I just bought a 98 Blazer. It pulls to the right when I drive it. What should I consider? A front end allignment? How much do they run? Also, I've been told the rear ball joints have rotted, could that be the cause of this? Either way, what does it run to have ball joints replaced?

 

Pull could be from several things. Take it in and get a free front end inspeciton.

I am not aware of any ball joints in the rear. Ball joints are up front.

First thing I would do, swap the two front tires from one side to the other and see if the pull goes away.

 

Exactly as Hanr3 has stated. Get the front end inspected. A faulty ball joint could throw off the caster/camber of the affected wheel, but I don't think it would effect the toe. A faulty ball joint would make a noticeable racket when going over bumps. If you notice this, get it fixed ASAP, the two balljoints are litterally the only thing holding that wheel on and if one actually lets go, the other one will quickly follow suit.

Now rotted control arm bushings could very well cause a pull, but shouldn't cause a drastic pull. I haven't heard many control arm bushings actually rot out to the point of needing replacement and of the ones that I have heard of, they have been on blazers much older than yours, but anything is possible.

Another area not previously discussed is actually in the steering linkage itself. Of that, there is the pitman arm (arm that connects the steering box to the steering linkage), the idler arm (connects to the frame and to the steering linkage to keep the linkage in proper alignment), the steering linkage (aka tierod - runs from one side of the vehicle to the other), and the tierod ends (swivel connections that allow spindles to articulate during steering. Of all of these, any one connection could cause a pull. The most problematic parts being the idler and pitman arms, but don't rule out a faulty tierod end. The swivel connections should all have a grease zerk. As a check, grease the engire front end and see if that helps (I'm betting it won't). If it does, it could mean that something was just binding up...

The only other thing to not overlook is a brake hanging up. It is not uncommon to have the sliders in the front calipers hang up or get sticky where they would drag a pad on the rotor causing a pull. The caliper should slide back and forth with moderate pressure. To check the sliders, get a screw driver or pry bar and work it between the inside pad and the caliper piston through the slot on the top of the caliper. Push the piston back into the caliper. Once you have some room, try sliding the caliper back and forth on it's pins. It should move, but should also require some muscle on your part to do so. Typically, it is the ouside pad that drags, so if you see a thickness difference between the inside and outside pad, then you know you have a problem with the sliders.

I would start by greasing the entire front end and try swapping the front tires side to side as Hanr3 already suggested. While you have the tires off, fully inspect the tread for any signs of abnormal wear (anything out of the ordinary on the tread). Feel the tread with your hand while looking elsewhere. Run your hand back and forth side to side as well as front to back to see if you can feel any cupping or a saw-tooth wear in the tread. Also try to feel for bulges in the tread. Also, while you've got your tires off, check out the calipers/pads/rotors.

Good Luck.

 

Wouldn't have been easier to say, "Get a free front end inspeciton, and post up the results".

Just messing with ya.

I didn't have the time to write all that. Nice coverage Swart.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the help. I took it in and they replaced the balljoints, when doing a front end alignment they realized I needed a new idler arm, so that was replaced also. After that was done it helped but there was still a slight pull. So I swapped the tires. Seems to be ok now. However, when I inspected the car last night after work had been done on it. I found that the grease fittings were never lubricated and were only on finger tight. Good thing I checked that out. So I tightened them down and lubed them up. Went back, told them. They apoligized and said to bring it back in and they'll check the alignment again free of charge.

 

Sounds like a good shop. Tell them about the pulling and swapping the tires too. Make sure you balance & rotate your tires regularily.