erickson483 Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 First off I recognize the stupidity of this question, but what is the best way to test ball joints to see if they need to replaced? My front end is apart and I can easily push the lower left ball joint and it springs back into place. The other 3 have a decent amount of resistance in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastbanshee8 Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) The only way to replace the ball joints, is to buy different a-arms, if they are stock a-arms. Edited May 18, 2012 by fastbanshee8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erickson483 Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Ya I know that part, but what exactly am I looking for that says, hey that's definitely bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankieSquid Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 You can look for excessive play in the joint, or if the boots are badly torn. If the boots are torn I would usually replace them because that can cause dirt and moisture to seep in causing them to wear pretty rapidly. I would hate for a ball joint to come apart at high speed due to a bad judgment call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erickson483 Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I guess I just don't have a good reference point to know what's excessive or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastbanshee8 Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 You're better off safe, than sorry. If you are questioning the ball joint, is it worth running it, and risking life, and/or limb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erickson483 Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 It's not a question of whether or not I should use bad ball joints. Obviously I won't run bad ball joints. My question is how do I know if they're bad? I'm not gonna blindly buy new parts if there's no need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jereme6655 Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 What these guys at trying to say is that if your already questioning the integrity of one of your ball joints as you stated earlier......then you have some stuff to buy. Not to mention the 2nd worst feeling while riding (first is when your laying on your ass and the bike it parked in a tree) is trying to ride while your questioning parts. Way better of a ride if you replace the parts in question and let the peace of mind help you with the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry's Shee Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Hold arm in one hand and joint stud with thumb/ finger. If there is more than 1/16 in/out travel on the stud I'd consider that worn. Boots can be replaced, that's no indication of wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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