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        General >> Problems >> suspension arms
        
(Message started by: big_neil on Apr 4^th, 2006, 8:03pm)

Title: suspension arms
Post by big_neil on Apr 4^th, 2006, 8:03pm

am i just unlucky or is it the car??
just had my 6 mthly service on my 24v ultima and my garage man says the o/s lower ball jt is showing play.
i had both side bottom arms replaced dec 04 and one has gone again.The nearside one was replaced under warranty by ford as it only lasted 10 mths. I blame all the speed bumps and appalling reinstatement
(shoddy) by contractors in the highway, what do other members think???

Price in dec 04 £94+vat. Price now£105 +vat

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by mr._floppy on Apr 4^th, 2006, 8:48pm

Your Gargage man is talking through his raes, and looking for some easy money. A suspension arm that is less than 2 years old should not be showing any wear at all. ( Are you sure they were replaced ? )

My wishbones are 9 years old and just passed the MOT
again.

Otherwise ignore him, he's on the make ( not unknown amongst the mechanical fraternity )

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by nuttyscorp on Apr 4^th, 2006, 9:07pm

yep i agree with mr floppy, what sort of mileage have you done since the arms were replaced?

Russ

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by big_neil on Apr 4^th, 2006, 9:29pm

my garage man is my best mate i trust him implicitly .I actually work for him occasionly and picked the new parts up my self from ford and fitted them with him. my other mate has an m reg scorpio 2.3 with 87000 mls and has never had a susp arm fail yet. my scorp has 56000 mls on it and the old arms were fitted less than 10000 mls ago

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by howiedintheplace on Apr 4^th, 2006, 9:38pm

Have you checked the ball joint yourself?

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by sector-9 on Apr 4^th, 2006, 9:43pm

It could just be that the new parts were weak to begin with (unlikely for two though), or perhaps there is a problem elsewhere with the front suspension which is putting undue stress on the ball joints? Double check all the existing bushes on things like tie-rods, wishbones, anti-roll bar, etc. Also, has the suspension been 'tweaked' by you or a previous owner?

Darren

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by Paul B on Apr 5^th, 2006, 6:32am

Well, I also did mine in '04 along with all the wishbone bushes, the drop links, roll bar bushes, etc.

I still got a warning on the MOT for a worn ball joint just one year later >:(
I thought the guy was talking rubbish too, but my suspension now sounds awful again so somethings not right.

Yes, our roads are crap, but I also think some of the parts we pay top money for are pretty bad too.

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by big_neil on Apr 5^th, 2006, 8:11am

just x.d my receipts arms were fitted less than 5000 miles ago.Also had both front arms fitted under warranty just after i got the car by a ford main dealer(25000mls).ALL in all when this new arm is fitted i will have had 5 arms in 56000mls.Incidentally the front has been geometry x,d and jigged all is as it should be.Idon,t pay any labour or parts as the car is still under warranty till sep or 60000mls. apart from that it is brilliant, lovely sound when it comes on the cams,had loads of offers for it, no chance,it,s staying!!!

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by howiedintheplace on Apr 5^th, 2006, 8:00pm

That does not sound right at all ???

Roads near you must be like a dirt track ;)

Only thing I can think of is do you have after market alloys fitted?

Even if the arms are sub standard they should last longer than that, 5 arms in 56,000mls when you should be still on the orginals :o

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by big_neil on Apr 6^th, 2006, 11:10am

normal 12 spoke alloys(std ultima) 225 50 16 continentals.

Title: Re: suspension arms
Post by big_neil on Apr 8^th, 2006, 7:32pm

latest update. helped my mate out on thurs with mot,s.picking up and delivering cars etc and noticed his scrap metal bin was full of broken springs, track rod ends and ball jts. When i queried him about this he says this is a regular thing every week.my mates garage is an approved unipart garage and an official repair and warranty garage for tx1(black cabs). The main supplier for parts for these tx1,s is a firm in manchester who said that only my mate and a garage in leeds are the only people in england who orders bottom bearings for front suspension for these cabs, nobody else has ever ordered any. This manchester firm thought it was rather strange so conducted their own survey (are you with me with this).Guess what ?
Carlisle and leeds are absolutely stiff with sleeping policemen(poshly called speed controlling humps) plus the fact that balfour beatty has recently dug every single road in carlisle up to replace water pipes with the resulting reinstatement being absolutely diabolicle.Could this be the answer to my failing suspension arms ?? I wonder