Yummybud924

This sucks I've almost put my car back together after my oil pan / motor mount replacment and when putting the crossmember and control arms in I noticed that the drivers side ball joint on the control arm is loose it can be moved up and down a few mms and the boot on it is ripped.

now I need to drive the car and I'm not sure how safe it is to drive it like this until I can have it replaced in a few weeks.....

can I take it to a mechanic shop and have them just replace the ball joint? It's an 85.5 with the aluminum a-arms so I know they have to be replaced but is it possilbe to have a shop just replace the ball joint?


thanks.

Yabo

its possible to do yourself with the rennbay ball joint kit. If it's that far gone, I would get the gold kit , iwth the metal bushing. it's about 200 a set though, might be easier just to find a used control arm. You CAN get a shop to replace teh bushing and such but you would have to get the kit from rennbay as the shop probably has nowhere to get such a kit, as porsche never supplied it.

KuHL 951

Just make sure the integrity of the socket in the arm isn't so bad you have to scrap it. The most expensive ball joint can't resurrect a damaged control arm.

Yummybud924

ah crap, I can probably find a good used control arm or get the rebuild a-arm off of rennbay but the thing is I need to drive the car by next week and I'm not sure how safe it is to drive it until I replace the a-arm.

I'm not sure if the ball joint got damaged when removing it from the car but when I put it back together I noticed that the a-arm ball joint can be moved up and down vertically a few mm like it can pop out....... doesn't sound too safe.

I don't think I can find a used a-arm that I can get within a week.

Yummybud924

I have plans to go somewhere next saturday and it's a 1.5 hour drive there and 1.5 hour drive back and I'm not so sure how safe it is to drive it with the ball joint moving up and down.

Yummybud924

also how good of an idea is it to get those rebuilt a-arms from rennbay? they are pretty cheap but these a-arms aren't really suppose to be rebuilt..... would a used one in good condition be safer?

Mighty Shilling

go for the rebuilds. Travis is awesome to work with, he stands behind his product unlike many businesses these days, and will provide tons of customer support. he rebuilt both of my control arms, and they feel VERY solid, and they're just wonderful!

KuHL 951

+1 I would trust a rebuilt control arm from Travis anytime. It doesn't take much damage for a new ball joint to be loose in a compromised socket. You might not feel it at first when the epoxy sets but the first time it takes a hard hit the game is over. Do a search and there are plenty of pics showing what 'is' or isn't' rebuildable. Control arms are no place for second guessing if it's good or not.

Yummybud924

ok cool I'll order a rebuilt a-arm from rennbay. they are way cheaper than the new a-arms but like others have mentioned, I don't want to lose my steering when when I'm driving 100+ km/h on the freeway.

but now the question, is it too risky to drive it like this until my new a-arm comes in? I have no idea how long it's been like this.

heavy fuel

i wouldn't drive it at all like this. It simply isn't worth the huge amount of damage a broken control arm will leave you with. if the ball joint is moving that much a small bump could send it through the last little bit of control arm left. with that amount of play, your only option is to park and get a new (rebuilt) arm.

i just put new ball joints in my car, the plastic on top of the ball was cracked and some was missing. even in that condition the ball joint was tight against the arm (couldn't move it by hand up and down). it's easy enough to do.

Yummybud924

hmmm I really don't have the option I have to be somewhere next saturday and my only option is to drive there. it's probably been like this for a while hopefully it'll stay put for that one day then I'll park it.

Mighty Shilling

Definately DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR W/ BAD BALL JOINTS! having a wheel fall of is a bad idea.

Funn944

I used the Rennbay ball joint kit. Aside from dealing with the snap ring, I really like them.

Yummybud924

the thing is I need the car fixed by this week lol, as I'm also moving so I'm currently looking around for a used one in good condition in my area with no luck so far.

Mighty Shilling

Travis will get them to you as quickly as he can. call him up.