Thread: A frame ball joint

I was under my truck yesterday and found that my ball joint had about 1 - 2 mm of verticle movement in it - it was slight but noticable. Couple of questions - is this acceptable, and if not, can it be tightened or does it need replaced?
I also have a slight clonking noise coming from the rear of the truck, noticable particilarly on gravel roads and small bumps. My lower shock rubbers are allowing the shock a bit of movement and don't hold the shock in place firmly, i presume the clonking noice is coming from this slack movement?
help appreciated
cheers
Greg

Do as Frank says first.

Not all joints are adjustable. The ones that are have a big slot across the top which screws in. There will also be a couple of crimps in the top of the sides that hold the slot to prevent the top from unscrewing.

If you have one of these you can knock back the crimps, unscrew the top and remove with the top inside nylon cup, pack with a little grease and screw it back in with the cup. Don't forget to re-crimp the slot when you're happy with the tension.

cheers, DL