Lake Runner

I replaced the passenger side lower control arm a few months back because the ball joint was loose in the knuckle. This past week I had a wobble in the front end and found the passenger side brake pads were separated from their backing plates. replaced pads and turned rotors. Still there was that low speed wobble. Removed wheel to check hub bearing and noticed play in the ball joint/ knuckle location again.
Could this be tightened and if not, where is a good place to find steering knuckles. Not having a lot of luck finding one. Any help would be appreciated.

firemangeorge

Have you tried any of the GM online stores ? Don't seem to be that hard to find.
A little bit pricey, but at least they show the part #.

HHR5678

$95 @ Rock Auto Part Number: DORMAN 697910 {#18061055, 88955419}

donbrew

Any junkyard.

Lake Runner

Thanks Guys. I looked up the part at gmpartsdirect.com but couldn't locate it at RockAuto. I'm going to bring home a 16mm socket from work tomorrow to attempt to tighten it up. If that doesn't work, I'll be ordering the part.

whopper

If you are talking about the ball joint at the end of the lower control arm that attaches to the knuckle, here are the specs for tightening it:
Lower control arm balljoint pinch nut/bolt - first pass: 37 ft/lb, then loosen it 3/4 of a turn - second pass: 37 ft/lb, - then tighten it an addition 30 deg

as noted in: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/how-...ol-arms-44378/

Oldblue

Yes, do try the correct torque sequence, I've seen several HHR's with the pinch bolt loose, and a correct tightening take care of the problem.

donbrew

Has the car been in a collision that called for replacing the knuckle? Possibility it got replaced with an SS part.

Lake Runner

I retightened the bolt to spec. No more play in the ball joint. Low speed wobble was still there after tightening. Swapped front tire to back and wobble is gone. Tire issue or wheel issue. I had been told that one of my rims was bent when I had the tires replaced previous to this set. But no shaking or vibration?! I think I will have to change tires soon.

donbrew

I had a bent rim that was fine on the rear.