1998 Jimmy Front end Thump

Better chance it's a ball joint.

I should of added its only on a hard turn. Ball joint sounds less $$ then a CV joint and something I may be able to do.

"Tim" wrote in news:htudnQ8QNc6Yuy3ZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

heres my rental fleet exp. w/blazer, jimmy, s-10 hard full turn while going over ANY rise or bump.........the tires used to rub on full turns so GM welded small steel plates to the frame where the spindle turn stops would shorten the max amount of turn. the tires dont rub any longer BUT on full turns the spindle stops grind up against the add-on plate and ANY vertical movement causes EXTREME popping noise.......fix = lubriplate on stop plate. temporary at best but who can outthink GMs marvelous engineering minds in detroit. after enuff applications you will figure out exactly where to smear it w/out jacking up the truck......btw; GM WARRANTY ADVISORS CALL IT 'NORMAL'...............kjun

Thanks but I don't think that is the problem. Its a real hard thump I can hear and feel. It has just started doing this after 140,000 miles. I notice it most with turning into a parking spot and every time I back out of my driveway.

What can I do to determine if its a ball joint or CV?

Did you go buy a Haynes manual (or comparable)? There are pictures in it that show how to pry to check for bad ball joints. I believe it would be too difficult to explain in a text only forum. Generally speaking though, CV joints generally fail with a clicking sound while turning. Ball joints will give you a thump over bumps. You can use a bar with the car up on jack stands and pry against the ball joint and look for signs of movement, but you have to understand where the ball joint is and how it works to make a meaningful attempt at this. Assuming you're up to snuff in that department, the ball joint is riveted to the lower A-Frame. You'll have to separate the steering knuckle to replace it and either drill the rivets out of chisel them out. The replacements bolt in.

Yeah - it's a bit of a workout. Not a killer, but the job does take some grunting. $350 sounds high to me. One ball joint should be under $50 for the part. I don't know what the book pays for a ball joint R&R, but I'm having a bit of trouble with $350. Others who wrench for a living could probably speak better to this. You might want to get a second price. This is not a specialized repair so any shop should be able to handle it. Even the likes of (dare I say it...) Pep Boys.

Mike I would like to thank you for your response. You have given me some great advise. I talked me my mechanic and he will look at it and see what it is. He thinks ball joint. He said cost for ball joint is $350, and he said it would be a hard fix for me to do with my bad shoulders and the fact you need a air chisel to remove the original.

I will call around for a price. However I will never let pep boys touch any auto of mine.

Mike you called it right. Both sides ball joints were bad. The mechanic told me Jimmy's are known for this and many other problems. I called around and got some other quotes. Started at $440 to $1200 for both sides upper and lower. The shop I go like I said wanted $350. I have been told it should have an alignment and others say no its not needed for ball joint replacement.

Well, I hope that replacing the ball joints fixes your thump. One of the main reasons that Jimmy's are "known for this" is that most shops don't bother to read the manual and figure out what the allowable specs are. You can have a lot of play in these ball joints before you can condemn them. Like 1/8" up and down, 1/8" side to side. Aftermarket shops love these vehicles.....as you can bring the customer out and "show" them how sloppy the lower ball joints are. Problem is, they are like that almost right from the factory.

And you should always do an alignment after replacing any front suspension part. That's a no brainer!

Ian

I got the old parts and they needed to be replaced. Left side was really bad. It did fix the thump problem.