96 Explorer Leaning Slightly?

[imagetek]

Hi everyone,

I have a simple question, my 96 Explorer 5.0 2WD XLT is slightly leaning toward the passenger side in the front. Is this a bad shock possibly? I do need to replace them, and also my ball joints need replaced as well as the sway bar support bushings. When I can afford to replace all of this I will, but right now money is tight, will this lead to more seriouse problems? Thanks in advance...

Mike

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Obviously something is probably broken. A broken sway bar link might droop you a little. Blown shock will droop zero since it doesnt support the vehicle, only dampens movement when in motion. Bad ball joints certainly can cause droop if the wheel is sitting canted. Worn, weak, misadjusted or damaged torsion bar will drop you a lot. Low air pressure or flat tire will drop you a bunch more. So... are any of these bad to drive on: yes, they all are (although the sway bar link is really only sloppy handling and dangerous cornering).

If you are not sure how to diagnose & fix I would suggest you take the truck to an alignment shop. If its something which can be adjusted they will fix it as part of the alignment. If there are mechanical issues you can be sure they will tell you what is broken and give you estimates to repair (reputable shops will not finish the alignment if parts are broken so your cost is just your time). With estimates in hand you can check the forums to see if they are jobs you can tackle or save up to have it fixed professionally.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

As an aside, if you know the ball joints are bad dont wait long to get it fixed. They dont give you a warning before breaking. You loose steering & braking control when it happens so crashing is very likely. Also the front end will be severely messed up by a broken ball joint.

 

[imagetek]

Thanks RomeovilleIL, I appreciate all of this info, will try to do the ball joints first. Have a good one,

Mike