Knocking on Bumps

[DrededSS]

Okay I've read about the front-end rattle under acceleration and highway speeds, but that isn't the problem my '96 ES is having. I get a knock sound on bumps from the passenger-front suspension. If I go over a speed bump the steering wheel will move back and forth. I bought it from a friend who only drove it a few miles around town per week. He had it aligned before I bought it. I've put 7,000 miles on it in the past 4 months, and the alignment wasn't so good about 1000 into it (it pulls to the side where the knocking comes from). Any ideas?

[CHIP1218]

all avengers suffer from premature lower balljoint failure on the control arms. i had this same problem on my 99 es. when the control arms were installed on the car at the factory the rubber boots were damaged allowing water and contaminants to enter the balljoint socket. and since the balljoints arent greaseable they rust and wear out. jack the front end up underneath the control arms and with the tire off the ground check for slop up and down and side to side. if there is any slop at all the ball joint is bad. if it is i would take it to a dodge dealer since there is a recall on them. also check the tie rod ball joint as well. to see the recall go to www.autosite.com. good luck.

[TheStang00]

yep the part should be recalled, and get it checked into soon. it can actually make your tires wear unevenly, and can be potentially dangerous.

[DrededSS]

Thanks for the replies. They have actually been replaced twice on this car (132k on the clock), and the right front tire has worn down faster than the rest. I'll fix it once I get my SS back on the road.

Dred

[TheStang00]

yeah i had a ranger with a similar problem, we bought it used and the fuck that owned it before us somehow completely destroyed the right front ball joint. drove 500 miles on the highway and the inside of the right front tire almost wore completely out.

[Jeep8402]

yea check the thread:Shaking in front end on 97 ES. mine was doing the same knocking on bumps. def the lower ball joint