Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

While I was getting an alignment done on the roadster, the tech noticed that the lower ball joints were squeaking excessively when the steering was turned left & right as the car sat on the alignment rack. I just had the lower ball joints replaced in February, so they thought the squeak might be due to the new ball joints needing to wear-in.

Is is possible for new ball joints to squeal so much? While the alignment did help a bit with the overall steering at high speeds, the car is still very heavy when turning the wheel from a stop or a slow turn.

BTW, the squeal doesn't happen when the front end is jacked up, so its only present when the weight of the car is on the suspension.

Could the ball joints be torqued too tight causing the squeaking & steering tightness?

I have never heard of ball joints having to "wear in".
I would grease them several times with a short around the block drive to make sure the grease is distributed in the joint.

These cars are very heavy compared to modern cars.
There are several factors that can contribute to this.
The offset of your wheels along with the width of your wheels and tire size i.e. "Scrub Radius"
Tire pressure is a big one!...I was talking to Michael Young on this very topic at Solvang and he always runs the MAXINUM stated tire pressure or very close to it.
If you run a smaller steering wheel that also increases the tightness.

Thanks for the reply Phil. Everything was greased when the ball joints were installed & all the front end lube points were greased before the alignment. Your comment about wheels size & tire pressure is interesting. I've got Rota RB's 15x7 4x114.3 +12 with 195/55 R15 Direzza's running at 32psi. The sidewall on the tire says max pressure at 51psi, is that what Michael is recommending? BTW, I'm on the stock steering wheel.

The grease zerk may have been plugged and not really allowing grease into the joint. Pull the zerk off and make sure the grease goes thru it. Only reason for those joints to make noise is lack of lube.

I would work my way up starting a 36 lbs.
You might recheck your wheel size....looks more like 15x7

Thanks Phil, yes that was a typo, they are 15x7. I'll go up to 36psi this weekend & see how she drives.

fj20spl311 wrote: ↑Wed May 09, 2018 10:05 pm I have never heard of ball joints having to "wear in".
I would grease them several times with a short around the block drive to make sure the grease is distributed in the joint.

These cars are very heavy compared to modern cars.

Phil,
I have always believed just the opposite. I can’t think of a modern car that weighs 2,000 pounds.
What were you referring to?
Or did I misunderstand your comment?
Thanks.

TurboRagtop wrote: ↑Sun May 13, 2018 2:37 am I can’t think of a modern car that weighs 2,000 pounds.
What were you referring to? Or did I misunderstand your comment?
Thanks.

I was referring to the steering effort, not the weight of the car.

I had creaky new ball joints, replaced them with rare parts ones and hard steering and scary handling issues solved. Maybe greasing would have fixed them. Too late for that

While I've driven roadsters for many years, I thought I was quite used to the feel of how they drove. But, mine was out of commission for the past 3 years, & my daily driver during this time has been a BRZ. So, I got real used to a modern sports car feel. Then, when I when I finally got the roadster back this spring from the shop with the new ball joints, I was quite surprised how heavy the steering was. I looked back at my notes from 2014 when I changed over to the newer Rota rims & wider tires & my settings were 32psi all around & my comments were all about how awesome it felt & how great it drovee.

So, here I am 3 years later quite confused as to why the steering is so heavy with new parts and a little wondering if its supposed to be that way or am I just used to how a new sports car feels...

BTW, the new ball joints that are squeaking are from DatsunSports.

Sounds like you could use an alignment.
I noticed handling improvement with shocks, ball joints and alignment.
Linda

DCooke wrote: ↑Sun May 13, 2018 9:58 pm While I've driven roadsters for many years, I thought I was quite used to the feel of how they drove. But, mine was out of commission for the past 3 years, & my daily driver during this time has been a BRZ. So, I got real used to a modern sports car feel. Then, when I when I finally got the roadster back this spring from the shop with the new ball joints, I was quite surprised how heavy the steering was. I looked back at my notes from 2014 when I changed over to the newer Rota rims & wider tires & my settings were 32psi all around & my comments were all about how awesome it felt & how great it drovee.

So, here I am 3 years later quite confused as to why the steering is so heavy with new parts and a little wondering if its supposed to be that way or am I just used to how a new sports car feels...

BTW, the new ball joints that are squeaking are from DatsunSports.

If your ball joints keep creaking/squeaking after a good greasing, then I strongly suspect they are the cause of the heavy steering.
The lower ball joints are very important to the steering.

I had heavy steering and went with the 44 ish lbs of air method, still heavy and also subject to point steer (I'd turn left say and need to over compensate back right, I posted my noise on the internet and a guru asked about my ball joints saying he had the same sound). My ball joints were changed to new ones yet they "clinked" when the wheels were on the ground and the steering wheel jerked.

When I got the "new" joints out, they would not budge! Put in different set of new ones (Rare parts manufacturer) and drives great.
I would not align your car until you get the squeaking resolved. Ball joints should be quiet. You can use a long screw driver to listen to the ball joint as the s-wheel is turned to ensure it is the source of the squeak

msampsel - your story sounds exactly what I'm experiencing. I actually already had an alignment & that's when the Alignment Tech narrowed the creaking noise to the new lower ball joints. He did grease everything, but it's still happening & the heavy steering is my biggest complaint.

Looks like I'll need to talk to the guys at the shop that installed the ball joints & see if they can regrease them or swap them out.

Thanks!

fj20spl311 wrote: ↑Sun May 13, 2018 11:13 am

TurboRagtop wrote: ↑Sun May 13, 2018 2:37 am I can’t think of a modern car that weighs 2,000 pounds.
What were you referring to? Or did I misunderstand your comment?
Thanks.

I was referring to the steering effort, not the weight of the car.

Gotcha! Thanks.

dropped the roadster off at the shop that did the ball joints, they're checking it out today...hopefully they can have a solution so I can go back to enjoying the drive! Drove there with the top down & light rain, gotta love Chicago!