Ball Joint Problems????

How can you tell if the ball joints are going bad?? I have a 99 ford ranger and it just started making a noise and it will do it when i have the engine off or on and only from the right front. It sounds really weird like something needs lubricated. I checked it out and when you push up n down on the front bumper it still does it. When i drove it this morning, when i started to turn right onto another street, the steering wheel started shaking and you could feel it in the front area also. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

They can squeek when turning & going over bumps. The best way to check for a bad ball joint is, jack the front wheels off the ground grab the tire & check for movement top/bottom and front/back. Real common on rangers once they hit 5yrs/50Kmiles or so. The factory ones are non greasable. A typical shop charge would be somewhere around $200 to replace a pair of b-joints, around $400 for all 4.
G/luck
Joel