WARNING!!DANGER!! 21 YR old Buicks Need attention in this Area.

[Clark6]

I didnt know whether to post this in the brakes & suspension section or not but for those not so familiar with the cars, and even those that are; Please pay attention to the front tie rod ends on these & any old cars. I was making a run to another town around curvy & twisty roads, with me, my daughter, and a co-worker. Driving ok but a little too fast around curves. anyway i made it to my destination and after staying awhile we were ready to head back home. ON the way of pulling out onto the highway the passenger side wheel just BUTTERFLYED OUTWARD I got out tilted the tire in so that my co-worker steered the steering wheel, while i pushed the car backward & tried to keep the tire straight.. Just think if this would have happened if i was going around those twistys' & curves around 65 & 70mph!!!! We all couldve been killed!!! Keep everything under these old cars lubricated especially at the grease points. I went on to autozone & bought those that they had they were only like $21 and they were thicker & sturdier compared to stock. Im telling you now if you havent already go ahead & replace them now!!!!! They were dry & cracked You'd be Glad you did. notice the NO GREASE whatso ever , i lube mine now every 4-6 months. but if you have the stocker on there just measure & mark the distance & put new ones on; safe insurance from killing someone, including yourself, even a head on collision especially if you have the sway bar removed. Im glad it popped where it did & not on the highway there would have been nothing i could do but wiggle & poot!!....................:redface:

 

[rw87tt]

Good heads up!

Thanks for sharing. I am currently redoing everything on my front end.

 

[Clark6]

You wont regret it!

 

[UNDER-PRESSURE]

The BIG guy was looking out for you today.

 

[1000MileStylez]

thats crazy man, but you should have bought the moog, they carry a lifetime guarantee

 

["Turbo-T"]

I broke an upper ball joint on an Olds Cutlass i had once. Top of the tire leaned in and cut itself on the upper control arm.

Not sure but can't you grab ball joints and give them a shake to see if they are loose?

Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to go buy a grease gun tomorrow.

 

[1000MileStylez]

you jack the car up and grab the tire and try to shake it you can pull on the top or the bottom.

 

[KILL4PEACEUSMC]

Best way to check lower ball joints (they support 99% of the vehical weight) is to place a jack under the lower control arm and raise the front tire 3" and take a pry bar and place it under the tire from the side not in front of the car and rock it up and down. this will show any movement with the weight off of the ball joint. Steering linkage is best inspected with help form someone sitting in the car with the car on the ground, have the person (engine off) turn the weel back and forth and with you laying under the car look at the tie rods and centerlink for excessive movement. Some times it helps to put your hands on each joint as he's turning the weel to "feel" for excessive play.

I hope this helps

 

[KILL4PEACEUSMC]

looks like I cant spell the word "Wheel" today for some reason

 

[turbojimmy]

Happens to 7-year-old Cadillacs, too. I blew $1,100 last week to have mine fixed. 80k miles on the car.

Jim

 

[novaderrik]

I didnt know whether to post this in the brakes & suspension section or not but for those not so familiar with the cars, and even those that are; Please pay attention to the front tie rod ends on these & any old cars. I was making a run to another town around curvy & twisty roads, with me, my daughter, and a co-worker. Driving ok but a little too fast around curves. anyway i made it to my destination and after staying awhile we were ready to head back home. ON the way of pulling out onto the highway the passenger side wheel just BUTTERFLYED OUTWARD I got out tilted the tire in so that my co-worker steered the steering wheel, while i pushed the car backward & tried to keep the tire straight.. Just think if this would have happened if i was going around those twistys' & curves around 65 & 70mph!!!! We all couldve been killed!!! Keep everything under these old cars lubricated especially at the grease points. I went on to autozone & bought those that they had they were only like $21 and they were thicker & sturdier compared to stock. Im telling you now if you havent already go ahead & replace them now!!!!! They were dry & cracked You'd be Glad you did. notice the NO GREASE whatso ever , i lube mine now every 4-6 months. but if you have the stocker on there just measure & mark the distance & put new ones on; safe insurance from killing someone, including yourself, even a head on collision especially if you have the sway bar removed. Im glad it popped where it did & not on the highway there would have been nothing i could do but wiggle & poot!!....................:redface:

maybe the lack of grease is what caused the tie rod to fall apart, and not just the age...

 

[JimP]

Good thing you weren't driving at any speed and on an undivided roadway. Either way these things get checked regularly on my car. I give it a good once over after each winter when it comes out of storage before I drive it.

I have seen a few newish Ford F-150's do this at the worst time possible. It could get ugly for sure.

 

[ericmccann]

Very good instructions! Thanks!

 

[1000MileStylez]

I have never seen a ball joint pop out like that, i have seen them worn to the point where they become impotent. If you look at that picture closely, look how ovaled out that socket is LOL

 

[4timesT]

I've seen them pop like that before but surprisingly it usually happens at slow speeds while turning.

 

[Clark6]

maybe the lack of grease is what caused the tie rod to fall apart, and not just the age...

I'll agree with you there, ive had the car like two yrs when i bought it im just use to the later models( you know how a newbie is when they buy these cars one of the last things we look at is stuff like this and the brakes this is just a warning NOT to overlook these things) i was doing my 96 silverado & decided to replace them also.Yup the older model cars definately needs some TLC in these areas no need for slacking here. Id just replace them they're only $21. For a piece of mind.

I've seen them pop like that before but surprisingly it usually happens at slow speeds while turning.

Thats exactly what happened & glad it did, i dont know if it knows its in slow speed or not but we & i am very fortunate. I keep them all regularly checked now i should have saved up & bought the moogs like someone said but im gonna get me a quick time at the track & just park it for awhile & admire it, until i get a paint job.

 

[Clark6]

thats crazy man, but you should have bought the moog, they carry a lifetime guarantee

I would have settled for anything at the time or my lifetime guarantee would have been voided, up to date , or how would you put it ---of no use, terminated, cashed in, settled, cleared, invalid, then my family would have laid that tie rod on my toomb stone:frown: the thicker Duralast also has a lifetime warranty.

 

[my1stgn]

Best way to check lower ball joints (they support 99% of the vehical weight) is to place a jack under the lower control arm and raise the front tire 3" and take a pry bar and place it under the tire from the side not in front of the car and rock it up and down. this will show any movement with the weight off of the ball joint. Steering linkage is best inspected with help form someone sitting in the car with the car on the ground, have the person (engine off) turn the weel back and forth and with you laying under the car look at the tie rods and centerlink for excessive movement. Some times it helps to put your hands on each joint as he's turning the weel to "feel" for excessive play.

I hope this helps

Good point Devil, also if you take the car to get it aligned atleast once a year or everytime you replace the tires your alignment tech should inspect all this stuff. When I do alignments these are easy upsales, plus you cant do an accurate alignment with "worn" parts that cause too much play. Bt its amazing how we over look the simpliest of things.

 

[Red C5]

Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to check that out. Glad nothing bad happened to you guys.

 

[DailyDrifter]

who inspected the car. That thing should have never passed, even 10k miles ago that thing would still have excessive play in it. At least your alive