Ball joint nut loose

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Ringmaster

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Greetings, A while back I had posted that when I went over a dip in the road the car felt like it wanted to lurch to the right when the suspension unloaded. Since I had a squeek in the front end I asked if a bad sway bar bushing would cause the above lurch. Responders posted no. The problem went away but came back last week and Thursday it was even worse giving the feeling that a wheel was about to fall off. Today I got under the car and found that the nut on the lower ball joint on the driver's side was backed off about 3 turns allowing me to hold on to the tire and move it back and forth quite a large amount. I tightened the nut up and the wheel is tight once again. My questions are has anyone else had this happen? Anybody think driving with this condition caused the ball joint to be ruined? BTW after tightening the nut both front ball joints have the same amount of stud showing. I originally thought the joint had wore which caused the looseness but I'm convinced the nut just backed off. But what do I know. Thanks.
 
go to the dealer and grab a new locknut (they are around $5 each) and check the lower control arm for damage to the stud hole.

When the nut comes loose it tends to turn that nice round hole into an elliptical one, requiring a new control arm.

once the locknut has backed out once and retightened, it needs to be replaced. the nylon locking material has already been stripped off the inside of the nut.

Take care of it asap or you will lose steering control (its happened to me and it sucked.)

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=61556
 
Thanks for the reply. I didn't think to check the stud hole for damage before tightening the nut. I'll stop by a dealer on Tuesday to pick up a new nut. I saw on your other thread where you stated there were 2 different nuts depending on the year. Mine is a 02. What nut does it take? I'll be surprised if the dealer has the nut. I'm expecting him to say I have to buy the whole ball joint.
 
BTW after doing a Google search on Lincoln LS ball joint nuts there are a zillion reports/complaints about these things coming loose on every model year. Why is there only a recall on 2000-2001?
 
Ringmaster said:
BTW after doing a Google search on Lincoln LS ball joint nuts there are a zillion reports/complaints about these things coming loose on every model year. Why is there only a recall on 2000-2001?
Click to expand...

speaking on recalls on those ball joints...i called ford and they say my VIn # isn't on the recall. But, i bought one of those carmd tools and as soon as i plugged it in it comes up with a recall for the ball joints for my car. i wonder who is right.
 
Ringmaster said:
BTW after doing a Google search on Lincoln LS ball joint nuts there are a zillion reports/complaints about these things coming loose on every model year. Why is there only a recall on 2000-2001?
Click to expand...


The recall is here.


g.warren84 said:
speaking on recalls on those ball joints...i called ford and they say my VIn # isn't on the recall. But, i bought one of those carmd tools and as soon as i plugged it in it comes up with a recall for the ball joints for my car. i wonder who is right.
Click to expand...


You can go here and enter your VIN. IIRC, the recall only affected to 2000 MY LSes.
 
I dont remember the p/n but you have a 14mm ball joint, and most likely the nut will have to be ordered, which depending on how far from detroit you are... could be 1-3 days shipping. as for the recall, I though it was only 2000-01 LS's that were officially effected due to improper torquing on the nut from the factory.

Good luck.

I get to do the front upper arms this week :)

ball joint finally failed saturday night going to the bank... had to emergency order two from rockauto.com. ended up being about 250 with next day shipping
 
How hard is it to replace just the ball joint and not the entire control arm? I really need to replace mine and still can't find anyone willing to do them and not try it get me to order the entire part which nothing is wrong with.
 
The ball joints are pressed into the knuckle assembly, not the control arm...

most any shop should be able to press the joint in.
 
Well I picked up a new nut today at a Lincoln dealer. On the way home the car was starting to feel weird again. Tonight when I attempted to take off the old nut I noticed the stud was turning. I guess it broke. I don't know how I made it home. I also guess I'll start calling places in the morning to see if I can get a new ball joint installed. At this point I'll have to have the car towed and rent a car.
 
BTW in 40 years of car ownership I've never had a ball joint failure until now. I don't understand why only 2000s are covered by the recall. Why not all cars with the 14mm stud. Plus there are hundreds of complaints about loose ball joint nuts referencing all model years on line.
 
my shop pressed each joint in for 75 in labor... and I paid about 75 per joint for the euromarques... just call around... someone will do it.
 
I'm hoping a local shop can get the Moogs from a parts place who has them in stock and can install them. Of course if the hole in the control arm is messed up then I'll need both the control arm and the ball joint. How much damage can the hole get and still be OK to use? Are Ford dealers still telling customers that the control arm and ball joint must be purchased together?
 
If you can notice any play between the ball joint stud and control arm hole then it is no good. It is aluminum and the hole will continue to elongate.

Ford still sells only the steering knuckle and ball joint as one piece. The lower control arm ranges from 200-450 depending on which brand you purchase and where it is purchased.

I highly doubt anyone will have the Moog joints in stock, so they will have to be ordered.

You may want to do both, as eventually the other joint will go bad as well.

On another note, I pulled a 1.6 liter non-vtec motor from a 1995 civic on sunday and now have second degree sunburn covering my entire back and shoulders :)

And in two weeks the (yet to be rebuilt) motor will be going into a coworker's 1997 hatchback...

should be loads of fun.

I think I'm just going to leave the internals alone and do a head rebuild. Lady's son threw a rod through the block so the motors shot :)

but... 181.63 with core charge for a honda motor with 93K on it :)

motor makes good compression and looks clean...

Best part of the day though was cramming the diminutive 1.6liter into the trunk of my buddy's 1996 Mustang GT. Quite a sight :)
 
Ringmaster said:
Well I picked up a new nut today at a Lincoln dealer. On the way home the car was starting to feel weird again. Tonight when I attempted to take off the old nut I noticed the stud was turning. I guess it broke. I don't know how I made it home. I also guess I'll start calling places in the morning to see if I can get a new ball joint installed. At this point I'll have to have the car towed and rent a car.
Click to expand...

As for this, I believe there is a "hex holding feature" on our front joints, which is required to torque the nut.

May only be the rear upper joints that are like this... I'd have to go check...

But I dont feel like putting pants on to go check :)
 
Whats the link?

since the ball joint is NOT pressed into the control arm, thats kind of hard to believe.
 
"As for this, I believe there is a "hex holding feature" on our front joints, which is required to torque the nut."

Maybe that's my problem. The bottom of the stud past the threads does have a hex shape. Maybe when it was turning while I was trying to get the old nut off it wasn't really broken like I thought. That would explain why I didn't crash on the way home.
 
I only see the Duralast ones...

But this would be the knuckle and ball joint.

The knuckle is what the hub assembly bolts to.

The loose nut wouldnt damage the knuckle. (just the control arm)

check rockauto.com for pricing on the lower control arm.

Not sure why they list a 16mm and 14mm as fitting a 2001 LS...
 
Understanding how a ball joint is made will help you to understand why it was turning...

Ball_joint_cross_section.jpg
 
In the morning I'm going to try getting the old nut off and installing the new nut again. This time I'll put a second wrench on the hex portion of the stud. I never thought of that since I tightened the old nut up the other day without a second wrench. I guess tonight when I was attempting to get the old nut off it grabbed the stud when it reached the "dirty" threads and started turning the thing.
 
2000Sport, thanks for the tip on the hex end of the stud. Using 2 wrenches this morning I got the old nut off and the new nut installed. I didn't really notice any distruction of the hole in the A arm but when trying to check for play everything moved up and around so it was hard to tell if just the stud would move in the hole. I guess I'll see what happens. The old nut worked loose in a day. If the new one stays tight I wonder if I have to do anything else. Except for the loose nut I really don't think I have a ball joint problem. BTW how tight should that nut be? I only had a 9" open end wrench to do the job. I pulled with both hands. (grin)
 
According to the Ford shop manual, 148lb/ft.

Get a decent set of crows feet wrenches with either a 3/8 ratchet hole or a 1/2 ratchet hole. and use a torque wrench rated to 150 lbs.

whatever you do, do not loosen that new nut without replacing it again.

I have a stockpile for the front and rear upper arms. It saves a day of waiting for them to ship. and the hassle of running to the dealer without a car.

Just take your time and be careful and it will all work out :)
 
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