Clunking noise/ Uneven Tire Wear?

[HoustonGT]

Well, i've had a constant clunking noise coming from the right front tire of my car by the strut tower forever and i assumed it was the bushing on my crappy UPR Caster Camber plates like i had read about.
Well i got a new bushing for free from them and installing it Monday, but in the meantime after 20k miles the outer side of that front right tire is completely worn smooth while the left still has about another 5k left on it. I'm talking i have probably about a few weeks before i need new tires.. The alignment was done to spec maybe 5-8k ago and the car tracks straight, but could it be something else?

Ball Joints? Could those cause the noise or the uneven wear?
Outer Tie Rods? Also capable of the uneven wearing?
I plan to get the tire up off the ground tomorrow and see if i can move it at all to see if its the tie rod ends.

Is it possible for the worn out spherical bushing on my caster camber plate to cause not only the constant clunking but also the premature wear of the tire?
The plan for me is to get brand new outer tie-rods, ball joints and tires along with an alignment in a few weeks, but any clue on what part is the culprit?

Also, any clue on what brand is good for ball joints and tie rods and a good place to get them for a decent price? I know my local Ford parts counter will want a damn arm and a leg for those.

Thanks in advance and let me know if i left anything out

Mike

 

[HoustonGT]

BUMP. Anyone???

 

[smokin00GT]

Ball joints go bad all the time and make clunking noises. I have replaced them on all of the mustangs I have had. Didn't notice any uneven tire wear though.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Put the car up on jackstands. Grab the tire with your hands and try to move it up/down, left/right, in/out. If there is any play in any direction you have a problem.

The problem is probably ball joint, tie rod end, or wheel bearing related if you have movement in any of these directions.

in/out would be wheel bearings and there might also be a nasty grinding sound when you turn the wheel with your hands plus you might hear a weird howl at high speed and get pull or vibration in the steering with wheel bearing failure

up/down would be ball joint if so just replace the whole a-arm with Cobra ones the a-arm already has a ball joint mounted in it so you do not have to mess with pickle forks and such and it has nice new bushings and supposedly even improves your turning radius

left/right would be tie rod ends I really do not know much about those never had one fail yet...

If there is no movement in any direction when you grab the tire with your hands and try to move it I would then suspect alignment, shock, or wheel balance.

 

[HoustonGT]

Thanks to the both of you for your input. Just ordered new ball joints and tie-rod ends from Randy Stitchcomb and ordering new tires next week. We'll see where this goes and i'll keep you guys updated.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

You will probably see greatly improved handling after installing these new parts and getting the car aligned. It will be a whole new car

 

[HoustonGT]

You will probably see greatly improved handling after installing these new parts and getting the car aligned. It will be a whole new car

BTW Killy, where you the one that posted the how-to thread on replacing ball joints or tie-rod ends or was it someone else? That would be really helpful. It just seems as if taking the ball joint out and pressing it back in is going to be a huge PITA

 

[smokin00GT]

good luck with the ball joints....a tortch to heat them up makes the job go faster, but boy it was a b%$#h!!!!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

BTW Killy, where you the one that posted the how-to thread on replacing ball joints or tie-rod ends or was it someone else? That would be really helpful. It just seems as if taking the ball joint out and pressing it back in is going to be a huge PITA

Like I said, get the Cobra a-arms. The ball joint is already in them and they are an improved design over the GT a-arm. This eliminates all ball joint installation issues. I bet the price diff is not that much between ball joints and complete a-arms.

 

[HoustonGT]

Like I said, get the Cobra a-arms. The ball joint is already in them and they are an improved design over the GT a-arm. This eliminates all ball joint installation issues. I bet the price diff is not that much between ball joints and complete a-arms.

Big difference actually. About 175 for Cobra a-arms versus about 78 for the ball joints from Ford. I wish it wasn't much at all