sty3x

I feel very depressed today. I though finally after 4 months I would be able to drive my car again, but went to get it aligned today and they told me they couldn't do it because ball joint or something was lose. Basically the showed me how the wheel would wiggle I spoke with my mechanic and he said to do fix that i need to replace my upper and lower control arms. Anyone have any words of consolation for me???

Marine Blue

Wheel movement is typically caused by improperly tightened wheel bearings or bad tie rods. Not sure the A-Arms are the issue.

sty3x

How Can i check to be sure?

Marine Blue

You really need to get the car up on jack stands and have a second person moving the wheel to find the source of the problem. A wheel bearing problem will cause movement in the vertical plane so placing your hands at 12 and 6 and trying to move will determine if you have a problem. The Tie Rods need to be watched while someone else places their hands at 3 and 9 and attempts to move the wheel.

sjfarbs

So in order for the alignment shop to show you how the wheel wiggles, I can only assume that he had to lift the car and unload the suspension, how else can a wheel wiggle right?

Bad alignment shop!!!! Good thing he did not align your car after lifting it, it would need a good 5-10 mile drive to settle the suspension back into place!!! Good thing he did not turn any wrenches.

+1 to Marine Blue.............grab the wheel at 9 and 3 o clock, see if there is any wiggle, if so bad wheel bearing.

Inspect the lower and upper BJ boots for tearing.

Go from there and report back.

RKD in OKC

If it was on an alignment rack the wheels can be wiggled without lifting the car. They sit on the pads that allow them to move so they can do the adjustment.

worf928

"He" doesn't know **** about 928s. And he has no clue how expensive the control arms are. Upper and lower control arms rarely have to be replaced unless they've been damaged or unless your mileage is well-above 100k miles and even then it's rare. It IS possible that they've been damaged or are so worn that they need attention. But, there are other parts that are more likely the culprits.

As has been noted:

- wheel bearings
- tie rods, both inner and outer joints
- lower ball joints

The wheel bearings are adjustable - up until they need to be replaced.
The tie rods are easy to replace.
The lower ball joints are harder to replace but not seriously expensive.

If the boot on a ball joint has been cracked for a while then the joint is toast. For the lower joint you just replace the carrier. For the upper joint you'd have to get refurbished upper arms from 928 Intl. (AFAIK, replacing just the upper joint is not a DIY affair.) The lower control arm is basically just a big hunk of metal with huge bushings on each end.

Nearly all "mechanics" that are unfamiliar with 928s always think that the upper control arms need replacing. There's movement in the upper arm when the wheel is unloaded that is normal for a 928 but abnormal for your standard one-control-arm macpherson strut crappy-assed econobox suspension.

jon928se

Loose Wheel bearing will allow the wheel to wiggle at any angle 12-6 9-3 10-4 o'clock etc.

jack up offending wheel, then wiggle wheel noting which angles it moves and which it doesnt.

Then have an assistant press there foot on the brake and repeat the wiggle test.

all movement gone or range of movement reduced indicates wheel bearing is all or part of the problem in which case fix this first a quick search will pull up lots of threads on how to.

no change at all exonerates the wheel bearing.

so with wheel earing eliminated from the equation

12-6 oclock movement indicates play either upper or lower a arm ball joints or both
9-3 oclock movement indicates either play in the tie rod ball joints (at the wheel end or the rack end or both) or that the rack mount bushings are toast (quite likely in a 21 year old) or both.
So assuming the wheel bearing issue is resolvedIf the movement is

worf928

This needs to be done with the front wheels loaded. You may recall that we did yours on my Carl-made 928-custom ramps?

Drive the car on ramps. Pull both steering rack boots away from the rack to expose the inner joints. Then have your helper load and unload the steering wheel while you watch for abnormal movement of the inner and outer joints. There should be no movement of the ball relative to the socket on the inner joint except for rotation. If you see the ball moving in and out of the socket the inner joint is trash.

It's harder to describe abnormal movement of the outer joint. But, again rotation only. No axial movement on any plane.

While you're under the car, look at the rack pistons and bushings. Are the pistons moving left and right ONLY? Or do they move front/back? If the latter the rack is junk. If the rack body is moving around on its bushings more than about 1/4" new bushings are needed.

But, a trashy rack will not make the car unalignable. It'll just make the 928 feel like an America car with a big on-center dead spot in the steering wheel.

sty3x

Okay guys thanks for the help I thought the shop was good enough I can now say they are ****. They told me they had done 430s and 911s all the time. I'm very pissed at them thanks for the help I will check it out again. Is there a procedure lined out somewhere about how a 928 should be aligned?

BC

Lower Ball joints. Inner and outer tie rods, and stop there, see where you are. If you need more, then it will be the upper arm.

heinrich

normal part of ownership

sty3x

Like I said thanks guy for all the help

jcorenman

Joey, read this page, and then print it and take it to the shop:
http://members.rennlist.com/captearl...hydifshop.html

RED SHARK 1990

ITS LUAN,i had the outer tie rods done before the accident .The shop they showed me by moving the wheel side to side my outer tie rods were worn,there was alot of play i had them done.But with a new align the tires were still wearing on the inside .I bought the lower ball joints at PORSCHE DEALERSHIP-lower ball joint for 67.00 a piece while everyone is 119.00 each-now the labor charged was 144.00 included a new alignment.I tell you the car is tight again.Try that i doubt its the A-ARM.