**How to Check Your Suspension Parts: A Comprehensive Guide**

When it comes to maintaining your vehicle's suspension system, it's essential to know how to check various parts for any signs of wear and tear. In this article, we'll take you through a step-by-step guide on how to inspect the end link, ball joints, tie rod, and other critical components of your vehicle's suspension.

**The Sway Bar End Link**

One of the most crucial components of your vehicle's suspension system is the sway bar end link. This part connects the upper control arm to the lower control arm, providing stability and balance to your vehicle. The end link on this car coming into an end link which shouldn't move like that and that attaches to the lower control arm of your vehicle and what this does is it connects both your right and left side suspensions. Many off-road enthusiasts have removable ones so they could get a lot of flex in their car. It's essential to inspect the end link regularly, as excessive play can lead to reduced stability and increased risk of damage.

**The Tie Rod**

Another vital component of your vehicle's suspension system is the tie rod. This part plays a crucial role in steering, ensuring that the wheels turn smoothly when you turn the steering wheel left or right. The tie rod is attached to the steering gear box and connects to the wheel hubs. To inspect the tie rod, simply hold it between your hands at 9:00 and 3:00 o'clock positions and shake it gently back and forth. If there's any play or movement, you'll know that it needs to be checked further.

**The Ball Joints**

Ball joints are a critical component of your vehicle's suspension system, connecting the control arms to the steering knuckle. They allow for smooth movement and help maintain proper alignment between the wheels and the suspension components. When checking ball joints, ensure that they have no play or movement when rocked left and right and up and down. You can also check them by shaking them gently with your hands at 12:00 and 6:00 o'clock positions.

**The Strut and Spring Assembly**

The strut and spring assembly is another essential component of your vehicle's suspension system. This part attaches to the frame of your vehicle and provides support for the front or rear axle, depending on your vehicle type. To inspect this part, gently shake it back and forth with your hands. If you notice any movement or play, it may be a sign that the strut or spring assembly needs to be inspected further.

**Greasing the Ball Joints and Tie Rod**

Regular greasing of ball joints and tie rods can help extend their lifespan and prevent premature wear. Check for greaseable fittings on the top of the ball joint or tie rod, if present. Apply grease with a grease gun to keep these components lubricated and running smoothly.

**Concluding Our Suspension Inspection**

After completing our suspension inspection, we found that some parts were in better condition than others. The ball joints had excessive play and dry rot, while the end link was also showing signs of wear. However, the strut and spring assembly seemed to be in good condition. It's essential to keep track of your vehicle's maintenance schedule and perform regular checks to ensure that these critical components continue to function properly.

**What's Next?**

Now that we've completed our suspension inspection, it's time to move on to the next part of our vehicle's maintenance routine: the brakes. In our next video, we'll show you how to check and maintain your vehicle's brake system. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more helpful how-to videos, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on new content.

**Additional Resources**

If you'd like to learn more about suspension maintenance or have questions about specific components, be sure to check out our additional resources section. You can also consult with a professional mechanic if you're unsure about any aspect of your vehicle's maintenance routine.

By following this comprehensive guide, you'll be well on your way to becoming a skilled suspension inspector and maintainer. Remember to always refer to your vehicle's owner's manual for specific instructions on maintenance procedures, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys Chris fix here I'm here with the 2002 Chevy Trailblazer doing a brake job which I'll show you how to do that in another how-to video but I just want to give you an idea of how to check your suspension parts since you have everything apart you might as well check everything out make sure your car is good so what you have here is your knuckle this metal piece here that holds on to the uh The Hub and all the brake hardware that's your knuckle it's connected by a upper control arm at the top and a lower control arm at the bottom which has hinges here and bushings the bushings are the rubber inside there that prevents metal to metal contact same thing up here you can see you're bushing in there and this is a double Wishbone cuz it looks like two wishbones so Wishbone on top and Wishbone on the bottom at the end of your control arm you have a ball joint this allows movement when the car moves up and down cuz if this was solid you'd have some binding so we're going to check your ball joint point there should be one at the top and one at the bottom you have your strut and spring assembly which is for your ride control you know so you don't bounce really hard then you have your sway bar coming in this is actually a really thick sway bar on this car coming into an end link which shouldn't move like that and that attaches to the lower control arm of your vehicle and what this does is it connects both your right and left side suspensions a lot of the off-road guys have removable ones so that they could get a lot of flex in their car and and then you have your tie rod this is your tie rod here I have a how-to video on how to change that and uh I'll put that up in the Le hand corner and also down in the description you could just click on it and what this does is it's for steering so when you turn the steering wheel left and right this will move the whole wheel right here and then finally you have your drive axle so as the car tire spins this spins so the first thing we're going to do is check the ball joints what you want to do is have the tire on here here and rock it left and right and up and down to check the ball joints you have your car lifted up in the air and you have your tire up off the ground and what you do is you put your hands 9:00 and 3:00 and you shake in and out left and right and there's no play that's good you also want to grab it from 12 and six and Shake in and out good no play if there's any movement at all you definitely want to check your ball joints tie rods bushings everything I'm going to show you how to do in this video but we are good there's no movement at all if there's any play then you want to check out the ball joint you can see this ball joint has the rubber which is all messed up and it's all cracked and dry rotted and in here is the ball joint so this is going to have to get replaced just because it's all dry rod and everything it's not important right now cuz it's solid there's no play but eventually this is going to have have to get replaced now going to the bottom again there's no play and there's no dry rot you can see it's getting a little cracked but that's not a big deal they're all going to look like that after 130,000 Mi there is no greaseable fitting on the top some cars have fittings on the top that you could put grease in and if that's the case then it's a good time to grease it right now you just add grease with a grease gun so the top ball joint is on its way out the bottom ball joint is good after we check ball joints I remember checking the sway bar the end link here you can see look at all that play this should have almost no play in it it has play in and out which is the worst play and also tons of play side to side in- and out's the worst because the ball joint shouldn't move in and out you should be able to move this back and forth but not that easily though the Bottom's the same way so this end link will have to get replaced soon not going to do it now but it's definitely good to know and now where the strut and spring assembly attaches down here you want to give that a shape I'm going to grab it from from here and just shake it and that's solid and you can also look inside here and see that it's pretty good the rubber looks intact there's no movement in and out at all and then the last thing we're going to do is check the tie rod going to look at the rubber the rubber looks good again sometimes these have fittings on here that could be greased now is a good time to add some grease and what you're going to do to test the tie rod is just shake it back and forth with your hand and you can see this is not going anywhere and the other thing you could do is just move it in and out and if you want to check you could pull the boot off and see if there's any grease or anything in there and also check on the condition of the inside tie rod end So eventually we're going to have to change out this upper control arm ball joint and also the end link on the sway bar cuz there's way too much movement in here and everything else looks good now we're going to go do the brakes on the other side and I'll show you guys how to do that in another video I'll leave that video up on the screen you could click it it'll also be in the description if you can't click on the screen and give this video a thumbs up for a quick how to check your suspension parts it's good to to know how your suspension's doing you could subscribe if you want to see more how-to videos and also you can check out my Facebook and Twitter links in the description below it'll give you updates if you use Facebook or Twitterhey guys Chris fix here I'm here with the 2002 Chevy Trailblazer doing a brake job which I'll show you how to do that in another how-to video but I just want to give you an idea of how to check your suspension parts since you have everything apart you might as well check everything out make sure your car is good so what you have here is your knuckle this metal piece here that holds on to the uh The Hub and all the brake hardware that's your knuckle it's connected by a upper control arm at the top and a lower control arm at the bottom which has hinges here and bushings the bushings are the rubber inside there that prevents metal to metal contact same thing up here you can see you're bushing in there and this is a double Wishbone cuz it looks like two wishbones so Wishbone on top and Wishbone on the bottom at the end of your control arm you have a ball joint this allows movement when the car moves up and down cuz if this was solid you'd have some binding so we're going to check your ball joint point there should be one at the top and one at the bottom you have your strut and spring assembly which is for your ride control you know so you don't bounce really hard then you have your sway bar coming in this is actually a really thick sway bar on this car coming into an end link which shouldn't move like that and that attaches to the lower control arm of your vehicle and what this does is it connects both your right and left side suspensions a lot of the off-road guys have removable ones so that they could get a lot of flex in their car and and then you have your tie rod this is your tie rod here I have a how-to video on how to change that and uh I'll put that up in the Le hand corner and also down in the description you could just click on it and what this does is it's for steering so when you turn the steering wheel left and right this will move the whole wheel right here and then finally you have your drive axle so as the car tire spins this spins so the first thing we're going to do is check the ball joints what you want to do is have the tire on here here and rock it left and right and up and down to check the ball joints you have your car lifted up in the air and you have your tire up off the ground and what you do is you put your hands 9:00 and 3:00 and you shake in and out left and right and there's no play that's good you also want to grab it from 12 and six and Shake in and out good no play if there's any movement at all you definitely want to check your ball joints tie rods bushings everything I'm going to show you how to do in this video but we are good there's no movement at all if there's any play then you want to check out the ball joint you can see this ball joint has the rubber which is all messed up and it's all cracked and dry rotted and in here is the ball joint so this is going to have to get replaced just because it's all dry rod and everything it's not important right now cuz it's solid there's no play but eventually this is going to have have to get replaced now going to the bottom again there's no play and there's no dry rot you can see it's getting a little cracked but that's not a big deal they're all going to look like that after 130,000 Mi there is no greaseable fitting on the top some cars have fittings on the top that you could put grease in and if that's the case then it's a good time to grease it right now you just add grease with a grease gun so the top ball joint is on its way out the bottom ball joint is good after we check ball joints I remember checking the sway bar the end link here you can see look at all that play this should have almost no play in it it has play in and out which is the worst play and also tons of play side to side in- and out's the worst because the ball joint shouldn't move in and out you should be able to move this back and forth but not that easily though the Bottom's the same way so this end link will have to get replaced soon not going to do it now but it's definitely good to know and now where the strut and spring assembly attaches down here you want to give that a shape I'm going to grab it from from here and just shake it and that's solid and you can also look inside here and see that it's pretty good the rubber looks intact there's no movement in and out at all and then the last thing we're going to do is check the tie rod going to look at the rubber the rubber looks good again sometimes these have fittings on here that could be greased now is a good time to add some grease and what you're going to do to test the tie rod is just shake it back and forth with your hand and you can see this is not going anywhere and the other thing you could do is just move it in and out and if you want to check you could pull the boot off and see if there's any grease or anything in there and also check on the condition of the inside tie rod end So eventually we're going to have to change out this upper control arm ball joint and also the end link on the sway bar cuz there's way too much movement in here and everything else looks good now we're going to go do the brakes on the other side and I'll show you guys how to do that in another video I'll leave that video up on the screen you could click it it'll also be in the description if you can't click on the screen and give this video a thumbs up for a quick how to check your suspension parts it's good to to know how your suspension's doing you could subscribe if you want to see more how-to videos and also you can check out my Facebook and Twitter links in the description below it'll give you updates if you use Facebook or Twitter\n"