How to replace lower ball joint?????

[LittleBeast]

Well I am almost completely done with the gear swap/diff drop project but as I went to replace the front lower ball joints (because they are torn) I realized it is not as straight forward as the uppers at all! I have the 4 mounting bolts off and I removed the cotter pins and broke the castle nuts loose and removed then I used my 5 ton axle puller and a 5lb hammer to break the ball joints loose and now that is as far as I can get! The outer cv joint is too close for the ball joint to pull out no matter what angle how much force or what size hammer I use. Do I seriously have to remove the entire outer CV joint? I can tear apart and put back together the inner CV joint blindfolded in minutes but I have no idea where to start on the outer assembly. HELP?!

[LittleBeast]

no one replaced the lower ones themselves? no help? ideas? The ball joint will not fit between the hole it goes in and the outer CV attachment, it just gets lodged in between the two and will not come out. I could cut the end of the ball joint off (where the cotter pin fits through) and it would probably have enough room to come out, but then I could not fit the new one back in the hole without doing the same.

I bought 2 replacement lower ball joints for $7.35 each from amazon.com, they only had 2 at this price and I jumped on them, now they are back to the normal $45-$60 range each. So I really don't want to blow my savings here on taking it to a shop to get the lower ball joints replaced, thanks for any help.

[Ldub]

You're right Ryan...I don't see any other way.

Your post got the old dooder curious, so I went out in my "Big Lebowski" bathrobe & took a peek...bummer man....

On the + side, I think a bright guy like you, who isn't afraid to get "up to the elbows dirty", could figure it out with a little help from the shop manual......

[LittleBeast]

Yeah that is what I am looking at now, LOL, you do have to remove everything to the left of the outer CV joint in order to replace the lower ball joint (according to the manual), haha, wow, this is going to be really fun

I guess I should just follow the repacking the front bearings protocol and then remove the outer CV joint and then replace the lower ball joint, blah!!!!!

[Dumke]

Hey Ryan I replaced mine but had assitance.. Forgive me for my teminolgy is lacking but my Old roomeys husband who is a mechanic did it and it only took maybe 15-20 minutes maybe less if I wasnt helping lol.. I will have to crawl under there today after work and check see if I can remember.. I should have taken pictures but was replacing a bunch of stuff with HD stuff and well got oer my head on the weekend so I got assitance to finish in time for work monday lol..

[LittleBeast]

Hey Ryan I replaced mine but had assitance.. Forgive me for my teminolgy is lacking but my Old roomeys husband who is a mechanic did it and it only took maybe 15-20 minutes maybe less if I wasnt helping lol.. I will have to crawl under there today after work and check see if I can remember.. I should have taken pictures but was replacing a bunch of stuff with HD stuff and well got oer my head on the weekend so I got assitance to finish in time for work monday lol..

Any other ball joint, including the upper ones, steering linkage and all the others are very easy to remove (once you get them broken loose), but the lower one is wedged in there by the outer CV attachment and there really seems to be no way around having to take apart and remove the outer CV by releasing it from disassembling the entire HUB. I would love to know how he did this as the closest I can get is 1/2 the way off until it starts wedging itself at an angle under the CV cup. But if it is true then I have hope, maybe you can talk to your mechanic friend and then enlighten me, thanks.

[RamAirZ]

I'll be doing my uppers/lowers and CV boots as soon as my parts come in, I'll take pics for yall. I was just planning on removing the brake caliper and storing it out of the way, popping the hub off and taking the c-clip out, popping all the joints loose and just removing the spindle all together. It sounds like a pain but did it in my Rodeo and was 10 times faster. I did one side by trying to find a way to AVOID doing it that way and afterwards decided to just pull it all off, made things SOOOOOO much easier. Figure it'll make doing the boots alot easier too.

[LittleBeast]

Ryan did you get this finished? I just noticed that I've got a torn boot over my lower ball joint. any advice would be much appreciated!

Yeah, but replacing the CV boots does not require replacing the ball joint, but if you do want to remove and or replace the ball joint it requires removal of the HUB, which is no big deal once you know what you are doing, but it does add about 30 mins removal and 30 mins to replace if you take your time.

I'll be doing my uppers/lowers and CV boots as soon as my parts come in, I'll take pics for yall. I was just planning on removing the brake caliper and storing it out of the way, popping the hub off and taking the c-clip out, popping all the joints loose and just removing the spindle all together. It sounds like a pain but did it in my Rodeo and was 10 times faster. I did one side by trying to find a way to AVOID doing it that way and afterwards decided to just pull it all off, made things SOOOOOO much easier. Figure it'll make doing the boots alot easier too.

The instructions on this site for replacing the CV boots is all you need. Tom4Bren has digital copies if you cannot find them:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=9031

[RamAirZ]

I've done them on the Rodeo and a Trooper before so shouldn't be any different. The Mecatech's don't even need you to remove the joint at all (supposedly with their special cone tool). That thread doesn't have any pictures anymore by the way lol. Thanks for the link though, since I am doing the upper and lower joints as well as boots, figure I'll just give myself plenty of room, alot easier that way, at least for me.

[etlsport]

well I need to replace the lower ball joint on the passenger side, the rubber boot on it is torn (not the CV boot, sorry for the confusion) im trying to decide if its worth just getting 4 new ball joints and replacing them all in one shot along with pads, rotors and hubs. i figure if one went, the others probably arent too far behind at 96k.. pads/rotors have about 50k on them, still look ok though, but since i have the hub off..

i've got some time to think about it

[RamAirZ]

I would just do em' all so you can get it done at once. But that's me, because you never know, you could always damage the other boot by a stray screwdriver or something while working (I know I know but ti COULD happen) and you'd be really pissed lol.

[sindarin]

Dude I am about to go through this nightmare atm... Uppers came off with a 3 foot pipe used for leverage on a 1/2" Drive 14mm with a wedged box end on the nut (Thank God the Ball joints come with new bolts/nuts) What is this "Upper Ball Joint FLIP" I missed and didn't do.. Am I screwed in the next 5 years for not doing this and replacing it in factory style!?!?!?!

Will it snap loose, hit the fuel line and send me down a Denver road in a flaming ball of death before long!?!?!?!?!

[tom4bren]

Nah, it just gives you some additional camber adjustment if you're lifted.

[sindarin]

Ok so in the next week or so, I'm goin for a Rocky-Road 3" lift with new OME Shocks/Springs (I despise Rancho-y Air shocks.. unreliable, leaky things in my universe... gas is Godly)

Looks like I just need to unbolt the top 3 nuts/bolts and juke it UNDER that flap it bolts into.. Whats with "the spacer" and Tom, looking for an update on the trailer hitch if u got one man! All the best

[Lizardmen3477]

Tom them pics are kinda hard to see so for a ball joint flip your not actually flipping it just mounting it underneath the control arm instead of on top?