Anybody Done thier own Ball Joints?

[Kirby N.]

I got my driver Ball joints done last year by $ wheel parts and it cost way to much money. Now my passenger side joints are sloppy and I want to do em myself. I know you need a press, but I have heard of Jeep guys renting one from Auto Zone and doing it themselves, so can it be done? Has anyone done it? Will my ball joints come apart if I leave them any longer?? Thanks fellas...

 

[hvac man]

I just did mine last week while I had the front end apart to install my new ARB and it was not hard at all. I used my friends ball joint press and it took about 5 min to remove the old and install the new. I would make sure you have a good and I mean great air gun or I would not even try this yourself. If you cant afford the labor just pull the stering knuckle off and take it down to the shop and have them press it out and back in for you. I think it would only be like 1/2 hr charge.

 

[AlaskanJack]

Well I did one side this past year and I rented a ball joint press. I had no air and it just took patience since I had never done it before. I was also replacing a knuckle.

 

[88vert]

I did mine last year along with the axel joints and it took maybe 4 hours total

 

[410Fortune]

having the right tools for the job is the key.

You will need:
ball joint press w/ adapters for the D35 TTB ball joints
spindle nut spanner wrench (either auto hub style or manual hub style)
Magnet to get the keeper out if its auto hubs
Grease gun to load up the new MOOG ball joints

You may also need a press/pickle fork to seperate the tie rod end from the knuckle

You will want to mark your camber shim so you can put it back the way it was and at least get the alignment close

Also this is a perfect time to:
do a disc brake service
hub service
convert to manual hubs
rotate tires


It's helpful to have somebody who has dont this before, but if you can do a tune up you can do ball joints.....

 

[SteveVB]

Everyones pretty much covered it, its not hard,
and to add one to 410's list check the axle u-joints.

I pulled mine apart took the knuckles and new joints to a shop and while they pressed them in I cleaned and replaced the u-joints in the axle shafts, went and picked up the knuckles and lunch, done early afternoon.
Air is helpful, or a big breaker bar. Make sure you mark the camber adjusters.

 

[410Fortune]

almost forgot you need to be extra careful pulling the axle shaft in/out of the diff,if you ***** up the seal then you will also be replacing the diff seals because your gear lube will leak.


yyou will want to re-pack your wheel bearings which means new grease seals for the rotors ($3 ea)
Check the condition of your caliper slide pins.
Clean everything up and re-lube upon re-assembly.
I also like to clean and re-pack the spindle bearing, clean up the spindle threads, soak the hubs in ATF, clean up the caliper slide pin grooves and also the rear brake pad grooves.

All this sounds harder then it actually is, becoming familiar with all this can really help you save some big $$$ and diagnose your own problems.

I can bust the front end down to the bare knuckle in about 1/2 hour total, re-lube and assemble everything in another 1/2 hour all with hand tools......and I do quite often, not always by choice

 

[Kirby N.]

Man 410, you make everything sound harder than it is. Thanks for everyones help. I got it done on Saturday no problem and saved myself some cash. I am glad I didn't pay a guy to do it.