2WD lower ball joint help

[mbird97x]

Having been thru several posts with some showing detailed pictures, It seems mostly 4WD aimed. I am going to replace the lower ball joints on My Explorer soon and was wanting to know if I need to remove anything(tension?) to do with the torsion bars? If so, would backing off the adjuster be enough? I have the OTC ball joint press and a multitude of adapters for it (14 piece kit from Harbor Freight) incl. the ones from OTC. I have all the necessary tools and equipment but have never done anything on torsion bar vehicles before.

 

[parad1mg]

i think the only difference between AWD/4WD and 2WD are the rotor~spindle assembly being the AWD/4WD is pretty straight forward by removing the axle nut and the same with 2WD (?) cars but it has all this other stuff like wheel bearings, etc..

if you're replacing the lower ball joint you need to know how to disassemble the front suspension parts. not all of it of course.. just how to remove the rotors, detach the upper control arm and tie-rod from the spindle, tie the brake calipers and cv axle safely out of the way, safely unhook the ABS sensor..

i didnt have the need to unload the tension off the torsion bars or back off the adjuster bolts since i used two jacks during the install.. one to lift the car/install the lower ball joint and one that was constantly supporting the lower control arm and adjusting it up/down whenever needed..

look around the site on how the front suspension components of a 2WD ex is put together or better yet find an exploded view of its assembly.. IMO, it'll help a lot..

good luck with your install..

 

[DeRocha]

I just did the lower ball joints on my step daughters 2WD 2k Explorer. It was a piece of cake. I read through the various threads on replacing ball-joints and jumped right in. Once the tire is in the air the torsion bars will have no load on them. Since it was 2wd I remove the steering knuckle with the rotor still attached. I guess you could remove the rotor if you want, but I didn't see the need for removing the axle nut and exposing the wheel bearings. As they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words so the video below is quite informative.

 

[gijoecam]

There is no need to disconnect the upper ball joint unless you're replacing it too.

There is still preload on the torsion bars, even when the vehicle is jacked up off the ground. The shock will serve as a lower travel limiter. Do not remove the shock while the ball joint is disconnected, and you won't have an issue. If you need to change the shock, support the lower control arm so it doesn't move.

-Joe

 

[mbird97x]

Thanks guys for chiming in. I wasn't sure as to the torsion bar being a problem. With everything in other posts and that video, I just didn't see it addressed and it is part of the "teardown" process in the Haynes manual. I have seen the exploded view and had it pretty much figured out. I only plan on tearing it down far enough to r&r the ball joints but I will remove the rotors as I will be having those machined and install new pads. I will use the 2-jack approach along with jack stands. Will the knuckle be able to be raised up while still attached to the upper joint/arm assy? That is assuming I have disconnected the lower joint from it. Sway arm link still need to be disconnected or leave in place? Thanks.

 

[DeRocha]

You don't need to disconnect the sway bar. I don't recall how much the steering knuckle will move with it still connected to the upper ball joint, but as Joe mentioned you don't need to remove it to do the job. As such once you start the job things that you currently have questions on will become more apparent.

 

[mbird97x]

Thanks so much guys. I did both lower ball joints today along with the front pads w/ machining of the rotors. It wasn't too bad and total time including a long drive to turn the rotors was about 7 hours. I took My time and took several breaks. I'm not as young as I used to be!!! I removed the knuckle from both upper and lowers to get the most access. I did the first one using the press tool to remove the joint and just a ball pein hammer to remove the other side. The hammer was faster. I used the tool on both sides to install them. The uppers look to be a bit more involved. Not beyond My scope, but just a lot more to remove. Thanks!!!

 

[DeRocha]

Glad to hear you completed the job It always a great feeling of accomplishment to tackle a job that many people bring it into a shop for.

 

[witchdoctor]

Sorry I didn't see this before you completed the work. For anyone else that does this, if you put the new ball joints in the freezer the night before, they are a lot easier to press in.