jimmy front end problems

[mikey5472 16]

Hey kelsey BTW the front end on our jimmys usually go out around 60k. The cv axles are 79 a piece, the ball joints are kinda expensive. For moog it was around 180 for upper and lower on both sides.

[mikey5472 16]

well my buddy looked at it and he thought it was the ball joint.

we jacked the car up and grabbed the wheel and it had a lot of play in it.

we have a guy coming out to look at it tomorrow and fix it for us.

your ol' pal mikey just redone the whole front end of his jimmy....

you might have him give it a look.

chop

he did it himself?

Yea did it myself.

[iputon326 9]

eh idk i guess ill find out tomorrow.

if you jack up the car and theres play in the tire then its the ball joint.

Not necessarily.... When the wheel bearing finally went out on my Jimmy there was over 2" of play that I could move the wheel on.... the worst I've ever seen a wheel bearing before....

I know for a fact it was the wheel bearing as : 1. I had an alignment done at a local tire dealer right after I purchased it and they said the machine could see play in the wheel. 2. They said that everything else in the front end was tight. 3. The auto dealer I bought the truck from replaced the wheel bearing and everything has been peachy ever since. and 4. I've replaced more than a half-dozen wheel bearings in my short experience and the noise and associated problems from worn out wheel bearings are nearly all the same.....

That being said, how did you get the idea that "if you jack up the car and there's play in the tire then its the ball joint." anyways just out of idle curiosity??? for that matter a loose wheel could be something as silly as loose lug nuts, and believe me that happens more often than you'd think.... Sorry if I came across sounding like a bit of an ass but I'm looking forward to finding out what is wrong with it.....

I'm with you, back and forth play in a wheel while lifted is usually wheel bearing. The way I know to test for ball joints is to lift the wheel off the ground only an inch or two, then stick a bar under the tire and leverage it up. If the ball joint is bad, the tire/rim assembly will lift a bit as you lift up on the bar. If the ball joint is good it won't lift at all.

thts what i was talkin about. i was looking around and it said put your hand at 3 and 9 and try to move it. it might have said do that for the wheel bearing. lol my bad.

i looked up everything i could about the front end and all that so yea i got a little confused.

[iputon326 9]

Hey kelsey BTW the front end on our jimmys usually go out around 60k. The cv axles are 79 a piece, the ball joints are kinda expensive. For moog it was around 180 for upper and lower on both sides.

im gona try getin by right now if its the ball joints.

im gona get the cheaper ones. theyre like 30 a piece at autozone.

Edited November 21, 2009 by iputon326

[altoncustomtech 773]

Hey kelsey BTW the front end on our jimmys usually go out around 60k. The cv axles are 79 a piece, the ball joints are kinda expensive. For moog it was around 180 for upper and lower on both sides.

im gona try getin by right now if its the ball joints.

im gona get the cheaper ones. theyre like 30 a piece at autozone.

so you still dont know for sure what it is?? I wouldn't buy any parts until I was sure.... usually you check the wheel bearing by grabbing at 6 and 12 and trying to rock the wheel that way, not 3 and 9..... at 3 and 9 any play you feel could be the wheel bearing, but just as easy as it could be a bad tie rod, it won't tell you whether its the ball joint or not though.......

I'm with you, back and forth play in a wheel while lifted is usually wheel bearing. The way I know to test for ball joints is to lift the wheel off the ground only an inch or two, then stick a bar under the tire and leverage it up. If the ball joint is bad, the tire/rim assembly will lift a bit as you lift up on the bar. If the ball joint is good it won't lift at all.

this is the way to test these ball joints.... you should be sure or have an actual mechanic look at it before spending money on parts.....

[iputon326 9]

Hey kelsey BTW the front end on our jimmys usually go out around 60k. The cv axles are 79 a piece, the ball joints are kinda expensive. For moog it was around 180 for upper and lower on both sides.

im gona try getin by right now if its the ball joints.

im gona get the cheaper ones. theyre like 30 a piece at autozone.

so you still dont know for sure what it is?? I wouldn't buy any parts until I was sure.... usually you check the wheel bearing by grabbing at 6 and 12 and trying to rock the wheel that way, not 3 and 9..... at 3 and 9 any play you feel could be the wheel bearing, but just as easy as it could be a bad tie rod, it won't tell you whether its the ball joint or not though.......

I'm with you, back and forth play in a wheel while lifted is usually wheel bearing. The way I know to test for ball joints is to lift the wheel off the ground only an inch or two, then stick a bar under the tire and leverage it up. If the ball joint is bad, the tire/rim assembly will lift a bit as you lift up on the bar. If the ball joint is good it won't lift at all.

this is the way to test these ball joints.... you should be sure or have an actual mechanic look at it before spending money on parts.....

well the bad thing about taking it to an actual mechanic is theyd try taking advantage.

i no people that can find out whats wrong with it and can fix it. they just havent had the time to come out yet.

we had a guy that was suppose to do it but we didnt know him real well and he wanted us to drive it to him when he has a damn tow truck.

theres no way we can drive it. i dont know how much longer it would last.

[altoncustomtech 773]

you'd be surprised how far people drive them making noises like that, BUT i'm glad to hear you aren't..... what u need is a good friend who's a fair mechanic to look at it.... too bad ur up near INDY, if you was closer I'd come take a look at it for ya.....

[iputon326 9]

you'd be surprised how far people drive them making noises like that, BUT i'm glad to hear you aren't..... what u need is a good friend who's a fair mechanic to look at it.... too bad ur up near INDY, if you was closer I'd come take a look at it for ya.....

oh damn lol i didnt even notice u were from indiana.

my friends dad is coming over tonight to look at it.

he let me borrow some of his stuff lastnite to check stuff out.

[iputon326 9]

well the guy came and got it tonight. hes fixing it tomorrow.

we drove it down the road a little and when we pulled back in the driveway a bunch of oil was leaking also.

this is poop.

[altoncustomtech 773]

lol.... welcome to life.... it doesn't get any easier from here on out....

oil ya say? that can't be good.... u sure u haven't been bangin' that thing around through the fields?? hehehe just kiddin'... I'm still in it for the finish, still real interested in what's wrong with it.... Good Luck Bud....

And yeah..... from indiana too, about an hour south of Terre Haute....

Edited November 22, 2009 by Alton

[iputon326 9]

lol.... welcome to life.... it doesn't get any easier from here on out....

oil ya say? that can't be good.... u sure u haven't been bangin' that thing around through the fields?? hehehe just kiddin'... I'm still in it for the finish, still real interested in what's wrong with it.... Good Luck Bud....

And yeah..... from indiana too, about an hour south of Terre Haute....

lol well last year my buddy had a badass truck on 38.5s and he was muddin.

then he told me to go through his ruts. lol yea rite. i got stuck rite away.

i think your rite about the wheel bearing though. the more i think about it the more it makes sense.

i think i was just hoping it was the ball joints.

[iputon326 9]

well i found out it was the brake caliper.

one bolt fell out and the other one was loose.

so it was an 8 dollar fix.

[KU40 173]

Good deal.