On 2/14/06, Bill Day <billday@otecom.net> wrote:
> I'm in the waiting room and the service manager comes and asks me to come and
> show him and the alignment tech whats wrong. Well they have it suspended on
> a 4 post(lower a-arms in front and axle in rear) on an alignment rack. so he
> has the wheel off and starts prying around no movement.. well no wonder, its
> all under load at that position. So I explain to them how we noticed it and
> they don't bother checking it that way, just slaps it together and we go for
> a test drive.
> Anyway they give me a clean bill, say the ball-joints are solid and send me on
> my way.
>
> Do you think they should have checked them with the truck suspended on the
> four post or with the suspension completely loose?
IIRC there's an "official" procedure for testing ball joints. I think
it was something like lifting the truck by the chassis, then putting a
jack under the lower A-arm to put some load on it, then grabbing the
top of the tire and rocking in/out.
Or am I off my rocker?
I'd wager that if the 2 ball joints do *not* look the same, there's
something wrong with at least one of them.
> Who do I trust. My local has been servicing vehicles for many years compared
> to any one of the tech in that garage. He does not do alignments or
> ball-joints so he stands to make no momey off if anyway.
Well, you obviously want to believe you can trust the guy who's been
taking care of you for a few years and never steered you wrong. But
if neither of the mechanics who looked at the situation actually
performed standard tests, nor took measurements, I don't know if
*either* of them are right just yet.
.
.
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