Replacing ball joint
 

Is this a major PITA of a job to do? I know my driverside ball joint has been on its way out for more then 4 months now but I jsut kept putting it off. Should I pay a shop 300 to do it or try to do it on my own? I;m just scared of compressing that massive spring and killing myself.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

I don't think you need to even compress the spring for ball joints, but from what I've read it is not an easy task to press them out. Seems like ball joint presses don't always work, so you may have to take the arms out and have them pressed out by a shop.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

Yeah they seem to be quite old and rusted in there.....dang I guess Ill take it to a shop.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

I just replaced my lower ball joints... I borrowed the ball joint press from Autozone but even with my impact wrench, I couldn't get the joints pressed out... Ended up taking the arms to a machine shop to press them out...

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

You can probably save yourself a bundle of money by pulling the a-arm and taking it to the shop yourself.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

If you pull the a-arm you will need an alignment afterwards, and if they've been on there from the factory odds are you won't be able to simply unbolt and pull em(check the threads on stuck a-arm bolts). I'd go at it in steps, first would be rent the ball-joint press and pickle fork from AZ and see if you can fight them into submission. If you can't, mark exactly how the a-arm to k-member bolts are oriented(thats your alignment), then remove the nuts. If you can get the bolts out remove the a-arms and take them to a machine shop, it should only cost about $20 each to have them do it, then you have to get an alignment. If the a-arm bolts won't budge be very careful to tighten them back in the same spot, put everything back together and go pay your mechanic $300.

To do this yourself you don't have to even touch the shock/spring assy(which btw can be removed from the car as one piece), or mess with your alignment. Just remove the caliper and hang it, unplug the ABS sensor, break loose the tie-rod end(don't screw up your toe setting) and the upper and lower balljoints, and remove the steering knuckle. The upper balljoint has 3 rivets attaching it to the upper control arm, just drill out the rivets and the new joint comes with hardware to bolt it back up. The lowers are tricky because of the taper in the a-arm right behind the balljoint, it doesn't let the tool sit flat so it trys to get crooked as you compress the tool. You just have to fight it until you can get it to grab, it's a bruteforce type thing so crank up the psi and use the impact to compress the tool, wrenches and even breaker bars will do nothing. If you get the olds ones out clean any rust/nastiness out of the hole and check that the new balljoint just barely fits. It has to be VERY tight, if it seems like it goes in pretty easy get some oversized balljoints, I think they're listed as "problem solvers". As your pressing in the new joints take it slow and watch carefully, if it's not going in perfectly straight stop right away and try again. Once it starts getting crooked you're screwed, so don't let it get that far. Once you get them pressed in straight your gravvy just reassemble everything. Use a torque wrench to tighten everything down, don't try the "that feels bout right" method, on the castle nuts torque them to spec then TIGHTEN to get the cotter pin in, never back it off. Last install the zerk fittings, then grease every thing and your done.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

What about when you tighten the castle nut to spec and it's just a hair past the hole... so then you try to get to the next hole and it don't wanna go without exerting some ungodly high force. Is it better to way overtorque the thing or to back it out a bit?

Not a hypothetical situation... I just put on an aftermarket lower and had this happen.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

agree its not hard

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

I changed the lowers on my car, used the ball joint press from autozone...I used a 2 foot breaker bar on it, and at least a 3 or 4 foot steel pipe slid over the breaker bar both when I took the old ones out and put the new ones in.

Re: Replacing ball joint
 

Damn thats a long pole. I gues Ill give it a shot.