FREE REPAIR MANUALS & LABOR GUIDES 1982-2013 Vehicles
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Ball Joint: Testing and Inspection





SUSPENSION: FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT: INSPECTION

1. INSPECT FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT

(a) Inspect the turning of the front lower ball joint.





(1) Flip the ball joint stud back and forth 5 times as shown in the illustration.

(2) Temporarily install the nut, and use a torque wrench to turn the nut continuously at a rate of 3 to 5 seconds per turn. Take the torque reading on the 5th turn.

Turning torque:

0.5 to 6.0 N*m (5.1 to 61 kgf*cm, 4.4 to 53 in.*lbf)

(b) Inspect the turning of the tie rod ball joint.

(1) Flip the ball joint stud back and forth 5 times as shown in the illustration.

(2) Temporarily install the nut, and use a torque wrench to turn the nut continuously at a rate of 3 to 5 seconds per turn. Take the torque reading on the 5th turn.

Turning torque:

0.8 to 4.5 N*m (8.2 to 45.9 kgf*cm, 7.1 to 39.8 in.*lbf) or less

(c) Check the dust boots for cracks or grease leakage.

If the value is not within the specified range, replace the front lower ball joint with a new one.