My car is a 1990 4 door Civic LX auto. I've had a knocking noise coming the front of my car last few months. I put the front of the car in the air today to run some tests. I grab the FP tire at 3 and 9 o'clock, rock it back and forth and I get a knocking sound, the FD tire, no knock sound. I grab the FP tire at 12 and 6, no knock, same on the other side, no knock. Does this mean I have a bad ball joint? Or is it something else? OR is it the ball joint AND something else along with it? I bought the car 9,000 miles ago and it had new tires all around. My rear tires still look great, but the fronts have the steel belt coming through along the inner tread. I want to buy new front tires and get an alignment at the same time, but I'm having this other issue with a ball joint or whatever it is causing the knocking. Can I get an alignment done with a bad ball joint?

 

Sounds like you have a bad tierod end.
Put your hand around the tie rod and have someone move the tire at 9 and 3.
If you feel any movement then its bad

 

Would a bad tie rod end prevent me from getting an alignment done? I need new front tires asap, but if I can't get an alignment done when I buy them then I'll just kill my new tires and waste my money.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by USDMDC2NH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would a bad tie rod end prevent me from getting an alignment done? I need new front tires asap, but if I can't get an alignment done when I buy them then I'll just kill my new tires and waste my money.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The bad tie-rod is probably what's causing some of your alignment/tire woes. The tie-rod setting affects toe, if the ball joint is going bad you might have some variable/fluctuating toe. Extreme toe out can cause just as much or more inner tire wear as negative camber does.

Replace the tie-rod first then get aligned. Swap the rears to the front if you're short on cash...

 

Wheel bearing.

 

Cash isn't the problem, time is. I put an average of 650 miles a week on my Civic. There's no way these tires will last to the end of July. If I put my rears on the front I'll just end up buying 4 new tires instead of 2. I either need to change the bad part asap, OR if I can still get an alignment done with the bad part still in the car I'll go ahead and get the new tires and alignment now. Hence my questions here to you guys.

 

Just take it to a shop to get an alignment and see if they can get it straight [If you can find time.....650 miles a week would kill me ]. If they can, then go get your tires replaced.

They'll tell you what needs to be replaced/fixed in order for your car to line up according to specs.

It's really hard to diagnose suspension problems without having it in front of you.

 

I know, but I thought that a specific symptom like the tire rocking back and forth when you grab it by the sides and a knocking sound when driving down the road would point to a specific broken/damaged part. Doesn't look that way by the responses here.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1st-hybrid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wheel bearing. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Yeah, that's what happened to me ... twice, but this way I have relatively new wheel hub bearings in my old EF. Mine got progressively worse on the first one, and it went bad fast, it sounded like (as I was trying to get home) my wheel was about to fall off, but it was tight, wiggled at 3 & 6 got a knock.