ball joint removal and install

[GSXRACER20PSI]

how do i remove a ball joint and install another one? i need details.

 

[eclipsh]

You'll need a ball joint press, available free to borrow at AutoZone and possibly other stores. You'll have to jack the car up, take off the tires and remove the nut on the top of the ball joint. It'll want to spin but just use some vice grips on it down around the boot area. Don't worry about tearing it since you'll be replacing the ball joint anyhow.

Once the nut is off the ball joint you'll want to use a splitter to seperate the llower a-arm from the hub. A splitter looks sort of like a fork with two large wedge shaped prongs on it. Just hammer it in and it'll pop the hub loose.

Next you'll need to use the various rings they give you with the ball joint press. Place a large one around the bottom of the ball joint so that it can pass through the ring as you press it down and out from the top. The press is just a big c-clamp with specail fittings to help keep the press rings in place. You'll just need to crank on it hard and the ball joints should come out at this point. I needed to use a cheater bar to do it.

After they're out you'll need to clean any burrs off of the mating surface of the a-arm so the new ball joint fits properly. You'll have to reverse the clamp now and press in the new ball joints with a different sized set of rings. After that just put the hub back onto the ball joint and torque the nut on ball joint nut to spec. Easy as... something moderately difficult.

I did it at the same time I was replacing my struts and it was very nice to have them out of the way. Work room is tough enough to get under the wheel well without those in the way. Good luck to you, and if my advice didn't suck I could use some rep points!

 

[GSXRACER20PSI]

how am i sapossed to tighten it back on isnt the nut just going to want to spin agian?

 

[44pirate]

When you buy a new ball joint, you will see how tight it is. It won't spin, but it does, then use the vice grip on it again as you tighten, my opinion is if a new one spins, it is no good.

 

[GSXRACER20PSI]

ok i have a bad controll arm with a good ball joint and a good controll arm with a bad ball joint can i take the good ball joint out of the bad controll arm and put it in the good controll arm?

 

[BISHILVR]

Yes, you could but it just does'nt seem to be worth the hassle to me since the ball joint really is'nt that much money, plus the fact that you can damage a ball joint when you are removing it. It definately can take some life from it, but then again I am a perfectionist and it would drive me nuts knowing that I installed a used ball joint, but go ahead if thats what you have to do, it should work ok.

 

[GST with PSI]

vise grips are not the way to keep a ball joint from turning while tightening the nut. put a floor jack under the control arm directly under the ball joint. put the ball joint stud in the hub knuckle eye. jack up with a floor jack on the ball joint until the coil spring is compressed a bit. if it still spins in the socket, jack up more until it doesn't spin. and NO, a ball joint is not bad if the ball spins in the socket brand new out of the box. a bad ball joint will actually move in the socket making a clunking noise if really bad. if it didn't rotate in it's socket, it wouldn't be a ball joint(it's supposed to pivot.)

 

[91blackbird]

i thought the ball joint was not serviceable. don't you have to get the complete lower arm?