Just a reminder to check wheel arch area

[binary-fuel 4]

I have notice a noise a month ago behind my wheel. After driving it while making the noise the sound got worse. After some Google searching some forums suggested ball joints was the cause.

Today I deemed the car to dangerous due to sounds other then ball joints at back, front and engine areas. 
I put the car in my garage and removed the wheel to find that it was a matter of time that the upper ball joint would break apart onto the road and cause a serious problem while driving it.

Without knowing my strut had enough wear to start breaking down and leaking over the spring. I also will assume the spring is going to be replaced due to it being used for many years and showing me that it didn't work well when driving (When it was a new strut).

(correct me if wrong)
The picture of the lower control around shows worn out bushes with looks to be rubbing and breaking away.

I would like to stress to other who drive their car without doing regular checks that you could be driving with parts that could let go at any time. Please do your checks. Old cars should be weekly checked due to parts being used way past the recommended changing times.
Please check brakes, ball joints, struts/springs (If it has oil looking stuff on the springs it may be coming from the strut and can indicate the strut is worn) control arm, any and all bushes.

It just may save you from a accident and it could save you a couple of dollars if you get to it before some damage are done.
 

[binary-fuel 4]

Struts worn

[Trev Vaa 1,185]

can't work out if this is a troll or not...

if it's not, do not fix this yourself. the fact you had to google the issue shows your inexperience, meaning its not safe for you to repair this yourself.

 

your maintenance schedule must be up shocking for the ball joint to get that bad.

 

older vehicles do not need weekly checks, what they need is someone who knows what they are doing to service the car. these things rarely randomly fall apart, and when they do its usually either due to extreme circumstances or cheap parts.

part of every service should be going over the car, its easy to spot wear and tear items these should have been spotted long ago, also pic 2 is swaybar link pins. yes they need replacing.

 

the front end is not a strut front end, its a shock absorber, strut holds the spring and shock as one unit, shock absober is seperate, and yes if they are leaking that is a major issue, but again this can be felt in normal driving.

 

doesnt matter if a car is new or old, when you buy it, you go over it from top to bottom work out what needs replacing/tightening and get it done, from then on maintenance is periodic.

 

please, for your own safety and the safety of others around you, take this to a licensed mechanic to be repaired.

going by the looks of what you have thrown up. im going to give you an honest suggestion, rebuild the suspension all the way through the car, front to back, new bushes, shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, rotors and pads. do not skimp on quality.

 

DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF!!!

[nos2 751]

can't work out if this is a troll or not...

 

 

This! Lol

[steve mcqueen 1,796]

I can see the problem with that last pic. Its a REPCO shock. Its leaking! 

The spring would be ok, i wouldn't worry bout it.

 

The stabilizer bar linkage is worn out, Just grab some new ones from Nolathane to replace them.

And grab a ball joint whilst your there. Give all the stuff to a decent mechanic and let him fix it.

 And replace those shocks with some KYB's or Monroe's etc. 

[binary-fuel 4]

 

[binary-fuel 4]

can't work out if this is a troll or not...

if it's not, do not fix this yourself. the fact you had to google the issue shows your inexperience, meaning its not safe for you to repair this yourself.

 

your maintenance schedule must be up shocking for the ball joint to get that bad.

 

older vehicles do not need weekly checks, what they need is someone who knows what they are doing to service the car. these things rarely randomly fall apart, and when they do its usually either due to extreme circumstances or cheap parts.

part of every service should be going over the car, its easy to spot wear and tear items these should have been spotted long ago, also pic 2 is swaybar link pins. yes they need replacing.

 

the front end is not a strut front end, its a shock absorber, strut holds the spring and shock as one unit, shock absober is seperate, and yes if they are leaking that is a major issue, but again this can be felt in normal driving.

 

doesnt matter if a car is new or old, when you buy it, you go over it from top to bottom work out what needs replacing/tightening and get it done, from then on maintenance is periodic.

 

please, for your own safety and the safety of others around you, take this to a licensed mechanic to be repaired.

going by the looks of what you have thrown up. im going to give you an honest suggestion, rebuild the suspension all the way through the car, front to back, new bushes, shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, rotors and pads. do not skimp on quality.

 

DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF!!!

Ok so you are saying that you have never used the internet with help/instruction on how to change parts or locations of parts, noises or other car related information?

Yeah I used google but that connects me to websites of advice. step 1 know the noise.

 

Replacing is no issue, workshop manuals and advice from workshops will make it easy. Plus being the most complex job a car has to offer and requires the worlds most experience mechanics to handle changing ball joints will just make the job easy. haha fucking ha. I have done it before just never knew the noise it made when it was in the environment that mine was in (not a rusty door hinge normal noise something hard to explain, but was the ball joint). It seem the strut being under weight a week ago had done it and followed through. P.s the strut/shocky didn't show oil 2 weeks ago. 

Also my XG drove 1300kms with a load on it. With the spring weak, it just got to the upper ball joint. Who the fuck wants to change a spring with incorrect tools** not me** and i'm not rich like you guys so everything other then brakes/bleeds are my own 2 hands job. I also got the XG in this shape 2 months ago (for cheap).

 

Please forgive me if I name parts wrong. I don't have a brain wired to know all car parts just by looking at them and haven't experienced much wear and tear problems.

[nos2 751]

Dude, not many of us are rich either.. It's in your best interest to take your car to a mechanic though. Some things must be done, and this is one.

[agentkiwi 110]

Next noise you should check is that one coming out of that round pipe at the back. That noise means your engine is gonna shit itself one day. Be careful

[bear351c 10,273]

Don't let the boys fire you up, mate. Buy the parts when you can afford them, ask for info and help if needed. Good luck.

[Banno 479]

Don't let the boys fire you up, mate. Buy the parts when you can afford them, ask for info and help if needed. Good luck.

Exactly. Nothing wrong with asking and researching. Do what you can and afford and what your comfortable at doing. 

[binary-fuel 4]

Thanks for the positive comments and information. I just wanted to explain that the XG was running out of rego very shortly and that I was gathering parts and workshop manuals to aid in replacing and tuning and a maybe do small rebuild to make it run good and safely. The XG is not in the best shape. The old owner bashed it down. The engine has a knock in it and I do plan to replace it. So I sometimes use the internet for help and direct answers instead of going through the workshop manual. 
The car isn't going onto the road for sometime. In the mean time I am checking over the car finding this wear everywhere. 

Sometimes it takes proof to show others what neglect and wear looks like in extreme cases. Come on guys i'm sure there is someone on this forum driving around with breaks that are worn so bad that screech. If not maybe this would prevent some drivers from getting to that stage, along with upper and lower ball joints.

[bear351c 10,273]

Yeah, man, you're right. A picture tells a thousand words, and it's awesome for reference material. Pictures of worn parts is good for comparison.

[agentkiwi 110]

Sounds like you've got a lot of work to do to fix this old girl up. How much did you pay for it?

[Mr Polson 10,214]

I'd daresay the majority of people on here bought their x series and checked/replaced the lower ball joints, uppers, tie rod ends, sway bar bushes and castor bushes. Its one of the first things you need to do to these cars to keep them handling well and safe.

 

Definitely something that needs to be done to register a car.

 

But there's no way your spring would need replacing, they're not something that really wears, most that would happen is they sag.

[Trev Vaa 1,185]

yes i have used the internet to learn about cars but not this, more about when i've forgotten a spark plug gap, or am having an issue i cant work out.

 

i learn't how to rebuild/work on cars by someone who knew what they were doing, he is a licensed mechanic, skill & knowledge wise he is in the top 5% of mechanics in the country, hes forgotten more than most mechanics will ever know that i can guarantee. not many people had workshop experience at under 8 years old like i did, and i am quite aware of that, i am trying to help you so don't take it as an attack.

 

im not rich, infact quite the opposite, but you are asking some very basic questions about a lot of very serious components of the car, it is clear from your understanding that you do not know what you are doing, rather then be arrogant and DIY, be smart, and possibly save yourself some serious pain.

 

i see this stuff go sideways all the time, this is not something you should be attempting on your own. if you don't know the basic names for the parts, its not likely you have the skill or understanding the importance of doing them right.

 

again, im not having a go at you, im trying to help.

yes i agree a picture says a thousand words, but you don't actually realise what you have shown.

 

by the way, if your in VIC send me a PM and i'll see what i can do parts wise.

you not having the skill to repair this, is not your fault, maybe it came across as offensive but that was not my intent. you do not posses the skills to do this job safely, and it isn't worth the risk. infact risking it shows a lot of arrogance and immaturity.

 

if you want help, ask people on here if they are mechanics by trade and in your area, who knows you might be lucky, give them some cash or the likes, and they will teach you. that is the proper way of learning, if i went through the checklist for even a simple pad change, it would be well over 2000 words in detail. or half an hour of explaining face to face and things to look for etc there is too much involved to be written down on a simple 10 lines of text.

 

there is a lot of knowledge behind what you are doing, you don't realise for example, there is probably 2 tonnes of load on an upper balljoint under standard cornering.

 

im looking out for you, not trying to disinterest you. id much rather a job done properly then have to deal with the aftermath of a simple mistake. a  poor man pays twice. do it once, do it the right way and you are sweet.

 

let us know what you want to do to the car, how you plan to use it in the future, and we will advise.

[binary-fuel 4]

Sounds like you've got a lot of work to do to fix this old girl up. How much did you pay for it?

$400 with 2 months rego (nsw). It ran well and the ball joints where ok condition. new battery and water pump. 

[binary-fuel 4]

yes i have used the internet to learn about cars but not this, more about when i've forgotten a spark plug gap, or am having an issue i cant work out.

 

i learn't how to rebuild/work on cars by someone who knew what they were doing, he is a licensed mechanic, skill & knowledge wise he is in the top 5% of mechanics in the country, hes forgotten more than most mechanics will ever know that i can guarantee. not many people had workshop experience at under 8 years old like i did, and i am quite aware of that, i am trying to help you so don't take it as an attack.

 

im not rich, infact quite the opposite, but you are asking some very basic questions about a lot of very serious components of the car, it is clear from your understanding that you do not know what you are doing, rather then be arrogant and DIY, be smart, and possibly save yourself some serious pain.

 

i see this stuff go sideways all the time, this is not something you should be attempting on your own. if you don't know the basic names for the parts, its not likely you have the skill or understanding the importance of doing them right.

 

again, im not having a go at you, im trying to help.

yes i agree a picture says a thousand words, but you don't actually realise what you have shown.

 

by the way, if your in VIC send me a PM and i'll see what i can do parts wise.

you not having the skill to repair this, is not your fault, maybe it came across as offensive but that was not my intent. you do not posses the skills to do this job safely, and it isn't worth the risk. infact risking it shows a lot of arrogance and immaturity.

 

if you want help, ask people on here if they are mechanics by trade and in your area, who knows you might be lucky, give them some cash or the likes, and they will teach you. that is the proper way of learning, if i went through the checklist for even a simple pad change, it would be well over 2000 words in detail. or half an hour of explaining face to face and things to look for etc there is too much involved to be written down on a simple 10 lines of text.

 

there is a lot of knowledge behind what you are doing, you don't realise for example, there is probably 2 tonnes of load on an upper balljoint under standard cornering.

 

im looking out for you, not trying to disinterest you. id much rather a job done properly then have to deal with the aftermath of a simple mistake. a  poor man pays twice. do it once, do it the right way and you are sweet.

 

let us know what you want to do to the car, how you plan to use it in the future, and we will advise.

Its alright. I quit smoking today and I think something just ticked me and the last comment showed it. Sorry. Yeah I know what the picture means. Stress and wear and non regular checks. The car did travel 1300ks with a hole house on it. It also was not in a perfect shape, but it did it. The car has had a lot of stress placed on those parts.

 

When I say I wish to replace the parts myself I am not thinking it's easy. I'm thinking 5 to 9 hours work with a couple of petrol heads and some beer, of course that is expecting to find more issue.

 

[dizzy616 183]

id drive another 10,000k's on that ball joint.
i am serious if this was me 4-5 years ago. i most likely would have lol
though i am not condoning such activity

[Trev Vaa 1,185]

see, look im not trying to be an ass here.

what i am trying point out, is, you did a lot of mileage with a car that was worn that you didn't realise had an extremely serious issue.

simple stuff like that i see people get killed over all the time.

 

either way, as i said, we can help out, but let us know what you want/need help with and we'll go from there, and im serious about shooting me a PM if you're in melbourne, i'll get you a quote together.

[Mr Polson 10,214]

I'd just like to show just how much worse ball joints and tie rod ends can be...

 

 

 

[Lord_fahrquhar 2,580]

 

Fix it or this will happen

[nos2 751]

 

Fix it or this will happen

 

Yes. And none of us are going to pitch in to purchase and burn it. So you'll be stuck with it.

[hendrixhc 10,921]

 

Fix it or this will happen

 

Dave how many more times are you going to post a picture of your bloody car?

[bear351c 10,273]

I love it.............dining table on the front, somewhere to sit when you at the drive in, put your beer on it while youre fixing the engine, bonk ya missus on it.......must have a 100 uses.