How To Check Your Ball Joints.

[skrracing]

OK guys, This is not a tech write up but just a guide to help you find out if you have bad lower ball joints. If you do not feel good about doing this yourself or you do not know how to do this in a safe manner...then by all means take you KJ to a shop or dealer nad have them check your ball joints for you.

Please use good judgement while doing any work on any vehicle.

Again...do not do this if you have not read all of this or feel you might doing something wrong or unsafe. This is just a guideline not a step by step tech article.

Place your KJ on a level driveway and set the parking brake.

Place a floor jack under the lower control arm and lift the tire off the ground about 3 inches. The jack must be uner the conrtol arm and not anything else. You are unloading the spring from the ball joint. if you lift any where else this test is not going to work.

Use a pry bar or 2x4 and slide it under the tire that is lifted. Use enough force to see if there is any play by lifting and releasing the tire. Do not apply too much lifting force to knock the vehicle off the jack.

See if you feel any play...but also have someone else watch to see if there is any play in the balljoint.

If you fell or see any play the ball joint must be replaced. Do not delay on having it replaced because it will at some time seperate and the whell will come off your Jeep.

If you do not feel any play or see any movement for sure...Then your lower ball joint should be good.

While you still have it lifted go to the top of the tire and try moving it from side to side...Push and pull it to see if you feel any play. If it is bad it will have a very small bump or pop feel to it. Again do this slow and dont do it hard enought to pull it off the floor jack.

If you have any bad ball joints.. have it repaired and then PLEASE repot it to the other link I post about ball joint failures.

Thanks. later...Clint

Here are a few pictures that might help.

[satan]

That reads pretty close to the ChryCo recall/inspection for this issue in the earlier years...

... Good input -- the referenced link is in thread #16906

[skrracing]

JUST FYI...please check your KJ no matter what year...The 04 and 05s are still having the same problem. The heat shield did not solve this problem...
Later...Clint

[mbelknap]

Thanks for showing the how to check. Mine were bad, the passenger side had almost 1/4 inch of play. I had the recall done originally in Decemebr of 2003, and thought I would be buying new ones myself.

The good news is the dealer replaced them again for me for free, and told me that Chrysler has a lifetime guaruntee on the ball joints replaced during the rcal. So if you have bad ones get them fixed at the dealer.

Mike

[warrior887]

i saw a liberty today. we stopped to look at it, the lower ball joint had snapped and the IFS was on the ground. looked like it was flexed out. anywayz, liberty owners go get your new balljoints!!!!!

[smoto99]

My lower left ball joint failed today on my 2002 Jeep Liberty. Luckily I was in a shopping center parking lot. I had them replaced in 2004 under recall. Obviously Daimler Chrysler didn't fix the problem!!

[Zire]

Too early...