ball joints

[smokein cummins]

could someone tell me how to replace the ball joints on my truck. not to sure how it all goes together or comes apart.

 

[CDegner]

The uppers require a special socket to unscrew the old ones and screw the new ones back in. The lowers require a press. If your not familiar with how they go together, chances are you don't have the tools. Might be best left to the pros.



Carl

 

[dpuckett]

I think the 4x4s have king pins; someone correct me if I'm wrong. Get a FSM or even a Chilton book, and you should be able to do it yourself. When one has travelled down the road I've been down a few times, you are VERY leery of the "pros. " More like professional, legalized thief. (Hmm... . kinda like the courts around here. Sorry, pastor, had to get my weekly dig in. )



Daniel

 

[RobbieH]

We did this Saturday on a 91. 5 4x2. Let me tell you how it went.



We have all the right tools. Expensive OTC ball joint tool with all the adapters, killer compressor, good tools like Snap On, IR, etc. We even bought the $61 Snap-On 2 1/8" 4 point balljoint socket.



The job took us 8 hours to do one side. I'll admit, there was a litle goofing off (maybe a lot), and a lot of grease cleanup to do, but regardless it was a hell of a job.



The previous owner knew the joints had problems and just kept greasing and greasing, there was grease packed in every orifice of the truck, including the rotor, caliper, all in the brake pads, everywhere. Took quite a while to just get all that cleaned up.



Getting the upper unscrewed was no big deal with a good impact and the right socket. Getting the ball joints unseated from the knuckle though, especially the upper, was a real pain.



When we got the lower out, it fell apart into 5 pieces. The ball itself was broken in 3 places.



Part of what took us so long was running back to the store. The door jamb says he has the 3830 axle, but when we matched the parts the ball joints didn't match. I don't know if in 91. 5 they went to the 4000 ball joints, but when we took back the ones we had and matched them to the 4000's, they were a perfect fit.



I should have taken pictures of all this. Let me tell you what you are going to need:



A good impact wrench. It might be possible without, but you are going to want it.



The 4 point 2 1/8" ball joint socket



A good, long, heavy prybar



A good set of balljoint tools, the C Clamp looking style, not a pickle fork.



Everything else is just normal tools. We found it much easier to go ahead and remove the rotor, and this is a good time to put new grease in the bearings.



AutoZone has the parts a lot cheaper than anyone else we found, and the difference was huge. We used PerfectCircle, which I've had good luck with in the past, besides it's probably what was there from the factory considering they are Dana/Spicer parts.



I realize your 4x4 may be different, this I don't know, but get ready it's a job.

 

[CDegner]

Originally posted by dpuckett

I think the 4x4s have king pins; someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Doh! I should have looked at the sig. For some reason I was thinking this was 4X2.

 

[dpuckett]

RobbieH-

8 HOURS? I'd say a lot of goofing off. But really, it took me a good 6 to get my first set of ball joints out- in the middle of gale force winds, and 20 deg . I'll second the impact- preferrably the 3/4 drive (and the pressure/ volume to drive it) that the socket comes in. Drew down the compressor 3 times with a 1/2 drive and adaptor.



I couldnt get the AZ ball joint C-clamp to work, then found out from Mom's mechanic that you can beat the old ball joints out with a hammer (he did hers a year ago). He said a regular hammer, but after 20 minutes of beating with no luck, I got out the 16# sledge and took 6 hits for it to pop out , one handing it, no less :-laf. ANd yes, the new ones fit just fine. I could see CB or EC Jay asking if stuff was still intact.



Sorry, smokein cumins, we aint got around to discussing 4x4s yet. Maybe Andy Mikonis could give ya some tips- he's done em before. Speak of the devil, where is he lately? Has he gone over to the dark side? Maybe he got caught trying to reclaim his tailgate. Hmmmm... .....



-DP

 

[JLEONARD]

I could see CB or EC Jay asking if stuff was still intact.

Daniel... no. I won't ask. Remember, my son is an "auto tech" and owns his own shop. He would ask you. . "why did it take you 6 hits? Just hit it hard enough the first time and stop playing around!"

EC Jay

 

[smokein cummins]

thanks anyways guys. i think that i have a pretty good idea now. i talked to a guy and he kind of walked me through it.

seem that i need to take all my rotors off along with the brakes and then the spindle. take the 2 nuts off the ball joints and pound on the thing that the brake mounts on. at least thats what he said. we will see though.

 

[RobbieH]

Dpuckett - part of that time was going back to the parts store trying to get the right ball joints (probably an hour) and a stop at Hooters.



We are using a CH 80 gallon compressor, 4 cyl and we drew it down 3 times with an IR 1/2" impact.



We weren't using the AZ special, we have the OTC set. It worked, but it also took lots of banging. In fact, now that I think about it, the lower we knocked out with an air hammer, after putting as much pressure on it as possible by jacking up the knuckle. We used the press on the upper, and of course used it to put the lower back in.



I had just done my ball joints on my '97 Jeep the weekend before, start to finish maybe 45 minutes for one side.



I bet we spent an hour cleaning grease up too.



I wish I'd have taken pictures.

 

[smokein cummins]

does my truck even have balljoints. i seen in a manual that there are bearings underneath where the steering arm is at.

 

[cerberusiam]

The Dana 60 axle has serviceable sleeves and bearings in place of non serviceable ball joints like the 2x4 and lighter axles. If I remember correctly one sleeve is pressed in and the other threads in but not positive. Been too long since I had one apart and its probably chnaged in the 20 odd years since.

 

[dpuckett]

Originally posted by RobbieH

..... and a stop at Hooters. .

Um..... sorry to tell ya, but that dont go toward the total job time. Unless..... oh nevermind, THAT would be a nice "job. "



-DP

 

[smokein cummins]

i didn't think that they were ball joints. thanks for clearing that up for me cerberusiam.

 

[cerberusiam]

..... and a stop at Hooters. .

Gotta plan for the unexpected and the technical consult.





I hear Hooters is coming to a location near me. This is really gonna mess with the commute time... ... .

 

[jbolt]

You have kingpins. The uppers have a spring and bushing and the lower are bearings. if you like i can scan the R&R pages from the factory service manual and email it to you



Jay

 

[smokein cummins]

that would help out alot so i know what i am doing.