Replaced my 06 4x4 Balljoints last night with Carlis

[Karter]

So I bit the bullet and replaced the ball joints again on my 06QC 4x4 for the 2nd time. I caved and bought the $800 Carli ones, so I'm hoping is the last time. The installation was fairly straightforward, but it sure would be nice if they could print out their specific instructions, rather than just having them online. At that price, I think a piece of paper that would make me not have to squint at my phone at midnight, would be included.

By the way, does anyone make a ball joint press that isn't a total POS? I borrowed the one from O'Reilly's auto parts as well as the 4wd kit to go with it. There wasn't a combo of spacers that would work. When I returned it, I told the counter guy (who knows me, because I buy alot of parts...I have a Dodge.) that it was a POS. He said, "oh yeah, these suck, you don't want to buy one of these."...lol.

Conveniently the driver's side wheel bearings were gone, so I put a new hub on there. I also noticed a rear axle (hub) seal leaking. Does this crap ever stop??

 

[ENafziger]

Carli's are a good choice. The ball joint press I used I think was OTC brand. The adapters didn't work, but I came up with my own using a combination of pipe fittings, etc and it worked pretty well.

Concerning constant maintenance...if you have an old truck, an old house, and an old lady, you've got something to do all the time :-laf

 

[AH64ID]

I don't recall the brand of press I used for mine but it fit perfectly. All I recall was that it was designed specifically for the AAM joints.

O'Reilly sells cheap crap so if that's your parts house then plan in replacing stuff a lot more often.

 

[Wayne M.]

My actual press is the OTC with the sleeves and discs. I have the harbor freight adapter kit to use with it. Works great with Ujoints too.

 

[crispyboy]

I used a cheap press and trying to figure out the spacers was a time consuming part of the job. When I did the second side I used a cutting torch to cut down the stud which made things easier. I also took someone else's recommendation and put the new ones in the freezer for a day before installing.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I learned a tough lesson with my 3rd gen. Mine had smooth body ball joints to begin with but I replaced them with Napa knurled joints. The knurling widened the opening some, making it impossible to ever use the smooth body ball joints. On my 4th time changing the joints, I bought a Moog set that was smooth. I could literally push them in by hand.

 

[JR]

Are the AAM joints pressed into the axle?

On the early D60 the ball joints are pressed into the knuckle. I cut through both bj at the top of the boot and took the entire knuckle assy to my 20 ton press.

Each side took about an hour start to finish.

 

[mwilson]

Are the AAM joints pressed into the axle?

On the early D60 the ball joints are pressed into the knuckle. I cut through both bj at the top of the boot and took the entire knuckle assy to my 20 ton press.

Each side took about an hour start to finish.

Pressed into the axle. I really miss the Dana's with the ball joints that pressed into the knuckle.

 

[mwilson]

Well, this pisses me off. Most of my pictures are gone. I'll have to see if I still have the pictures on an SD card and reload them.

There are still some pictures left starting at Post #5

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...Procedure-w-pics?highlight=ball+joint+replace

 

[AH64ID]

One of the reasons I wanted the dynatrac ball joints is because they are rebuildable in the truck, which means I won't be pressing them in and out of the axle if they need repair.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Can the Carli joints be left in place for rebuilds also?

 

[Regcabguy]

I learned a tough lesson with my 3rd gen. Mine had smooth body ball joints to begin with but I replaced them with Napa knurled joints. The knurling widened the opening some, making it impossible to ever use the smooth body ball joints. On my 4th time changing the joints, I bought a Moog set that was smooth. I could literally push them in by hand.

Dynatrac offers a knurled bj for just that situation.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

^^Ya I saw that just recently^^ Wish I knew there was two different styles at the time.

 

[JKosten]

Can the Carli joints be left in place for rebuilds also?

See https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/250313-Carli-Upper-Ball-Joint-Service-How-To