Hi all,
I'm the owner of a Pug 206 2 litre HDI (2001, 140K miles)
I do all my own servicing and have done on all of my previous cars.
I routinely check for worn ball joints on the lower wishbone/track control arm by jacking up the car and gripping the tyre hard, trying to rock it from the bottom and side ways. In all of my previous cars, I have always been able to detect worn ball joints on 5the lower arms and successfully replaced them.
Now on my current car, about six months ago, I actually did this test on both front wheels of my Pug, and could not detect any free play in either front lower wishbone/track control arms ball joints. A week later, 50 miles later, the offside ball joint came out of its socket when I was turning a corner, pulling the drive shaft out of the hub, and only the flexible brake hose, upper suspension strut and steering rod was holding the wheel and hub/brake calliper/brake disc to the car.
So clearly the method I use for testing for worn ball joints is not suitable for Pug 206's. So my question is this, what is the definitive test to do when checking for worn ball joints on lower wishbones/track control arms?
I have found that on the Pug 206 I have to use spring compressors to be able to get the hub carrier off the lower arm's ball joint stud as the springs are too strong for me to compress by hand. (I replaced the two arms 3 years ago due to a mot failure as the rubber bushes had detached themselves but the ball joints were OK) On all of my previous cars, I did not need spring compressors.
So clearly the strong springs make testing for worn ball joints harder.
On a separate issue, whats the likely cause of the following symptoms: there is a sound that sounds like a cross between a metal rattle and a sheet of metal being flexed when I am near to or on full steering lock when going over roughness on tarmac such as small potholes or on dropped kerbs? it does not make this sound on the straight over sleeping policemen/speed calmers/potholes/dropped kerbs.
Is it worn drop links, worn suspension top mounts or worn anti rollbar bushes or has the ball joint in the nearside lower arm excessively?? (I replaced the offside one when it failed 6 months ago) What are the definitive tests for worn drop links, worn suspension top mounts and for worn anti roll bar bushes?
I don't think its the CV joints as there is no knocking sounds and I don't think its the wheel bearings as there is no whining or rumbling.
Am I right in thinking the main sympto of worm lower arm ball joints would be wandering steering, feathering on one front tyre and the steering wheel no longer dead straight when going straight?
TIA,
Stephen