Bad Ball Joint?

[nitroracer]

I think the upper ball joint on the driveside is on its way out. I have some extra wear on the inside edge of my tire and the car occasionally pulls to the right. Is that a correct diagnosis?

[mrltd]

Could be, and more than likely all the bushings are shot also.

[gadget73]

Jack the car up under the control arm and try to rock the tire. If its got play, have a look at the assorted suspension joints to see where the movement is coming from.

+1 on the bushings. Most of our cars have dead rubber parts by now. Yours is newer than many but its still 15 years old.

[grandpaslincoln]

Might as well just redo the whole front end, it needs it

[trwp72]

I recently rebuilt the front end on my '91... it was worth it! I used to have a thumping noise under the drivers floor board area when I turned left.... it was the loose upper ball joint thumping.... only thing I didn't redo was the upper bushings... the original police solid bushings were still like brand new... no play at all... thanks the the Sheriff's office doing excellent maint. on it..... Only issue I have now is the front brakes rattle when I go over bumps... got to buy the rubber bushings etc for the front calipers... they must be worn out..... if you lightly put pressure on the brake pedal, it stops rattling.... Tom...

[gadget73]

Tom, you're lucky they didn't need to be replaced. Last I heard those police upper shaft kits were like hen's teeth to locate and not really cheap either. If they're kept lubricated its pretty much impossible for them to wear out, but apparently not every place greased them regularly.