Balljoint

Tiny
MIKEKELLYFRONTIER
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 NISSAN FRONTIER
  • 106,000 MILES
Did the shop install this ball joint wrong? It looks kinda of deflated. It is leaking grease now, it looked like that before it was leaking grease. If it is installed wrong would that cause the lower ball joint to prematurely wear out?
Monday, May 27th, 2013 AT 4:37 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,741 POSTS
It's hard to tell in the photo if the boot is torn on the left side or just wrinkled. Normally wrinkles fill out when the grease is pumped in but there's a relief hole at the base of the boot where the grease will squirt out. The goal is really not to blow that boot up, but when you see grease coming out, like that small spot in the bottom, there's enough in there.

You also have to look at where the wheels are steering. U.S.-Made cars have boots that will turn as the steering turns. A lot of imports have boots with a spring around the smaller hole (at the bottom in your photo), that holds it closed. That can prevent it from turning freely. If the mechanic bolted the stud to the spindle while the steering was straight ahead, which is customary but not necessary, that boot may have twisted when you turned it to take the photo. That is nothing to worry about.

As a point of interest, while different greases come in different colors, the muddy brown here looks like what we commonly see when water has gotten in there. That's why we don't mind seeing the old grease come out the hole when the new grease goes in. That water is not desirable but it's also not a big deal as long as it's filled with grease.
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Monday, May 27th, 2013 AT 9:59 PM

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