1950-1966 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Last Spring I got a set of ball joints for my 1967 Saab 96V4 from our local NAPA store. Installed them (replacing the original adjustable ones, even tho they didn't feel loose). Expected these new NAPA joints, along with new suspension bushings and a better, lesser worn steering rack) would last as long as I wanted to keep the car and give me the nice tight suspension feeling I remember from past 96's. Wrong! It wasn't long before I started hearing suspension clunking...and it seemed to be getting worse. So after 6 months and about 3000 miles I had enough and raised up the car to take a look. Found the upper ball joints to have noticeable vertical play when I used a lever to jack the tire up and down. Little movement was seen from the lower joints. So I removed the NAPA joints and reinstalled the originals (which I'd kept..."just in case"). Clunking gone! Inspecting the NAPS joints after removal revealed easily seen & felt in-and-out movement with the upper joints but little with the lower ones, which indicates to me there was significant wear taking place in the upper joints in only 3000 miles. Why worn upper joints would result in clunking is hard to understand since the weight of the car should always be pressing down on them...but then maybe there was also some sideways wear you can't easily feel and the effect of the swaybar does tend to load and unload that joint a bit. Also there could be wear on the lower joint you can't easily feel. These NAPA joints are of the non-lubricatable type (maybe never-lubricated is a better term). The box they came is says "Made in USA", the bag they were in inside the box says "Made in Italy"! Anyone else have a similar experience?
posted by 98.214.191...
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