In this page, we will cover suspension and steering systems, we will list several repairs done to different vehicles that involve replacing suspension and steering components.

The common suspension components found on older vehicles and most pick-up trucks are: leaf springs,leaf spring bushings, shocks, coil springs, I-beams, upper and lower control arms, control arm bushings,ball joints, stabilizer bars.

Newer vehicles have improved  suspension systems , pick-up trucks haven't changed as much as passenger cars and vans due mostly to their cargo capacity, all front wheel drive cars, and most minivans have struts and lower control arms in their front suspension, the strut design eliminates the need of an upper control arm and shock absorber, some manufacturers offer air suspensions to provide a softer ride.  Also on the rear suspension most manufactures have replaced the straight axle design with independent rear suspension, providing better stability and a smoother ride.

Steering systems in most older cars and trucks are composed of the following items: steering wheel / column, steering shaft, steering box, pitman arm, drag ling, idler arm, tie rods, tie rod ends,steering knuckle.

Newer vehicles and some newer light duty trucks have replaced the steering box with a rack and pinion system, the rack and pinion is lighter, and has less moving parts for example: by replacing the steering box design with a rack and pinion, the manufacturer eliminates the need for a pitman arm, idler arm and drag link, not to mention that because of its design the rack and pinion takes up less space.

BALL JOINTS:

  Ball joints are found in most front suspension systems and independent rear suspension systems. 

To get a better idea of how a ball joint works, picture your elbows and knees, your elbows allow you to move your arm and forearm in two different directions, same applies to your knees, ball joints have a similar principle, they allow the control arm and steering knuckle to move in different directions as the suspension travels up and down or as you turn your wheel to the right or left while driving.

It is very important to maintain the ball joints lubricated with high quality grease, otherwise they will experience premature failure due to lack of lubrication.

Some newer vehicles are not equipped with grease fittings, and as you can imagine the ball joits in these vehicles will need to be replaced sooner than older vehicles that were equipped with grease fittings.

To find out if your vehicle has a bad ball joit, raise it off the ground, support the weight of the vehicle by the frame, allowing the suspension to extend all the way, place a large pry-bar under the wheel and move it up and down while a friend looks at the lower ball joint, if there is any up and down movement in between the ball joint and the control arm, the ball joint needs to be replaced. To check the upper ball joint leave the vehicle supported by the frame, place a floor jack under the control arm and apply some pressure to it, place a floor jack under the tire again and try to move it up and down again as you did with the lower ball joint, have a friend look for unusual movement between the upper control arm and the upper ball joint, replace the ball joint if there is up and down movement between the control arm and steering knuckle.

 Pay attention to the condition of the dust boot, if the boot is ripped, it is very likely that the ball joint is contaminated with dirt , this will cause premature failure, if you find a ripped dust boot, it is recomended to replace the ball  joint or at least install a new boot.

      
       Click on image to learn how to replace the lower ball joints on a 1998-2005 Ford Ranger 2wd

    
      Click on image to learn how to replace the upper ball joints on 1998-2005 Ford Ranger 2wd

STRUTS:

Most modern vehicles are equipped with front Mcpherson struts on their front suspension, this design is more efficient and easier to work on than the older style involving upper and lower control arms with a shock absorber attached to the lower control arm and the upper end attached to the frame of the car.

The Mcpherson strut design involves a strut, strut mount and coil spring all in one complete assembly.

The upper part of the strut is attached to the body of the vehicle by the strut mount, the lower end of the strut is connected to the steering knuckle, the strut mount is the part that allows the strut assembly to turn as you turn the steering wheel.

  
Click on image to learn how to replace the front struts on 1982-1994 Nissan Sentra

Click on image to learn how to replace the power steering pump on a 1979 Nissan/Datsun 280ZX