I often see people asking if the ball joints are replaceable on our control arms and the answer is YES.
For many, complete control arms ship for free and are reasonably priced. Since I live in Canada, shipping adds a considerable cost to this job. I sourced my Meyle and Lemforder ball joints from www.FCPGroton.com for much less than a new set of control arms. Or if you have the time and tools, why not save the money?
I will only cover how to remove and install the ball joints from the control arms, as removing/installing control arms from the vehicle is documented well elsewhere.
Tools:
- 12 ton shop press (I don't see how you could do this without access to one)
- Powerbuilt 23 Piece Ball Joint/U-Joint Service Set (Kit 46 or #648617)
- Hacksaw/Angle grinder with steel cutting wheel
- 1 1/16 or similar sized impact socket to press the old ball joints out
- 34mm impact socket (I used 1 1/16 since I had nothing else) to press the new ones in
- A marker
Removal
Start by marking the cutouts on the back side of the ball joints currently in the control arms. It is important that when you mount the new ball joints that they are placed in the exact orientation as the old joints.:
Mount the arms in a bench vise and cut the shafts of the ball joints down:
Remove the rubber boots using a flathead screwdriver and clean away the grease:
Sift through the ball joint service kit and find a cup larger than the bottom of the ball joint but smaller than the area on the arm to act as a receiver:
Using the appropriate receiver cup and the 1 1/16 socket (or similar), align everything on the press and begin to apply some pressure:
You should expect a loud POP as the ball joint is pressed away from the control arm. Continually check the rig and apply pressure gradually to make sure nothing is going to pop out of place and hit you in the nuts.
The end result:
Repeat the process for the inner joint.
Installation
Start by applying a little bit of lube into the empty ball joint sockets. I did this so that the boots of the new ball joints slide along as the ball joint is pressed in. Since they make contact with the metal, it is possible to damage them when pressing the new joints in without any lube. The lube doesn't aid the installation otherwise.
Find a receiver long enough to accommodate the length of the stud for the outer ball joint. Align the new ball joint's cutouts with the areas previously marked by your marker. Get the 34mm (or similar sized) socket to press the new ball joint in from the top using it's outer edge. This is where I used the 1 1/16 socket since I didn't have access to a larger piece. The assembly should look something like this:
MAKE SURE you align the new ball joint very well with the control arm. Pressing it in at an angle can damage the arm/ball joint and pressing it in misaligned will require you to remove it (and by doing so, likely destroy it).
The inner joint requires a slightly different approach. The receiver I had to use needed to by slightly smaller the the one used for the outer joint since there was less metal for it to sit on around the joint in that area. The stud of the ball joint is also very long. To press it in I positioned the two black plates that came with my press in such a way that allowed the stud to pass through the bottom while providing adequate support for the arm:
View from under the assembly:
All done, ready for mounting:
The hero:
My press cost me $125 locally, and the ball joint service kit was a loaner from my local parts store (Partsource). A 10 ton press should work fine as well for this job. I can't imagine a 5 ton press working without a lot of heat and prayer. These presses can also be used to press diff mounts, trailing arm bushings, subframe bushings, control arm bushings etc. If you have the space and work on cars a lot, get one of these for your garage!
***EDIT 2012***
- This method works well with OEM/Lemforder control arms, but not so well with Chinese control arms. I've found the Chinese made control arms have a slightly smaller diameter mounting for the ball joints which ends up applying a lot of pressure to a new ball joint being pressed in ultimately resulting in very stiff steering.
For many, complete control arms ship for free and are reasonably priced. Since I live in Canada, shipping adds a considerable cost to this job. I sourced my Meyle and Lemforder ball joints from www.FCPGroton.com for much less than a new set of control arms. Or if you have the time and tools, why not save the money?
I will only cover how to remove and install the ball joints from the control arms, as removing/installing control arms from the vehicle is documented well elsewhere.
Tools:
- 12 ton shop press (I don't see how you could do this without access to one)
- Powerbuilt 23 Piece Ball Joint/U-Joint Service Set (Kit 46 or #648617)
- Hacksaw/Angle grinder with steel cutting wheel
- 1 1/16 or similar sized impact socket to press the old ball joints out
- 34mm impact socket (I used 1 1/16 since I had nothing else) to press the new ones in
- A marker
Removal
Start by marking the cutouts on the back side of the ball joints currently in the control arms. It is important that when you mount the new ball joints that they are placed in the exact orientation as the old joints.:
Mount the arms in a bench vise and cut the shafts of the ball joints down:
Remove the rubber boots using a flathead screwdriver and clean away the grease:
Sift through the ball joint service kit and find a cup larger than the bottom of the ball joint but smaller than the area on the arm to act as a receiver:
Using the appropriate receiver cup and the 1 1/16 socket (or similar), align everything on the press and begin to apply some pressure:
You should expect a loud POP as the ball joint is pressed away from the control arm. Continually check the rig and apply pressure gradually to make sure nothing is going to pop out of place and hit you in the nuts.
The end result:
Repeat the process for the inner joint.
Installation
Start by applying a little bit of lube into the empty ball joint sockets. I did this so that the boots of the new ball joints slide along as the ball joint is pressed in. Since they make contact with the metal, it is possible to damage them when pressing the new joints in without any lube. The lube doesn't aid the installation otherwise.
Find a receiver long enough to accommodate the length of the stud for the outer ball joint. Align the new ball joint's cutouts with the areas previously marked by your marker. Get the 34mm (or similar sized) socket to press the new ball joint in from the top using it's outer edge. This is where I used the 1 1/16 socket since I didn't have access to a larger piece. The assembly should look something like this:
MAKE SURE you align the new ball joint very well with the control arm. Pressing it in at an angle can damage the arm/ball joint and pressing it in misaligned will require you to remove it (and by doing so, likely destroy it).
The inner joint requires a slightly different approach. The receiver I had to use needed to by slightly smaller the the one used for the outer joint since there was less metal for it to sit on around the joint in that area. The stud of the ball joint is also very long. To press it in I positioned the two black plates that came with my press in such a way that allowed the stud to pass through the bottom while providing adequate support for the arm:
View from under the assembly:
All done, ready for mounting:
The hero:
My press cost me $125 locally, and the ball joint service kit was a loaner from my local parts store (Partsource). A 10 ton press should work fine as well for this job. I can't imagine a 5 ton press working without a lot of heat and prayer. These presses can also be used to press diff mounts, trailing arm bushings, subframe bushings, control arm bushings etc. If you have the space and work on cars a lot, get one of these for your garage!
***EDIT 2012***
- This method works well with OEM/Lemforder control arms, but not so well with Chinese control arms. I've found the Chinese made control arms have a slightly smaller diameter mounting for the ball joints which ends up applying a lot of pressure to a new ball joint being pressed in ultimately resulting in very stiff steering.
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