88red4cyl Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Took my Monte to get new front tires yesterday, and the first shop wouldn't do it because they said I had a bad tie rod end... The driver front tire was worn on the inside shoulder all the way down to completely smooth with some belts sticking out... The passenger side tire looked fine.. So I went somewhere else and got my tires... I've been pondering since then if the tie rod end is actually bad, or if its a ball joint... At the first shop, they shook my tire left to right, and it moved quite a bit, but I thought a bad tie rod caused both tires to wear unevenly... So before I order the wrong parts, I thought I'd check here first! Quote
BXX Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 No, a bad tie rod can cause only one tire to wear. It has play so it will move back and forth a bit going down the road, but the other side stays true. This is especially gonna happen if your rear toe is pointed to the right Quote
Venom Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 If the tire wore smooth on the inside thats a ball joint. If it were choppy all across the tread thats a tie rod. Both a ball joint and tire rod will give you play at the 3 and 9 o'clock shake. What you need to do is jack up the front and and have somebody shake the wheel while you crawl underneath and inspect both for movement so you can be sure what it is. But because you mentioned the smooth wear on the inside that is more than likely the ball joint. Quote
BXX Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Grab the tire and yank at bewteen 4 and 5oclock and between 7 and 8 oclock and that will show the most movement with the balljoint. Going with 3 and 9 wont show too much unless the balljoint is beyond smoked Quote
BXX Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 And rob, toe wear is not always smooth! When the tire is so bad it would be chopped up so bad especially if the front tire is running around 1 degree of negative camber or more. Quote
Venom Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Grab the tire and yank at bewteen 4 and 5oclock and between 7 and 8 oclock and that will show the most movement with the balljoint. Going with 3 and 9 wont show too much unless the balljoint is beyond smoked Correct, that is the right way to check the ball joint for play, but his does sound beyond smoked Quote
Venom Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 And rob, toe wear is not always smooth! When the tire is so bad it would be chopped up so bad especially if the front tire is running around 1 degree of negative camber or more. I didnt say toe wear was smooth, I said camber wear was smooth, which would be the ball joint. Quote
BXX Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Its an 06 Monte. If it has a smoked balljoint then thats a 1 in a million that has failed. The tie rods on them should be considered maintenance at 50K seeming they wear out that quickly Quote
Venom Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Its an 06 Monte. If it has a smoked balljoint then thats a 1 in a million that has failed. The tie rods on them should be considered maintenance at 50K seeming they wear out that quickly Well he needs to get off his but and go check for himself before I drive to Lorain and kick your ass for arguing with me. LOL Quote
BXX Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Why, because im PWNing your ass??? And go ahead and drive out here biatch!! I aint scared of you, hell you get beat up by the wifey! Quote
Venom Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Where the hell did he go? And let me ask the wife if I can leave and go kick your butt first LOL Quote
88red4cyl Posted April 10, 2010 Author Report Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) I'll jack it up in the morning and see what I can find out... It's just about dark now.. Thanks guys... EDIT- Do W's (specifically the Monte) only have lower ball joints? I assume they do since I can't find an "upper" on rock auto, only the lower, but I wanted to make sure.. Edited April 10, 2010 by 88red4cyl Quote
spiderw31 Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Do W's (specifically the Monte) only have lower ball joints? I assume they do since I can't find an "upper" on rock auto, only the lower, but I wanted to make sure.. Yes. A McPherson strut suspension only uses a one (lower) ball joint. Quote
BXX Posted April 11, 2010 Report Posted April 11, 2010 Yup, only 1. They the failure rate on them currently is almost non-existant. Too bad GM couldnt make a tie rod and hub assy of the same damn quality. Im not saying it cant happen on them with enough miles and rough road, but its not likely. Quote
88red4cyl Posted April 12, 2010 Author Report Posted April 12, 2010 Going to my grandparents tomorrow to jack it up in their drive which is paved, with a hydraulic jack... Jacking it up in my gravel drive with the spare tire jack while the ground is soft wasn't working too well for me... Quote
Regal_GS_1989 Posted April 13, 2010 Report Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) It may be totally unrelated...but the company my dad works for has 2 06 silverado's, and both of those had extreme wear on all 4 tie rod ends. Not a huge issue....however, the kicker here is that GM said that their books allowed for 40/1000 of play in Each Tie rod end, and that both trucks were still in spec! According to the mechanic that was working on the truck...he said it was an immediate safety fail. According to GM, it was a pass. I was in awe to say the least. So was the mechanic, as GM specifically instructed him that no play is acceptable. And yes, we did have everything replaced with new. I guess what I'm saying is that I wouldn't be surprised if the tie rods are completely toasted. Edited April 13, 2010 by Regal_GS_1989 Quote
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