Upper Control Arm Ball Joint Failure? with Video

[caliizaktiv]

The noise is coming from the upper control on the left. Wheel is up off the ground and when I pull the inside of the wheel towards me, there's movement and makes a noise. I'm assuming the ball joint has failed. The same movement and noise is present on driver and passenger fronts so I wanted to confirm with you peoples that there is in fact something wrong.

[Audibot]

Have you checked the bushings at the strut side?

IIRC, if you grab the wheel on the sides and can jiggle it back and forth (horizontally) and it moves excessively, it's indicative of tie rods being bad.

If you grab the top and bottom and jiggle it back and forth (vertically) and it moves excessively, it's indicative of control arm failure (bushings and/or ball joints).

[caliizaktiv]

I was grabbing at the 3 o'clock position and pulling towards me like that. You can definetely tell there's a vertical popping motion on the left frontal control arm but I'll try the 12 and 6 pulling as well. If I grab the individual components, including the arms and tie rod, I don't get any noticible play.

[VinnysS4]

You need new upper control arms. The left arm's outter ball socket is bad. Buy a front end refresh kit from meyle or lemforder. Easy install.

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Audizine mobile app

[ven0m]

You need new upper control arms. The left arm's outter ball socket is bad. Buy a front end refresh kit from meyle or lemforder. Easy install.

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Audizine mobile app

x2

[pablolizarraga]

Take note of upper arm reinstall and make sure to torque specified bolts with suspension loaded. This is where car ramps come in handy.




http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ontrol+arm+diy


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[VinnysS4]

This ---^

Tighten all of the rubber bushing bolts at ride height or you will have premature failure.

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Audizine mobile app

[caliizaktiv]

Thanks ya'lls. The uppers were replaced at 105k and I'm at 139k now including 3 recent track days. Before this I bought a complete upper and lower kit from a popular, numerically named supplier, but will look back to Meyle or Lemforder once again. I had a front lower curved control arm ball joint failure previous to this as well. The bushings are fine but the ball joints are failing. This failure ,again, is present on both sides the on the car.