So my local shop said i need 2 new front lower ball joints. I replaced the one front lower drivers side ball joint/control arm last year. I really don't think that ball joints are the problem, after talking with some friends they think its the spring seats or the bearing in the strut mount. It sounds pretty awful going over pot holes, makes a lot of crunchy sounds. What would be the best way to check the strut mounts & ball joints to figure out what the problem is?

 

For the ball joints, you raise the front of the car and try to move the wheel in and out, while watching the ball joint. If there's play, you need a new one. I'll bet your right one is bad- they usually fail around the same time, and since the shop doesn't know you already did one, they're suggesting you change the other. As for the spring seats, the noise you describe sounds like they're bad. Look at them- if you see cracks and separation of the rubber, they're failing. Actually, if you have a Volvo 70 series or 850... your spring seats are failing.

 

My volvo is a 98 s70 with 218k on it.

i want to get the tc's from blistein
http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?st...=492&V_ID=1562

and these seats
http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?st...=492&V_ID=1618

and they have control arms for cheap as well
http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?st...=691&V_ID=4438

i think this would solve any problems in the front, but is there any other hardware i should get when i replace the struts?

 

Get new bearing plates as well, and perhaps the lower spring seats.

And yeah, that IS cheap for the control arms.

 

Make sure they are not Scan Tech control arms if they are run away as fast as you can.

I have had to replace to many Scan Tech ones under warranty that are only like 6 months old.

Also while checking you will not always get movement checking like up and down for movement. Sometimes you have to check like you are checking for a bad tie rod from side to side to see the play in it.

 

Seconded on the ScanTech control arms. That one always puzzled me, because they seemed to make decent parts otherwise... but then I found out that they are part of Dorman... and while Dorman is okay for many parts... their control arms for other cars never were, either. Just re- replaced them on a friend's Honda after only 6 months. Dorman is kind of an economy brand when it comes to suspension parts. The only ones they offer are ones where control arm and ball joint are one unit, and all the major manufacturers like TRW, Moog, etc. want a lot of money for them- Dorman steps in and offers the part for half the price. And half the quality, it seems.