Creaking/Popping Noise.. Good ball joints?
09-24-12, 02:52 PM
#16
See pics, Moog LBJ are so much beefier than stock. A degree or 2 difference can throw things off.
I am well aware of how an alignment is done. It may be required going from oem to Moog. I noticed when I hooked the old tierod back on the steering wheel was not in the same place. After it was hooked up I could not twist the tierod back and forth like before. I bought new tierods and my mechanic will just throw them on for free when he does the alignment.
FYI, My mechanic is a 20 yr master tech and scored at the top in certification tests in the country, so I'll take his word for it
I am well aware of how an alignment is done. It may be required going from oem to Moog. I noticed when I hooked the old tierod back on the steering wheel was not in the same place. After it was hooked up I could not twist the tierod back and forth like before. I bought new tierods and my mechanic will just throw them on for free when he does the alignment.
FYI, My mechanic is a 20 yr master tech and scored at the top in certification tests in the country, so I'll take his word for it
09-24-12, 07:23 PM
#17
Racer
I just changed out my ball joints myself to Moog and now it is making a creak/popping sound. I did thoroughly grease the ball joints I couldn't twist off and change the tierod so I am getting them done tomorrow. My mechanic told me even just changing the ball joints only will throw things out of alignment since they are not oem ball joints.. So I am hoping an alignment will fix the noise.
The car steering is stiffer and wandering is less over uneven roads. Happy with the investment.
09-25-12, 01:46 PM
#18
Ummm sir, I do know that the alignment is still needed. Did you not read my response to his statement based on what the mechanic stated. His initial statement implied that since the Moog lbj wasn't OEM, he needed an alignment (which is true) and if he had OEM, he didn't need to do the alignment. Basically what I was stating was that you will need an alignment done regardless of if it's oem or not.
BayArea
09-25-12, 05:58 PM
#19
I had the same issue and it was the sway bar. Well for my car atleast. Thought it was the ball joint or axle but I remembered since I switched from bags to coils, I had to remove the linkage. I unbolt it, align it, and tightened it back up and no more noise. Again, it worked for my car. Since you checked everything, it could possibly be the sway bar. Keep us updated.
09-25-12, 07:42 PM
#20
I had the same issue and it was the sway bar. Well for my car atleast. Thought it was the ball joint or axle but I remembered since I switched from bags to coils, I had to remove the linkage. I unbolt it, align it, and tightened it back up and no more noise. Again, it worked for my car. Since you checked everything, it could possibly be the sway bar. Keep us updated.
09-26-12, 06:06 AM
#21
On Nissan's they are very different. Nissan presses their ball joints into the control arm. With that setup, the ball joint lasts for miles and miles. Unlike our cars that has a ball joint that aren't pressed into anything. Rather they are just a standalone which are common on cars with a double wishbone suspension. I personally feel that you are fine with OEM or Moog either way because I don't think its the manufacturer of this part that is the problem. It's just a design flaw
09-26-12, 10:26 AM
#22
On Nissan's they are very different. Nissan presses their ball joints into the control arm. With that setup, the ball joint lasts for miles and miles. Unlike our cars that has a ball joint that aren't pressed into anything. Rather they are just a standalone which are common on cars with a double wishbone suspension. I personally feel that you are fine with OEM or Moog either way because I don't think its the manufacturer of this part that is the problem. It's just a design flaw
09-26-12, 11:06 PM
#25
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10-02-12, 12:33 PM
#26
****************UPDATE******************
Just got the car back from the mechanic and he changed my sway bars, I can def notice a difference in the popping noise, it's still their but very faint, so I'm not changing my lbj for about 2 more months when funds are up their more, it really did help with the new sways, an I got my serpentine belt replaced, she's whisper quiet now, so overall I'm pretty happy... TBC
Just got the car back from the mechanic and he changed my sway bars, I can def notice a difference in the popping noise, it's still their but very faint, so I'm not changing my lbj for about 2 more months when funds are up their more, it really did help with the new sways, an I got my serpentine belt replaced, she's whisper quiet now, so overall I'm pretty happy... TBC
10-02-12, 07:47 PM
#27
Glad to hear the sway helped a tad. Since you've checked everything in the suspension, just thought I'd ask if your mechanic checked the axle by chance. This whole threads talks about lbj, sways, tie rods, and etc but the axle never popped up. Just thought I'd throw that in. Nothing hurts to have it checked.
10-02-12, 08:46 PM
#28
Glad to hear the sway helped a tad. Since you've checked everything in the suspension, just thought I'd ask if your mechanic checked the axle by chance. This whole threads talks about lbj, sways, tie rods, and etc but the axle never popped up. Just thought I'd throw that in. Nothing hurts to have it checked.
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