Another silly question re ball joints

[Blueman2]

Getting ready to help my sister replace ball joints on her 2001 2.5, 2WD, std cab Ranger.

I have reviewed the tech articles and exploded views on this site, my only question is about tools. I have SAE sockets but not metric. Can anyone tell me what sizes I will need to do this job?

Looks like I'll need sockets for the following:

Hub spindle nut
Disc shield bolts
Caliper Anchor plate bolts
Caliper bolts
Tie rod end nuts
Ball joint end nuts

Anything else?

Thanks in advance for any info, I appreciate the help this site provides.

Blueman2

 

[Hopman]

You will need a few other things:

PB Blaster, pickle fork, ear plugs for any little children in the neighborhood, MORE PB Blaster, patience, anti-seize, and lastly, PB Blaster.

 

[Blueman2]

pickle fork will also require a BFH if I am not mistaken.

Is it realistic to do one side in a day with manual tools?

Found a Chilton manual at the library, will pick it up this evening and check it out further.

Thanks, never thought of the PB Blaster

 

[pillen140]

pickle fork will also require a BFH if I am not mistaken.

Is it realistic to do one side in a day with manual tools?

Found a Chilton manual at the library, will pick it up this evening and check it out further.

Thanks, never thought of the PB Blaster

should be done in a couple of hours if that. you can rent a removal tool from autozone.... its $100 but you get it back... well worth it!

 

[Hopman]

Thanks, never thought of the PB Blaster

Spray it down a few hours before. If it won't come loose with PB and a cheater bar, you're boned. Then it'll be time to break out the "hot wrench."

 

[martin]

You'll need beer, don't forget the beer. Oh! and a decent jack and some stands.

 

[Hopman]

You'll need beer, don't forget the beer. Oh! and a decent jack and some stands.

Don't forget a working vehicle on standby to grab the one DINKY LTTLE PART that you forgot but is vital to getting the project finished.

 

[adsm08]

should be done in a couple of hours if that. you can rent a removal tool from autozone.... its $100 but you get it back... well worth it!

Yeah, forget the pickle forks. Their proper use is removing the taper from the knuckle, I find that loosening the nut until it's flush with the end of the joint and giving it a good love-tap with a 2 Lb hammer does the job just as well.

You will need a press set or an awesome air hammer. The press set is usually more effective.


Plus infinity on the PB though.

 

[Blueman2]

OK, checked out the Chilton 2000-2005 Ford Ranger, Mazda B manual. The book says that the 2WD vehicle has ball joints integral to control arms and cannot be serviced separately. Is this for real?

Looks like front coil springs have to come out to replace control arms, now will need spring compressor also.

This is looking more and more like hard work!

 

[bcost882]

OK, checked out the Chilton 2000-2005 Ford Ranger, Mazda B manual. The book says that the 2WD vehicle has ball joints integral to control arms and cannot be serviced separately. Is this for real?

Looks like front coil springs have to come out to replace control arms, now will need spring compressor also.

This is looking more and more like hard work!

please read all before you do it
wooh! they are not in tegral, my ranger is the same i just replced the ball joints on a 2000. you need- pickle fork(to seperate the spindle from balljoint), BFH, Sockets, wrenches, pliers.
I found it easiest to take off the tierod end(should come off with a tap from BFH) then flop the spindle forward and slide the pickle fork in from the back and hit with the BFH, driving the fork in(wham wham wham, clunk) it will make a clunk it just needs some persuasion. then take off the spindle by taking off the upper bolt throught the spindle and I used a hammer to tap out the UCA. no need to take off the brake disc just the caliper bracket and caliper. then you need to remove the snapring from the top of the balljoint. then you need the balljoint press i believe it is called. looks like a big c-clamp with cylinder attachments. you need to make the atteachments work to start pushing on the balljoints. not too hard i used a 10in adjustable wrench and BFH, just hurt the hands after awhile. lots of pressure then hit the top and bottom with the hammer. took prolly 3 hrs for me. the install is direct opposite. use the balljoint press to press it into the control arm. press and tap, press and tap. then install the spindle, cotterpins, and tierod end. that should be about it. please chime in if i forgot something.

 

[Blueman2]

Thanks for that info. I pulled a wheel this morning to take a look and measure some fastners. Found this:

The boot on the upper ball is split. Looks like a fair amount of rust and corrosion as shown here:

And on the tie rod end here:

Looks like I'll need a 15MM socket to handle the UCA pinch bolt and the caliper mounting bolts. The tie rod end and the lower ball joint are quite a bit bigger. An SAE socket fit the lower ball joint nut but I am sure it is a coincidence.

Checking ebay for some cheap sockets now and lining up needed parts and supplies. We'll probably do the job in a couple of weeks. I will photo document the process in some detail and try to post it as a tech article (if permitted)

Another question I had, how do you use a pickle fork on the tie rod ends or the ball joints without buggering up the boot? Is it assumed that if you are using a pickle fork, you are replacing the part anyway?

Thanks.