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Repair Topics / Suspension
Car and Truck Suspension Sway Bar and Sway
Bar Links Questions This
category contains featured questions as
examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question:
2001 Chevrolet Astro Van, mileage: 86,000.
Hello. A driver-side ball joint broke and
the mechanic replaced both low and up ball
joints and the idler arm. There hasn’t
been any problem with the same parts on the
drivers side, the mechanic wants to replace
these as well. Is this repair
necessary without some test of these parts?
(This repair is very expensive for me.)
Thank you.
Answer:
With the proper equipment, the amount of
wear in the ball joints can be measured.
If they are warn beyond the tolerance
(limits), they should be replaced.
Question: 2001 Ford Explorer,
mileage: 80,000. Took my truck to dealer for recall on
front sway bars. Was informed that my ball joints were
loose. Had them replace lower ball joints, for $516. One
week later took truck back because of noise in front
end. Was told my front bearings were bad. Charge $284.
Should the mechanic have been able to tell the bearings
were bad on the first visit? Also, I asked for the old
ball joints and never got them. Just a little curious,
seems 60,000 is a little early for ball joints?
Answer: When replacing ball
joints, the front wheel bearings should have been
checked and during the alignment they should have caught
that.
Question: 2001 Lincoln Town Car,
mileage: 100,000. I jacked up the car and did not turn
off the switch in the trunk. Now the suspension bag
still will not inflate; the bag is good. Now what?
Answer: Driving the car should
activate the system to level the car back up again.
While driving the car, stopping and starting causes the
car to rock back and forth which activates the system.
Question: 2003 Chevrolet
Silverado 1500, mileage: 44,000. I have a 2WD short wide
bed. Is there any way to make it ride smoother, w/o
putting lots of weight in the bed? The freeway is pretty
punishing. I'm wondering if there is something I can
adjust...similar to the "tow-haul" mode button on the
gear shifter. I had a '95 SWB, but it did not ride as
hard as this one. The local dealership doesn't seem too
interested in giving me any ideas. Could you guys?
Answer: The stiff ride you are
experiencing with your truck is not uncommon. They only
suggestion we can make is to adjust your tire pressure
to the lowest recommended pressure.
Question:
1999 Ford Explorer 4WD 4.0L V6 mileage: 105,000.
When I last took in my explorer to have the suspension
checked out, I was told that I needed new shocks and
something had to be done to the lower ball joints.
Would you please enlighten me as to what this might be,
and why it needs to be done? Thanks.
Answer: With the amount of mileage on
your car, it is expected that some parts will have wear.
It is not surprising that the shocks and ball joints may
need replacing.
Question:
1999 Ford Crown Victoria, mileage: 90,000. If a
Crown Victoria was put in the air on a rack without
turning the air suspension switch off will this damage
anything. The car is sagging in the rear.
Will it return to normal ride height? What should
I do?
Answer:
The car will correct itself to the normal ride height.
All you need to do is drive the car. Tapping the
brake pedal to get the car to rock forward activates the
leveling system. Placing the car on the rack
without the air suspension switch off should not cause
any damage.
Question:
1998 Oldsmobile Ciera 3.3 mileage: 130,000. Need
to rebuild front suspension; have good mechanical
abilities and most common tools. I was a
commission auto mechanic in the seventies. Have
never worked on McPherson struts. Can they be
changed safely in my garage without many special tools?
I plan to replace the rack with a long rack, put new
outer tie rod ends on, and get this car ready to go to
200,000+.
Answer: Changing the McPherson struts
in your car requires a special spring compressor.
To attempt this repair will take everyday tools and a
realignment when completed.
Question: 1999 Chevrolet Camaro,
mileage: 126,000. When I go over a bump, my rear tires
are hitting the wheel wells causing deep cuts in my
tires. What part of my rear suspension would cause this?
Is anything else I should be looking for that would be a
tell tale sign of any problems.Answer: We are assuming your car has
standard tires and rims – inspect rear suspension "track
locator." It is a long bar with rubber bushings on both
ends that attach to the frame on one end and to the rear
end housing on the other end.
Question: 1999 Lincoln Continental,
mileage: 120,000. Our front air shocks are leaking and
we have been told you can repair them instead of
replacing them. They inject a liquid that slowing gels
and seals the leaks. Do you have any idea what type of
product they use to do this?
Answer: The correct way to repair this
problem is to replace the air bags with new.
Question: 1999 Nissan Maxima, mileage:
135,000. The rear end of the car feels loose when I
drive over bumps in the road. It often feels like I
could lose control of the car. The tires are in good
shape and I cannot see anything else that would be
wrong. I was wondering if the rear stabilizer bar could
be broken or damaged.
Answer: We do not think the stabilizer
bar is your problem. It only "works" when cornering not
going over bumps. A more likely cause would be the rear
struts. Also, check suspension for damaged or bent
parts. Check rubber bushings on suspension components.
Repair Topics / Suspension
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