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Ball Joint Replacement "How To"?!?
06-10-2010, 11:14 AM
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Ball Joint Replacement "How To"?!? I need to replace my upper and lower ball joints and have never done it myself. Are there any "how to" articles with pictures out there that could help me out?
Thanks!!
James
Thanks!!
James
06-10-2010, 03:29 PM
#2
Hello
What you do with the top Ball Joint is drill the rivets and replace them with bolts and screws. And then the lower Ball Joints will have to be pressed out and pressed back in. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Thanks
Brad
What you do with the top Ball Joint is drill the rivets and replace them with bolts and screws. And then the lower Ball Joints will have to be pressed out and pressed back in. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Thanks
Brad
06-10-2010, 06:44 PM
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Thanks or the input Brad. Are the lowers or uppers the worst? I am going to try and get it done over an entire weekend by myself...Can it be done?
06-10-2010, 06:53 PM
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if i were you i would remove my lower a arm and bring it in to a shop with a hydraulic press and have them press out/in the new ball joint rather than attemp to yourself. as for the uppers. the uppers you should be able to do yourself. i know spohn makes nice upper ball joints
06-10-2010, 08:38 PM
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How long does it typically take to do one lower ball joint? One upper ball joint?
The reason I ask, is because I am tackling this project this weekend, but I need my car on the road by Monday...
The reason I ask, is because I am tackling this project this weekend, but I need my car on the road by Monday...
06-10-2010, 08:43 PM
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Someone with experience would have all 4 done in 1/2 day.
06-10-2010, 09:45 PM
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Uppers are super easy. Remove spindle from the joint, chop off the rivets holding it on, bolt new ball joint in place, attach spindle, grease. Done.
Lowers are pressed, as mentioned, so those would suck to try and do yourself. I know someone had frozen his lower joint and heated the lower A arm real hot with a torch, and the joint basically just dropped in with some minor tapping into place. Not sure if I'd attempt such a thing on a tight schedule however.
Lowers are pressed, as mentioned, so those would suck to try and do yourself. I know someone had frozen his lower joint and heated the lower A arm real hot with a torch, and the joint basically just dropped in with some minor tapping into place. Not sure if I'd attempt such a thing on a tight schedule however.
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06-11-2010, 06:11 PM
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I just took off everything in the way of getting to the ball joint. How do you tell if a ball joint is bad? It seems to move very freely, and the rubber looks to be in great shape...
The reason I am doing this is to get rid of a front end creak. When my tires are on the ground, and I turn them, it sounds like an old door creaking. I took it to a local repair shop, the guy looked under the car while I turned the wheel, and he immediately said ball joints...Could he be wrong?
The reason I am doing this is to get rid of a front end creak. When my tires are on the ground, and I turn them, it sounds like an old door creaking. I took it to a local repair shop, the guy looked under the car while I turned the wheel, and he immediately said ball joints...Could he be wrong?
06-11-2010, 07:40 PM
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I just took off everything in the way of getting to the ball joint. How do you tell if a ball joint is bad? It seems to move very freely, and the rubber looks to be in great shape...
The reason I am doing this is to get rid of a front end creak. When my tires are on the ground, and I turn them, it sounds like an old door creaking. I took it to a local repair shop, the guy looked under the car while I turned the wheel, and he immediately said ball joints...Could he be wrong?
The reason I am doing this is to get rid of a front end creak. When my tires are on the ground, and I turn them, it sounds like an old door creaking. I took it to a local repair shop, the guy looked under the car while I turned the wheel, and he immediately said ball joints...Could he be wrong?
If yours move very freely, they're definitely worn out. The rubber is just a protective cover to keep the grease in them.
06-12-2010, 12:04 AM
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I bought a simple ball joint press off of Amazon a few years ago and do my own. I think it cost around 75 bucks and also does a million other things as you can imagine. I plan on doing universal joints with it tomorrow. I think you can rent this tool from your local parts house for the day, and it shouldnt take you that long to do.
06-12-2010, 12:14 AM
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Uppers are super easy. Remove spindle from the joint, chop off the rivets holding it on, bolt new ball joint in place, attach spindle, grease. Done.
Lowers are pressed, as mentioned, so those would suck to try and do yourself. I know someone had frozen his lower joint and heated the lower A arm real hot with a torch, and the joint basically just dropped in with some minor tapping into place. Not sure if I'd attempt such a thing on a tight schedule however.
Lowers are pressed, as mentioned, so those would suck to try and do yourself. I know someone had frozen his lower joint and heated the lower A arm real hot with a torch, and the joint basically just dropped in with some minor tapping into place. Not sure if I'd attempt such a thing on a tight schedule however.
06-12-2010, 12:29 AM
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I got the a arm off of the upper ball joint, but I can't get the damn thing off of the lower ball joint... Is there a trick to it? I tried spraying tons of penetrating oil in there to no avail...Any ideas? Suggestions?
06-12-2010, 08:57 AM
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Do you mean you can't get the lower ball joint out of the lower a-arm? Just remove the a-arm and take it to a shop and have them remove it with a press if you don't want to buy the press tool from your local car parts store.
