Hi folks. Inspecting the fron end on my 2000 Disco II, I see that the pictured bushing is dessicated on both sides. I obviously need new ones. What are they called? Could this cause steering wobble?

Longview-20130112-00119.jpg photo by CharlieLongview | Photobucket

Thanks!

Sorry I am not acutally uploading the photo... I am having to do this from my phone.

Charlie_V

 

Ball joint. You need to jack up the front of the car and see if it's loose. Grab the tire at 12 and 6 and see if it moves.

 

I would call that your lower ball joint..and yes it could be a cause of steering wobble. I would look to replace both lower and upper.

 

Charlie v you need to replace those immediately because a failure at any rate of speed could cause the ball to detach from the socket and stud. No matter the form of breakage, the end result is catastrophic. When the ball joint completely breaks, the wheel is free to move in any direction. Typically, the wheel will turn outwards, slam against the fender and drag the tire until the brakes are applied. If you are fortunate, the only damage you will cause is to the fender, tire and a few suspension components.

 

Whoa! Okay I will take all of that advice. I swapped my tires with my buddy and the wobble went away, but this truck has been in storage since 2006 and the ball joints were either already worn or wasted away. I have figured out some pretty big stuff lately but I getting fixit fatigue. Should any alignment shop be able to replace these? I don't have a dealership close by. I have replaced them on 4 wheelers but thus looks like a much tougher job.

Best,


Charlie V

 

I don't recommend you taking it to the dealer even if you had one close by. They are a rip off and you don't need any special expertise to replace ball joints. I would take it to an alignment shop, you are most likely going to need an alignment after the ball joint replacement anyways. I would also have them check your tie rod ends for any wear.

 

You don't need to replace it if it is not loose.

 

This. If there's no movement, no need to replace them just because the boots are torn.

 

jack it up.
grab the tire at 12 o clock and 6 o clock
try to wobble it in the vertical plane.

A little wobble may mean your wheel bearings are loose a bit.

Also - there are panhard bushings that make your steering go to complete crap if those are bad.

Your photos are ball joints.
Yes, if these come off your wheel could disconnect and you could crash as you will loose steering control

If those are loose, you'll know it over bumps and pot holes.

 

Thanks for the responses. I checked all of the joints wuth the help of the manual (RAVE) and a friend who has some mehanical knowledge this weekend and those were the only rubber joints or bushings that looked like they had serious wear, then jacked up the front, removed the steering damper, and shook everything and didn't find any slack. The tires, which only had about 3K miles on them, have bumps and dips that shouldn't suprise me since they are 8 years old. The truck has been sitting for about 7 years, and I was clearly incorrect that keeping them aired up and moving the truck would keep them healthy.

The ball joints are tight. Am I correct in assuming that they should be fine until they get loose? And when they do, will any alighnment shop have the right ball joints on hand (generic) or should I have some ready from Atlantic Brittish or elsewhere? Even though this truck is almost 14 years from manufactucture, it has less than 7 years' driving, and that was all highway...I'm having a hard time figuring out what just falls apart over time versus what falls apart from use.

The rubber on the ball joints is old and dry, if it makes any difference. By comparison, my friend has a nearly identical 2002 Disco II with ball joints that visually appear the same, but the torn rubber is pliable and the joint is loose.

Thanks and Best,

Charlie_V