Wheel alignment dependent on front ball joints and other thi

[chrizbot]

Hi everyone.

I have a '92 Typhoon with around 150,000 miles that just had its tires replaced. Just yesterday I put the car in to get balanced and aligned. The guy could only get them balanced, but not aligned he said the following needed to be done first:

1. Replace both front upper and lower ball joints.
2. Front break rotors and pads
3. Rear wheel cylinders
4. Front shocks

It sounds like only number 1 is important for now, but I wanted a second opinion.

When I had another group give my car an inspection they said that the pads were around 75%, so it makes me think that this guy may be inventing things...

Also, as a side note, he gave me an estimate of 1500 for all of the work. Is this too much? Thanks!

 

[jwaller]

that is so overpriced its bullshit. those ball joints are 45 each shocks are 100 per pair. go somewhere else

 

[MR_MNZTR_SY]

if your ball joints are bad the can affect alignment. they arent expensive and should jsut be done because its simple and easy. the brakes have absoltly nothing to do with alignment. those can get expensive and if you need them do them but it doesnt sound like you need them. shocks will not effect alignment but go bad after about 40,000 miles of use. same deal with the ball joints. get em if you need em. also, go to a different alignment shop

 

[InvisiBill]

Ball joints can be a pain to do, since you'll have to drill/chisel the rivets out if they're still the originals. Not too hard though... Since the ball joints are what hold the wheels to the A arms, bad ones will affect your alignment...

Check your brakes. Pads are easy to change, and if you let them wear out completely you'll end up doing a lot more damage...

 

[G.D. Bryson]

Hey InvisiBill. Reference ball joints. The 92 GMC S/T Service Manual recommends supporting veh weight by lower control arm, mount dial indicator to "Lowest or highest outboard point on rim" and prying the wheel at top (0*) and bottom (180*) to look for horizontal (in-out) movement at upper and lower joint not exceeding .125" (which feels like a lot of movement, but is normal), assuming your wheel bearings are properly adjusted. Movement at 90/270* might indicate loose tie rods. Have a couple GM knowledgeable shops or tech's inspect and tell you exactly how much movement there is in the joints: it'd be a shame if your new ones were as loose as the old, eh? PS: Are your front tyres wearing evenly?

 

[G.D. Bryson]

Demand a pre and post alignment printout from whoever does your alignment: if the shop can't do that, I'd go elsewhere. See syty.org for stock and enhanced alignment specs.

 

[G.D. Bryson]

chrizbot and InvisiBill. I hate when I screw up. The above messages from me are for chrizbot. Guess I should get some sleep

 

[Ian Turgeon]

My alignment was continueing to destroy my front tires untill i did the whole front end kit from PST. ball joints, and bushings.. Together they fixed my issues, but I do tend to blame the ball joints for my issues.

 

[chrizbot]

G.D. Bryson: The tires in the front were wearing on the inside faster than out, which defenetely points to an alignment problem.

I am taking the car to another shop (which is further away, but this guy is more trustworthy) and should get the word sometime tomorrow.

Thanks all for the advice!

chrizbot