How to tell if your ball joints are bad?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 271
Likes: 24
2014 GLK250
How to tell if your ball joints are bad?
A quick search yielded nothing,
My GLK has been making clunking noises from what seems like the front driver's side suspension for some time, mostly at low speeds (20-35 ish mph) on beat-up surfaces.
It sounds a bit like worn end links, but I changed those either late 2017 or early 2018, so they should be fine.
The vehicle has a little over 80k miles.
My GLK has been making clunking noises from what seems like the front driver's side suspension for some time, mostly at low speeds (20-35 ish mph) on beat-up surfaces.
It sounds a bit like worn end links, but I changed those either late 2017 or early 2018, so they should be fine.
The vehicle has a little over 80k miles.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 422
Likes: 61
From: South East US.
2015 GLK350
Usually you take the spring load off of the ball joints and check them for play by trying to move thee wheel up and down. Unload the spring tension then put a pry bar under the wheel and see if you can move it up and down. Without getting under there I'm not sure exactly how I would remove the spring tension - usually you jack under the A-arm until the wheel comes off the ground.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 319
From: WI
GLK 250
Mine does this too, and it's particularly noticeable in the cold and when first starting out. I've had it diagnosed by the local MB stealership as "bad shocks" that they'd love to replace for $2,500 (the front pair), but I'm not convinced it's the actual strut. Nor am I giving them thousands of $ for two shocks.
I haven't replaced anything on the front suspension yet, not even tie rod ends. It could be the ball joints, the end links, the strut mounts, or maybe even the strut itself.
We might be able to swap notes and narrow it down.
I haven't replaced anything on the front suspension yet, not even tie rod ends. It could be the ball joints, the end links, the strut mounts, or maybe even the strut itself.
We might be able to swap notes and narrow it down.
