about ball joints is this correct?

[EliteConcept]

ok so i think my upper ball joint is bad, which is stock. I know it can be my lower one its only about 8 months old
FYI: i've already replaced these parts: lower ball joint, shock, and sway bar links.

am i right about these things which pertain to upper ball joints

1. When turning my wheel from a stop.. such as after back out of a driveway...i get a really noticable shudder from the wheels

2. I get a on & off clunk from the front end when going over bumps at lower speeds...and when i get out of my truck it goes "ccreeeeeeaaakkk" right around the tire area...i believe i heard the same sound when the lower ball joint was bad...

3. I have to buy a new upper control arm assembly for the upper ball joint replacement.

am i right about these things?

also how many "skill level wrenches" would you give replacing the upper control arm? out of 5 (5 being hardest) i am probably capable of doing a
2 1/2 wrench level job, of course with some help that is...

thanks ya'llz
ryan

 

[etc]

The upper control are is easy. Three bolts. The driver side is harder because it's a single piece and the bolts aren't that easy to just slide out. The passenger said can probably be done in 20 minutes.

Jack up the truck and try and move the tires(via 12 and 6 oclock positions) and if it moves take a look from behind and see where the movement is coming from. If the top is moving near the balljoint then...yeah it's the balljoint.

 

[Sallad420]

So is ANY kind of movement bad? Or can they have some play in a certain directions?

 

[boominXplorer]

So is ANY kind of movement bad? Or can they have some play in a certain directions?

If There is play all around its your bearing/ hub assm. If its only top and bottom movement then its ball joint.

 

[EliteConcept]

ok so this is what i find
theres no big time movement when i grip the wheel at 12 and 6. but theres still a clunking on and off when i drive
also a creaking near the rim when i get in and out of the truck and when i rock it side to side.
i'm pretty sure its the ball joint...so i put my hand near the upper ball joint and slowly rocked the truck from side to side....and i felt a slight vibration....and w

now since it does it when it rocks side to side i am ruling out the chance that its the torsion bar (kevlar) padding...am i correct??

if i can get some 100% assurance on this, then i'm gonna buy the upperball joint and arm from autozone ($86) and a local shop will put it on for around $50-$60
just wanting to be sure i'm attacking the right area for this before i spend 140 bucks or so.

 

[Fusion213]

The creeking could be from your bushings, mine creeks ALL the time, I think it's from all that water I went through. Mine made popping noises when going over bumps, especially when turning. I swapped out my inner and outer tie rod ends and it went away. My brake caliper bolts also were loose, after tightening those, a clunk went away. Not sure if that's what's wrong with your truck.

 

[Sallad420]

If There is play all around its your bearing/ hub assm. If its only top and bottom movement then its ball joint.

Thanks for the answer.

 

[explorer4x493]

The creeking could be from your bushings, mine creeks ALL the time, I think it's from all that water I went through. Mine made popping noises when going over bumps, especially when turning. I swapped out my inner and outer tie rod ends and it went away. My brake caliper bolts also were loose, after tightening those, a clunk went away. Not sure if that's what's wrong with your truck.

Where are the bushings located?