> The whole unit appears to move a tad. For example, when I do this I see
> the
> top of the vertical link move where it connects to the ball joint.
Usually, that indicates a bad ball joint.
> As far as
> I can tell the ball joint arm (I know my terminology leaves something for
> the imagination) moves as well so I don't think it to be the ball joint.
I'm sorry, Ed, I don't know whether you are referring to what the book calls
the "wishbone arms" (which link the ball joint to the inner pivot on the
frame); or the tapered peg that connects the ball joint to the vertical
link.
> When I look at the whole design of things, I'm not exactly sure what
> should prevent this movement from happening.
Let's use the Moss diagram at
http://mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29136
The body of the ball joint (10) should be fastened solidly to the wishbone
arms (8 & 9) (commonly called A-arms on this side of the pond), while the
tapered peg (lower part of 10) should be fastened solidly to the vertical
link (32). The joint should allow the peg to twist and turn (so the
suspension can move), but NOT to move sideways. If the connections are
tight and you can see lateral movement, the ball joint is bad and should be
replaced.
With enough force applied, some small movement at the rubber bushings (2) is
normal. But if you can see movement with only hand pressure applied, the
bushings are bad and should be replaced. This is by far the most common
problem in my experience. Hopefully current supply is made of sterner
stuff, but the ones I used to get would start to fail in less than a year.
That was the primary reason I converted to Nylatron instead of rubber.
Randall
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