Hot to tell if upper control arm ball joint is bad?

[carchitect]

Aside from a leaky grease boot? What can I pull or put leverage on it to isolate that joint and see if that is the problem?

I can't seem to get rid of this front end clunk I have. I noticed the leaky boot when I was working on it weekend. I can't get the car to clunk or show play when its not moving. I can get it to squeak a little when I push down on the driver side front shock tower.

It happens at lower speeds on staccato (small and quick jarring) type bumps.

[formerice]

I believe you grab the top of the tire and yank it out and push it in, if you've eliminated sway bar bushings and tension struts first. I take mine in once or twice a year to a good alignment shop, they check everything front and rear before they align and charge only for the alignment, if you need a part, they will find it better than you can.

[richierevs]

Aside from a leaky grease boot? What can I pull or put leverage on it to isolate that joint and see if that is the problem?

I can't seem to get rid of this front end clunk I have. I noticed the leaky boot when I was working on it weekend. I can't get the car to clunk or show play when its not moving. I can get it to squeak a little when I push down on the driver side front shock tower.

It happens at lower speeds on staccato (small and quick jarring) type bumps.

I see that you already have a Pedders control arms with adjustable camber. If you've installed those within the last year, it likely that the ball joint is OK.

Another area to check is the strut towers. Even if the tower studs and nuts are tightened to spec there is some shifting that occurs when the car is moving. For instance, I had a clunking sound in the front end of my SRT8, which disappeared when I installed a strut tower brace. This may not be your issue, but if all else fails, it's something to consider.