Special way to remove lower ball joint?

cmattina · Oct 12, 2016

So, my haynes manual has nothing for a 2008 lower ball joint w/ torsion bar.

however i did as much research as i could and it seemed all i really needed was a balljoint press. although i coulda used a small sludge, i didnt want to accidentally mess up my control arm.

I rented a press kit from a local shop but it seemed to be the most basic one possible as it only had 3 different sized cups. One of the cups seemed to be big enough, but it was symmetrical whereas the surface i need to but up againt on the a arm is curved and actually seemed too tight to even get it in on the outside.

When using a press do i need the kit that comes with a cup with the knotch cut out?

pjtoledo · Oct 12, 2016

removing the lower ball joint is real easy.
the most important part is the correct pipe/collars.
for removal you need one that goes outside the flange, for installation you need one that goes on the flange.

support truck by frame and lower control arm.
remove steering knuckle, do not remove shock. that's the safety that keeps the lower arm from dropping too far.

support the outer edge of the control arm with something sturdy.
remove snap ring from ball joint, its on the top side.
optional,,apply penetrating oil of your choice.
using a medium hammer, tap on top of ball joint in the center.

the idea is to support the arm and pound down on the joint, they come out fairly easy.

to reinstall, need collar/pipe that goes over the boot and contacts only the outer flange on the joint, must be long enough to clear the stud.

now pay attention,
this time you put something sturdy under the joint, then apply pressure to the arm.

place joint in arm, using collar/pipe put something sturdy under the joint and apply pressure to lift the joint/arm combination about 1/2 to 3/4 inches.

so now you have a partially installed joint pushing the arm up a fraction.

now tap on lower control arm around the ball joint, alternating positions and paying attention to push the joint in straight.

you are essentiall pushing the arm down over the joint.

when its in far enough to accept the snap ring you're done. but look at the bottom side to be certain the joint flange is in contact with the arm.

sure, you could use the press tool. but what fun would that be?

cmattina · Oct 13, 2016

perhaps i was being too much of pansy

pjtoledo · Oct 13, 2016

cmattina said:
perhaps i was being too much of pansy

since you mentioned a "small sledge" you're forgiven. :icon_thumby:

cmattina · Oct 23, 2016

pjtoledo said:
since you mentioned a "small sledge" you're forgiven.

ended up using a big sledge and got them out, took quite a few whacks.

One weird thing about the lowers i got... they were the moogs with the integrated dust boot, and i used an impact to press them in. When they seemed to seat correctly (when the impact was showing a lot of resistance) the gap for the c-clip was about an 1/8" above the control arm, rather than pretty much flush with it as the originals were...

My brother in law has a hydraulic press, would that use for getting the top ball joints out?

pjtoledo · Oct 24, 2016

a press would work fine for the uppers.
keep track of the alignment shims orientation, even better, get camber adjusting bolts.

adsm08 · Oct 24, 2016

If you have the original upper arms (likely on an 08) you don't remove the joints, you replace the arms.

While the joints can be removed the arm is not designed for them to be serviced like that. Removing the joint from the factory arm will damage the arm.

Moog makes an arm that is designed for ball joint replacement.

cmattina · Oct 30, 2016

adsm08 said:
If you have the original upper arms (likely on an 08) you don't remove the joints, you replace the arms.

While the joints can be removed the arm is not designed for them to be serviced like that. Removing the joint from the factory arm will damage the arm.

Moog makes an arm that is designed for ball joint replacement.

Okay, good to know.

Also, i was curious if you think i'll have any issues on the lower, if i pressed them in too far?There is about an 1/8" or 1/16" gap between the C-clip and the top surface of the lower arm. However, they did seem to be at the same point when the impact showed signs of resistance. So, i thought there were seated properly.

cowboycowboy91 · Oct 30, 2016

cmattina said:
Okay, good to know.

Also, i was curious if you think i'll have any issues on the lower, if i pressed them in too far?There is about an 1/8" or 1/16" gap between the C-clip and the top surface of the lower arm. However, they did seem to be at the same point when the impact showed signs of resistance. So, i thought there were seated properly.

You should be fine. If the ball joint is seated all the way against the lower control arm flange, then you will have a little bit of an excessive gap between the snap ring groove and the lower control arm surface. I just installed a moog last week and had the same amount of gap. The main thing to make sure of when installing ball joints is to press them in straight. If they go in crooked and then recenter themselves when they bottom out against the control arm flange, then they actually stretch the control arm hole very slightly and I have seen them wallowed out after incorrect installation and driving them for awhile. I had one on my truck that someone installed incorrectly and I removed the snap ring the the ball joint just fell out. I ended up replacing the entire lower control arm because of this. Anyways though, if you pressed it in straight, then that little gap is alright.

Special way to remove lower ball joint?

cmattina

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