Lower Ball joint replacement?.....ED Help!!

[HumminNBoatin']

Hey guys my lower Ball Joints are gone. Anyone have any insite? ED???? My main concern is will I be able to use a traditional C-Clamp Balljoint press to remove them???

[IRA51]

http://cache01.voyageurweb.com/otcto...cts/537545.pdf

[HumminNBoatin']

IRA you da man!

Has anyone else done this on their own yet?? I am just wondering if anyone knew of any nice short cuts to getting the job done. Right now it looks like I am going to have to completely remove the knuckle from the truck to do this??? Not a whole lotta fun if I have to do that. But like anything the first one takes more time to do than the second. I did my uppers last weekend. It took me 1 1/2 hours to do the first one. And a 1/2 hour to do the second one.

[Easy Ed]

That one is getting saved, thanks IRA51

Sorry HumminNBoatin', been outside all day cutting wood with a neighbor, fricking wore my a$$ out

I don't think you would want to do it the way the manual says to do it, "remove lower control arm and use a press to remove ball joint"

I think the info IRA51 posted would be much easier.

Cross fingers, at approx 90,000 miles I have yet had to replace mine but then I have always greased mine at 3,000 to 5,000 miles when I do the oil changes

Good luck, Ed

Originally Posted by IRA51

http://cache01.voyageurweb.com/otcto...cts/537545.pdf

[HumminNBoatin']

Well I my truck has had 37's on it since 30K some miles. And I wheel my truck. I always had them lubbed at all oil changes as well. In fact I could not tell they were bad but doing a normal shake down. It took prybar under the tire while the truck was on a lift to see that the drivers side Balljoint was gone.

Also thanks for the heads up on your manuals instructions. I wont be reomoving the controll arm. I will let you guys know how it goes.

E

[Easy Ed]

Yeah, I just put 37's on mine so I am sure that in time I'll be going through the same thing.

And yes I know you wheel yours and I don't wheel mine................

Originally Posted by HumminNBoatin'

Well I my truck has had 37's on it since 30K some miles. And I wheel my truck. I always had them lubbed at all oil changes as well. In fact I could not tell they were bad but doing a normal shake down. It took prybar under the tire while the truck was on a lift to see that the drivers side Balljoint was gone.

Also thanks for the heads up on your manuals instructions. I wont be reomoving the controll arm. I will let you guys know how it goes.

E

[twr]

Hi HumminNBoatin, i have done alot of ball joints its about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to do both sides. I never remove the control arm, but you need to the remove the nut from half shaft. Separate both ball joints and remove the spindle so you can get at the lower joint. You should have done the lowers when you did the uppers it would have save some time.

[HumminNBoatin']

Well I did the drivers side tonight but it started raining as I was finishing the one side.

Here is the deal.

1.) You need to remove your brake caliper and Hub Wiring
2.) Remove swaybar end link
3.) Remove nut and dislocate upper ball joint
4.) Remove 1/2 shaft
5.) remove nut from lower ball joint
6.) Use pickle fork and and insert it from the rear side of the truck, pound it in. Put a cheater pipe on it and proceed to pry up untill your bend your pickle fork while simultaniusly popping the joint loose. Carefully pull the knuckle away from the controll arms.
7.) use the ball joint press to remove the old and install the new.
8.) Do steps 1-6 in reverse.

[twr]

hi well your 1/2 done bud. Did you bend your pickel fork?

[HumminNBoatin']

yup my pickle fork is done. No biggie it was a cheapo AmPro from Advance Auto, however its still got a lifetime guarantee.

[twr]

hi i guess your off to the store on sat. for a cheapie fork warranty replacement. hope its not raining there on sat. so you can finish the job.

[ROUSHDEMON]

btw Eric, here is the video that I told you I'd post.... probably your ball joints blowing up

[pdxrealtor]

Originally Posted by HumminNBoatin'

Well I did the drivers side tonight but it started raining as I was finishing the one side.

Here is the deal.

1.) You need to remove your brake caliper and Hub Wiring
2.) Remove swaybar end link
3.) Remove nut and dislocate upper ball joint
4.) Remove 1/2 shaft
5.) remove nut from lower ball joint
6.) Use pickle fork and and insert it from the rear side of the truck, pound it in. Put a cheater pipe on it and proceed to pry up untill your bend your pickle fork while simultaniusly popping the joint loose. Carefully pull the knuckle away from the controll arms.
7.) use the ball joint press to remove the old and install the new.
8.) Do steps 1-6 in reverse.

Old thread but I'm hoping I can get a couple answers.

Do you need to use the ball joint press mentioned in this thread or will a universal type from Autozone work?

Any notes or special tools on removing the half shaft? I've watched some youtube vids and didn't notice this being done.

I'll be doing hubs at the same time if that matters any..

[Hellz]

i will say that those lower ball joints are in there F-ing good.

i did the press route, and even had a breaker bar on there with a 6 ft bar for leverage, and still couldnt get that F-er to pop out. and... i eneded up breaking the head off the breaker bar. you can imagine using my whole body weight on the bar, and then the bar breaking... ya i ended up on my ass which pissed me off more.

i ended up pulling the lower control arm off and taking to Napa auto parts here who has a machine shop attached to it and they popped out the old one and put in my Moog ones. ended up doing it for both sides, and cost me $50 total for both.

[pdxrealtor]

Ya... the ball joints are going to completely ruin this job for me.

Think I'm going to buy a compressor and impact gun to ease the pain...

[pdxrealtor]

Hummin steps are correct 110%.

Hellz, did you have the press installed correctly? I can't imagine those joints not pressing out if the press is set up right. I wasted a couple hours just learning the ball joint press.

[Hellz]

im sure i did.. the ball joints just didnt want to come out at all!

actually in the end.. it was easier my way than i think if i had sat there F-ing with them for hours, and im sure i woudl have messed up something.. zerk facing wrong end so it gets snapped of, or cant reach yadda yadda...

i will most likely do this again the next time i need to replace them, and will think ahead and get new bushings and throw them on when i put the LCA back in. i didnt know this was the route i was going to go, otherwise i would ordered them before hand

[pdxrealtor]

Zerk fitting on old or new joint? For the old joint my cup on the press sat way over the zerk. On the first removal I did remove the zirk, but on the second I saw no need.

Zerk on the new joint I did not install until after the joint was pressed in. I did, and here's a nice little trick, chalk mark the zerk hole with the lower control arm so I could make sure it went in aligned up. Helped a ton. And on my first joint I did press in and back out due to zirk alignment.

[Hellz]

good idea...i use paint pens really.

well the shop i took both LCA to did a good job, and was pretty quick.

honestly, i found it easier to remove the LCA and take it to them instead of dropping the LCA and trying to do the press.

now if the press had actually worked for me.. i might be touting somethign different here. but the shop route wasnt bad either, just a little extra cash.
like i said though, next time i will do this again ( take to the shop) but buy new bushings.. might get new keys while im at it too.

got a few more miles to think it over..

prolyl about 15 to 20k on these LCA joints..