still cranked then can be scary but uncrank it and mark where that was and then use a floor jack to jack the arm up to the level you want and position everything and then ease off the jack a little as you go.

 

[07Burb]

I'd just get a whole new lower arm with new ball joint in it and just replace the whole shebang

 

[OR VietVet]

Well, that's you 07, now isn't it?