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T&C Suspension Issues
marinecorpsski
Member Posts: 3
I see a lot of info on suspension problems all over but have not seen the answer, or maybe I'm not looking in the right place. Can anyone help me out? I want to replace the ball joints on a 2004 T&C swb (bare bones model). Chiltons says non replaceable- buy whole Control Arms. I see online Sales for replacement Ball Joints only for 2004's. What's the real deal? Can I get away with just Ball Joints? I have clunking sound and feel when I hit bumps and do small sharp turn movements on the steering wheel. Thinking about tie rod ends while I'm at it. Struts are less than 2 years old. I'm on the budget, in Seoul Korea. There is a Chrysler dealership down the road a mile or 2, but I am not paying import repair part and maintenance prices.
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Thank you for any help you might offer.
I have owned a lot of c/d/p minivans, and have rebuilt my share or front ends on them. What I have found on almost every single c/d/p car I have owned, is that all the front end bushing seem to either dry out, or harden and wear out more then any other car I have ever owned. What I found to be the main cause of just about every front end noise on my minivans, in the order I have found them to be the most common problem are:
1- All 4 tortion/anti-sway bar bushings(2 on the main cross frame member at the bottom of the fire wall, and the 2 on the ends at the lower control arms).
2- Ball joints.
3- The ends of the strut link bars that connect from the struts to the control arms (not all model years have those)
4- The bushings where the control arms connect to the vehicle frame. (I have only replaced those once, all of the other times, it was the other problems I mentioned.)
I have had to replace struts from time to time on these, but that was because they were worn out and gave a bad ride, not because of any thumping or rattling noises. The struts don't usually cause such noises unless they are broken or the mounting surface is worn and leaving some gap between the parts. The obvious fix, if unsure exactly which one is the single cause of the noise, is to replace all of the bushings and or moving joints. One thing I have found, is that when I replaced a set of sway bar bushings with the newer urethane after market bushings, is that the brackets were made cheap and one snapped, and another had popped out of the bracket and off the sway bar for some strange reason, so I do reccommed get the the oem replacements right from a dealer for those bushings. I have had no problems with any of the other after market parts from part suppliers or auto stores.
Hope this points you in the right direction and fixes your proble, and would luv to know if it does. They are relatively simple and inexpensive fixes if you can do them yourself. The hardest one of the fixes would be the control arm bushings and the next hardest would be the ball joints.
#3 of 3 Re: Town and Country Front End Clunking Noise [48fatherof5] by joepeterson56 Mar 16, 2009 (10:51 am)
It should pretty much address your problems too I think. The newest one I have owned is a 2000, so I am not positive if yours has to have the control arms replaced, as opposed to just the ball joints. I find it hard to believe that they would go that route with ball joints tho. Most ball joints are just pressed in and can be done with a hand press that you can rent or borrow from most autoparts stores, which saves the trouble of removing the entire control arm assembly to be taken to a machine shop to have the old ones pressed out and the new ones in.
I owned a few cars, where the ball joints were tac welded into the arm, which required some grinding and/or chiseling to be able to press them out, but it was doable. I also owned some that were riveted in at the factory thru the flange, but all you need to do with those, is drill or grind the rivet head off and pop them out, and the new ones come with nuts and bolts.
Hope all of this helps you if it's not too late, and I would appreciate knowing if it did, or what the problem was if you fixed it already.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Did you check and or replace the 4 bushings on the sway bar itself, where it bolts to the cross frame and the bottom of the lower control arms yet?
Did you check and or replace the ball joints yet?
The contorl arm bushings would be the last resort after all the other possible causes, as it is the most difficult replacement to do. Unless of course, you can visibly see that they are worn out and misiing, or if you can grasp and shake the control arms and move them in any direction. The parts should all be checked for abnormal movement in all directions, both under the vehicles natural weight, as well as while lifted off the suspension. The easiest way to check all of these items under weight load, is to drive the vehicle onto a set of ramps so that you can get under the vehicle, and grab and shake the parts to check for movement, while the full weight of the vehicle is where it should be. To check them with the weight unloaded, put the vehicle on jack stands under the frame and do the same.
None of the parts should move in any direction other than the normal one, and none of them should make any kind of rattling noise either. Let me know.
They answer all kinds of questions, they even show in a post pictures of exactly how to replace the sway bar bushings.
Kevin