I noticed a clunking noise in the front right side every time i hit any kind of bump and figure it is the ball joint so i looked and most places don't carry ball joints for the protege5... i did finally find a pair today for about $50 but now i'm reading that you can't replace them so i'm a bit confused as to how i can buy them but not install them?
Ball joints?
- Thread starter projectmx
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MazdaSpeeder
Member
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- Protege5 (5-spd)
^ agreed. Clunk could easily be sway bar bushings or bad endlinks. I would check or change these first. I believe you can get new bushings pressed into the control arms, but I would just change out the whole arm.
fishdonotbounce
Registered Zombie
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- 08.5 CWP Speed3
I have the same issue. I will be diagnosing it Tuesday. If it is the control arm, I'll be getting a new one from rockauto or 65 bucks and replacing the whole thing. I hate that damn clunk.
Just FYI, I had that same problem. It turned out to be my passenger side motor mount was gone (along with the front one, ouch) and it was actually my entire engine/tranny moving around. Not cool. Since they always tear, might be worth inspecting it since its pretty easy to see if they are bad, and pretty easy to change out if need be.
These aren't usually a problem on our cars tho. 9 times out of 10, it's the swaybar links that are bad...
OP- Like has been mentioned in here already, I would check your endlinks, swaybar bushings, & strut mounts (see washer trick below) first before you replace your lower control arm.
You can't replace the ball joint in our lower control arms. The way it is pressed in @ the factory, you can't press a new joint in. You can press the old joint out, but you can't get a new joint to sit properly due to a notch that is used to secure the original joint in place.
Actually, its a fairly common problem if you've had the struts out for any reason. Although there is a very easy fix for it.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123773484&highlight=strut+mount+washer
You can't replace the ball joint in our lower control arms. The way it is pressed in @ the factory, you can't press a new joint in. You can press the old joint out, but you can't get a new joint to sit properly due to a notch that is used to secure the original joint in place.
Actually, its a fairly common problem if you've had the struts out for any reason. Although there is a very easy fix for it.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123773484&highlight=strut+mount+washer
OP-
Actually, its a fairly common problem if you've had the struts out for any reason. Although there is a very easy fix for it.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123773484&highlight=strut+mount+washer
As I understood it, this is only an issue if the car is lowered. I may be wrong though...
the front right end link may be going cause it seems a little loose when i grab it i can move it back and forth, i checked the ball joint and that actually seems good. the back end links are the ones that look new and i checked out the passenger side engine mount and front one both of those looked good. i also had a friend look at the passenger side strut mount and he said it looked good.
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I think it's just a problem after struts have been replaced in general, not just lowered, although lowering is the usual reason for doing this.
Idk, I'm lowered and don't use washers on my strut mounts... Replaced struts and strut mounts last year, & didn't have any issues. (shrug)
So is the actual issue in the strut mount or the spring?
I've had a number of high mileage cars, and there's one sure sign of balljoint failure, and unfortunately it's one you're not likely to notice until you remove the tire or turn the wheel all the way over so you can see the whole tire surface.
When the balljoint fails, the tire leans out at the bottom, and the titre surface within a couple inches of the inside sidewall wearrs off. The rest of the tire may be fine. Of course, by the time you see this, the tires are shot, so it's best to check for play when you can.
This normally happens on cars with 175k to 200k miles. Considering all of the problems I see on this list, I have to think the protege5 suspension is just under-designed. It looks to have the same components used on my Miata, a much lighter car. So early replacement, like at 75k, is a good idea. I'll be replacing my 80k cars lower control arms for this reason, along with the tires. ouch.
When the balljoint fails, the tire leans out at the bottom, and the titre surface within a couple inches of the inside sidewall wearrs off. The rest of the tire may be fine. Of course, by the time you see this, the tires are shot, so it's best to check for play when you can.
This normally happens on cars with 175k to 200k miles. Considering all of the problems I see on this list, I have to think the protege5 suspension is just under-designed. It looks to have the same components used on my Miata, a much lighter car. So early replacement, like at 75k, is a good idea. I'll be replacing my 80k cars lower control arms for this reason, along with the tires. ouch.
