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Ball Joint Inspection Procedures
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By Counterman
When ball joints are on the counter, what’s the No. 1 upsell? Shop rags, latex gloves and floor cleaner, because it’s going to be a messy job!
Seriously, though, it depends on the suspension. For light cars and trucks with strut-type suspension, most ball joints aren’t greaseable, and most of them only have one lower control arm on each side, resulting in only one lower ball joint on each side (multi-link suspensions are another story). Most of these are a cakewalk to replace, and you barely get your hands dirty. But, heavier trucks and older cars with upper-lower A-arm suspension and greaseable joints are a different story. That’s when it gets real.
But before we start wiping up grease, let’s look at two of the stickier aspects of ball joints: inspection and installation. Ball joints have wear specifications, and the maximum allowable play as well as proper inspection procedures can vary considerably between different applications. When checking a ball joint for wear, technically speaking, not only should we confirm the recommended procedure and specifications, but we also are always supposed to check them using a dial indicator. In the real world, that rarely happens.
Most technicians understand that a little bit of play in a ball joint is normal and acceptable. But at the same time, there’s a common misconception that any play in a ball joint means it’s wearing out. The root of the problem goes deeper than this article can cover, but let’s face it: Time is money, and taking the time to look up specs, set up a dial indicator (if you have one) and recording the readings just isn’t realistic, especially when a shop manager is breathing down your neck for a diagnosis.
Another part of the problem is when you check a ball joint for wear, you always can feel even the slightest amount of play – so again, rather than performing the correct procedure, it’s easier to estimate the free play in your mind based on your familiarity with these types of measurements.
You can’t always see the movement when it’s minimal, but the worse it gets, the easier it is to see. Experienced technicians are good at recognizing when the amount of play is still “acceptable,” or when a ball joint is – as we like to call them when the vehicle isn’t safe to drive – “wasted.” When a ball joint exhibits wear but still is acceptable and safe for use, that’s how we represent it to the customer, and we’ll just recommend checking them again at the next service. “Let’s keep an eye on those ball joints,” we might say.
This all might sound like I’m criticizing technicians, but that’s far from the case. I’ve been a tech my whole life and it can be tough to wear our shoes. There’s a lot we need to know – we’re all human – and we do make mistakes. When it comes to parts, we rely on the knowledge of a counterperson more often than you realize. One of the strongest traits of a good technician is understanding that you don’t know everything, and not being afraid to ask questions or accept advice. In the case of ball joints, they usually don’t come with specifications, and there’s rarely any information with them aside from installing the grease fitting. And when they do come with information, does it always get read? You probably can guess the answer. This is the real world of automotive repair.
As crazy as it sounds, when you’re deep into a suspension repair with parts and tools all over the place, it can seem like it takes an eternity to unbox a bunch of parts and remove them from their plastic bags, etc. – so again, it’s no surprise that details are missed should they happen to be included. It’s worth its weight in gold when we learn something we don’t know about any particular part, and we’re always eager to learn.
If the line between misconception and mistake isn’t blurry enough, there’s an extra kicker with ball joints. Some vehicles utilize telescoping ball joints. What this means is that the ball-joint stud telescopes a small amount to compensate for manufacturing tolerances, primarily related to the ears of a steering knuckle.
When you install one of these joints, it may appear as if the stud is too long or too short, potentially causing a technician to think it’s the incorrect joint. Also, since the stud is engineered to slide in and out of the housing, they can exhibit as much as .060” (sixty-thousandths of an inch) of free play. For comparison, .060” is about the thickness of a penny, and while this amount of play rarely would be represented as unsafe, it could easily be misdiagnosed as a worn joint.
This may turn out to be more important in the case of a warranty concern. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time you had a part returned as defective and you were surprised by it. This is when your knowledge can save time and money for your company as well as for a technician, shop and the end customer. Information like this often doesn’t make it to a technician level, and it’s a great opportunity for you to educate and build rapport with your customers at the same time.
Replacing Control Arms
Where do control arms come into the picture? Independent suspension, be it front or rear, has been around for a long time. There are many different types, of which upper-lower A-arm, MacPherson strut and multi-link are the most common variations we deal with today. One thing they all have in common is some type of control arm.
To put a simple spin on it, any control arm is nothing more than a link between the fixed frame of a vehicle and the steering knuckle – the component that in turn provides a mounting point for the brakes, wheel bearings and wheels. Control arms move freely up and down in response to suspension movement and not only offer mounting points for springs and sway bars, but they also are integral to suspension design, affecting the alignment angles and suspension travel.
The control arm also carries another distinction: It offers a provision for mounting a ball joint to provide articulation between the arm and steering knuckle. Ball joints are either bolt-on or press-in, and in many cases on newer vehicles, the ball joint is an integral part of the control arm. If you have to replace the ball joint, you have to replace the entire arm.
Control arms are either steel, cast-iron or aluminum, and the most important factor when replacing a press-in style of ball joint is making sure the hole in the control arm isn’t worn. Generally, if there’s no visible damage or corrosion to the control arm and the old ball joint requires considerable force to remove, as long as the new joint requires a similar force to install, the control arm will be OK.
However, since we don’t have the technology (in our shops) to measure the roundness and integrity of the hole, many manufacturers recommend to only replace a press-in style ball joint one time. The next time, the whole arm should be replaced, and this is good advice to pass along to your customer.
As with any type of suspension work, any torque-to-yield fasteners should be replaced, torque specifications always should be utilized, and in the case of control-arm replacement, fasteners should be torqued with the vehicle at ride height.
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By Yu Billy
link hidden, please login to view Name：Steering gear/without ball head
OE Number： link hidden, please login to view/7D1422061BX
Product Line: TR models
Product brand:Vika
Vika brand introduction
Auto parts for engine, electric, clutch, chassis and steering, transmission, braking and controlling are represented by vika brand, and all of which have been assured to meet the quality standard in the local country and local market. Especially for the braking system, the EU E-mark quality authentication standard is met. With sustaining innovation, vika will extend to grow with more product type for our customer.
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7D1422061B/7D1422061BX suitable model
VW：TR96-04/TRSY96-04
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By OReilly Auto Parts
The ball joints on your vehicle are structural components that allow the suspension to move at different angles for steering and ...
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By Max A-Profi
Equipment for ball joint repair is very popular today. Why? I propose to sort this out together.
The quality of roads, unfortunately, is far from always meeting the standards that we would like to see. This is well known not only to all drivers, but also to passengers. The first thing that suffers from this is the ball joints, which during the movement of the vehicle experience destructive effects from all sides. In the picture, the zones of maximum load exerted on the nodal connection are marked in red:
Sectional picture of a ball joint The node itself consists of two elements:
Sleeve; Swivel ball. Between them is a special polymer, which:
It softens the force of ball impact on the sleeve; Minimizes the effect of friction of metal parts against each other. All problems, including wrest the wheel on its side, are possible if the polymer liner is worn, which is inevitable over time.
Wrest the wheel-turned wheel example SJR technology avoids such a catastrophic outcome and, with timely intervention, maintains the performance of the ball joint almost endlessly. How it works? Let’s figure it out.
SJR Technology
There are two methods for ball support recovery using SJR equipment:
1.Indiscriminately
Removal of old polymer Drill a hole in the case of the sleeve; Burn the remains of the old polymer with a gas burner; In the extruder, melt a new batch of polymer Under high pressure, the molten polymer is injected into the cavity between the ball and the sleeve through a hole previously made. The solution fills all the voids, solidifies and forms a new liner, not inferior in its characteristics to the factory insert. 2. Demountable
The collapsible method is more complicated and longer, but also more efficient. It is used when there is significant wear on the ball joint, the appearance of rust on the ball.
In this case, the repair begins with the following steps:
Cut the sleeve in half. Polish the ball. Brew sleeve. The final steps are the same as in the previous method.
Benefits
The advantages of using this technology are quite obvious. It:
Economic benefit. Recovery is always cheaper than buying a new part; Universality. Suitable for the restoration of any ball joints and steering tips; The compact dimensions of the necessary equipment. Even the largest machine can easily be rearranged from one place to another by one person and can be comfortably located not only in a spacious car service, but also in a small garage workshop; Cheap consumables. Variants of suitable equipment
The operations described above can be carried out using various equipment that differs from each other:
At the cost of; In size; Power; In level of automation. We will briefly consider four models presented on our website.
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link hidden, please login to view The simplest version of equipment for recovery of ball joints and steering includes:
An extruder for heating and forming a polymer consistency; Three interchangeable adapter fittings, with which the solution is charged under pressure into the problem area; Remote thermometer that allows you to monitor the temperature of the detail at a distance; Five polymer rods, shipping container and instructions. The pressure of such a device is only 25 kg / cm2 , and it needs a compressor with a capacity of 7-10 atm at the service station. The set is quite economical in terms of financial expenses, as it costs only 180 $, and is compact, but quite demanding on additional equipment and labor costs from the operator.
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link hidden, please login to view This model is reinforced:
A more powerful piston capable of creating pressure up to 80 kg / cm 2 ; The control unit simplifies the operation of the device. But it also costs a little more: 370 $.
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link hidden, please login to view In the next modification, the piston power reaches 100 kg / cm2 . But its main advantage is the presence of a high-quality mechanism for centering the ball joint. Such an addition allows during the introduction of the molten polymer to firmly and reliably fix the part in one position. This facilitates the work of the operator, and the quality of the result improves.
The cost of such equipment reaches 640 $.
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link hidden, please login to view The SJR 3 machine will cost 1 180 $ for your workshop, but will eventually work out every cent invested and will bring considerable profit from above. This is a fully automated unit, equipped with all technological advances.
Here are just a few of its most significant advantages:
The created pressure – 240 kg / cm 2 ; Full control of the melting process; Automatic nozzle feed; Mechanical clamp and centering of the ball joint; Robust cast housing. Conclusion
The restoration of ball joints and steering tips using SJR technology is a technologically advanced, profitable and easily feasible process in the presence of the necessary equipment. It is noteworthy that such equipment is available in different price categories, so that every car repair shop can make the optimal choice for itself.
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By 袁春凤 (Tiffany)
Inspection rules for rubber parts for automobiles
1.rubber hardness
Test method of indentation hardness based on GBT531.1-2008 rubber pocket hardness tester
contents and requirements
Instruments and equipment: Shahr hardness tester (type A, D)
Environmental conditions: the laboratory temperature is 23 C + + 2 C, the relative humidity is 60%~70231
Test method: the specimen thickness is at least 6mm. If the thickness of the sample is less than 6 mm, it can be stacked with no more than 3 layers of smooth, parallel samples with each layer thickness not less than 2 mm. The specimen must have enough area to make the needle and specimen contact position at least 12mm from the edge.
Place the specimen on a solid plane, hold the hardness tester, press the pin at least mm from the edge of the specimen, press the pin smoothly on the specimen, and read it within 3 seconds after the full contact of the pin with the specimen.
Results: the hardness values were measured 5 times at different locations of 6mm, and the median was taken.
Feilong Jiangli will update the more inspection rules for automobile rubber parts
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