Lower ball joint breakage w/pics; Ever see this?

[uslspct]

So I pulled out of a gas station last night and I heard a clunk and then I knew something was wrong.
Long story short this is what happened...



Joint came out of itself. Also broke my axle. Anyone ever see this?

[cp[mike]]

i was buying my grey sedan at a gas station (on a corner) and a clean white 5g accord was passing right around me, making a turn. im watching her make the turn and halfway through the intersection, POP scrrcchchchhh.... i watched her scrape to a halt. went over and looked and talked to her, it didnt pop out, it sheared in half : good way to cause some damage though.

[CustomLowz]

So I pulled out of a gas station last night and I heard a clunk and then I knew something was wrong.
Long story short this is what happened...



Joint came out of itself. Also broke my axle. Anyone ever see this?

yup... I was cruising on a highway in my truck (300 miles from home) when the Left front balljoint snapped... The tow truck driver said he was surprised that i didnt flip the truck... Damages included, front left axle, speed sensor, abs sensor, upper control arm, wheel, alighnment... and more...

[SoySauceCb7]

thats pretty scary. dam old cars

[T3aM 83rD]

anyway to check them, or any warning signals to look out for, before they break?

[bruno8747]

anyway to check them, or any warning signals to look out for, before they break?

The way I check to see if they are good is to jack up the car so that the wheel is off the ground and can spin freely. Then I put one hand on the top of the tire and one on the bottom and shake it. If there is excessive play then the joint is very bad. If you hear a squeeking from that area when you press down on that corner its going bad. And if you have the balljoint shaft out of the control arm, you can move the shaft around....if it moves around freely its bad. If it has some resistance or alot its good.

[GreenMadness]

i did the wheel test mentioned above a while back and it had at least a 1/4 inch of play... so i took the hubs to a friend and when he went to remove the ball joint thats exactly what happened... good thing i didn't drive the accord there!

[uslspct]

The joint I had in there was only 1 year old.

[GreenMadness]

are those aftermarket or oem.... cause i broke an aftermarket ball joint while installing it (uca) which sucked cause i ended up going back to my oe with an adjustable ball joint.

[bruno8747]

The joint I had in there was only 1 year old.

What brand was it? So that future buyers can be weary.

[arcadiacb7]

fuck i have cheapies from china that I was goin to put in, but now I'm taking those back. Lifetime warranty doesn't cover fenders wheels and axles and what ever else.......

[JDMH22ACB7]

I had a lower balljoint that someone decided not to put the cotter pins on the threads.needless to say the wheel and tire was holding the car up and the fender was trashed,had to replace the ball joint and fender

[gloryaccordy]

I just got my LBJ's done...don't scare me like this man

[uslspct]

I just got my LBJ's done...don't scare me like this man

haha. Well honestly this and your tie rod breaking off are 2 really crappy things to happen if you were at highway speeds. I really got lucky.

Mine was part of the set from ebay. And including the upper arms and tie rods I haven't been impressed.

[cp[mike]]

haha. Well honestly this and your tie rod breaking off are 2 really crappy things to happen if you were at highway speeds. I really got lucky.

Mine was part of the set from ebay. And including the upper arms and tie rods I haven't been impressed.

yeah ok. i was still curious if ebay or even autozone ones would stand up... looks like ill have to place an order with majestic when its time to do them.