I'm running down the source of my death wobble episode, how do I tell if my ball joints are shot?

 

Radial (side-to-side) movement in the upper ball joint should not exceed 0.060" (1.5mm).

Axial (up and down) movement in the lower ball joint should not exceed 0.050" (1.25mm).


A dial indicator is the best instrument to measure ball joint play.

Jack the front tire off the ground.
Place a jack stand under the axle next to the jack.
Lower to put some weight on the jack stand.
Place a long pry bar under the tire, from the side.
Have someone pry the tire up and down while you watch the lower ball joint for up and down play.
Axial (up and down) movement in the lower ball joint should not exceed 0.050"

Have someone grab the tire at top and bottom to wiggle the top in and out while you watch the upper joint for side play.
Radial (side-to-side) movement in the upper ball joint should not exceed 0.060"

Even if the upper joint checks good, change both if the lower checks bad.

If you want to see the inside of the ball joints, go here:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stoc...esults-116058/

 

Thanks. Awesome right up.

 

Check Youtube also.. I found a video on there where they used a pry bar to show the movement. This will give you an idea of what is acceptable vs not.

 

Sounds very familiar.

 

Changing my ball joints solved 99.9% of my Death Wobble problems. The last part was solved when I got a new draglink. I believer the DW that I was experincing caused havoc on everything and the draglink was the last piece to finally go.

 

Did you go with aftermarket ball joints, if so which ones?

 

Subscribed.

 

Honstely, the ONLY aftermarket ball joint you should get are Dynatrac ProSteers. Sure, they are expensive but, a BIG bonus of the ProSteer ball joints over OE and ANY OTHER aftermarket ball joints you can get is that they have a different method of operation. OE and ALL other aftermarket ball joints have a bottom joint that pivots and a top joint that allows up and down motion but no pivot. The Dynatrac ProSteer are the ONLY ball joints that have a bottom joint that allows pivot and, a top joint that goes up and down AND pivots. This helps keep the ball joints aligned with each other without binding. Bent end forgings or, axle C's are very common in JKs and, this specific feature of the ProSteer's is a crucial part to ball joint longevity. With OE or any other aftermarket ball joint replacement, you can be sure that you'll have to replace them again sooner than later where as with the ProSteer's, they'll most likely be the last set of ball joints you will ever need.

 

Thanks for the heads up, suspension and the various components is foreign waters for me, so it's definitely a learn as I go experience. This whole searching for the source of my death wobble episode is a bit overwhelming.