Last week I had some of my co-workers over for a little get together. It was too late for everyone to walk to the bus, so I drove everyone back to the train station. There were 6 of us total in the car, meaning there was one extra person. (We were all below 125 lbs) The train station is only about 1 mile away, and there are no large bumps, etc.
Ever since that day though my car has been acting funny. It sounds as if the front right springs/shocks are really squeaky. My partner looked around the car and noticed that one of the ball joints “looks squished.”
The car makes the noise a lot, especially when braking and/or going down a hill.
My partner seems to think it is all because of the extra person in the car. I believe this may have been the straw that broke the camels back, but I believe something was probably on it’s way out.
Both ball joints have recently been changed though.
Any thoughts?
Thanks so much!
No, an extra couple hundred pounds isn’t going to make a difference for a mile unless parts were already worn. Ball joints are simply a steel bolt inside a steel cup, covered by a rubber dust cover shaped like a bellows. There is no way it could compress. I suspect you have a worn strut so just have someone look at it to see where the noise is coming from.
6X125=700 lbs, which ought to be within the load limits of an Accord (GVWR-curb weight).
As an aside, I’ve always found it odd that mfr’s would specify a gross weight maximum, but not give you the empty weight of your vehicle, as equipped. How are you supposed to comply?