Ok i had a question on the curved ball joint. well what will happen if it breaks? they are the only things left to replace just havent had time to order them and do it kids have been keeping me busy. i was just wondering how important they are lol i am sure they aer just hoping they wont cause a wrek.

thanks
Joe

 

I replaced both in my kids car. They were really bad. If they are bad, they would probably fail when accelerating or braking. If they broke while accelerating, the front wheel would move forward of its normal position and rub in the wheel well. If braking, the wheel would move rearward of it normal position and rub in the wheel well. This could cause the the other lower ball joint to fail or the upper ball joint to fail, which would result in loss of the wheel, hub, and brakes. I was amazed at the poor design of the front suspension of this car. Having two ball joints on the bottom competing against each other every time the steering wheel is moved.

With the front wheels off the ground and one of the tires removed, have someone move the steering wheel lock to lock and watch what those lower control arms do. Basically the design lets the rubber bushings in the lower control arms determine the front suspension geometry. Not a good thing as rubber bushings tend to wear out quickly.

If they are bad, I'd get some new ones on soon.