Lower ball joint

[Jdonoghue]

How do you check these? I had a jack under the control arm, and tried to see if they were loose (movement, pry bar, etc. ) and it didn't seem like they were bad, but when I drive over the rough pavement it sounds like they are bad ('rattling' noise). The uppers were just replaced and the tie rod ends aren't loose. Should I just replace the lowers anyway? Are they difficult to replace?

 

[Philip]

Most of the time on Dodges. It doesn't matter if it is a truck or auto. If uppers are bad, the lowers are close to the same shape.



I do both uppers and lowers at the same time.

 

[RobbieH]

We did.



Even if you didn't need to, it's so much work to get that far...

 

[cerberusiam]

With the spring loading the a-frame its sometimes tough to tell if the lowers are bad. They are pressed in so you either need some type of system to get them out on the vehicle or drop the lower a-frame. It may not be the ball joints rattling either. The bushings in the a-frame can cause the same sound as can the bushings in the track bars. I replace the lowers ball joints, bushings, and springs at the same time and it is a fair amount of work. Do everything at once unless you like the work. Good luck.