Ball joint...

[BExplorer]

I ran to the local alignement shop today and found out lower ball joint had took is retirement. I did a search on ball joint but still have some questions? 1-It says I can use a vise to press out/in the joint, do I press over the bolt of the joint or do I have to put some socket on the bolt to press the joint and not the bolt? 2- If the vise is a good way, how do I put it in to press out the joint( a little confused) 3- Is it better to have sealed joint or with grease fitting? 4- Not related to the joint, how do you know if the radius arm bushing are dead(since they seem t break very often. I want to buy the parts today so I can use my 3 day weekend to the maximum (I've done valve cover gasket and convert to manual hub this week of vacation, want to have fun this weekend). Thanks for all the precious help!

 

[Martinez]

Get a ball joint you can grease. They last longer. I had mine replaced and did not see the mechanic use any type of pressure plier, just a hammer to pound the joints out and in. Change both upper and lower at the same time. The upper has to go in first, then the lower. At least that is how I remember it. It is difficult to get the lower out, but just work at it and it can be removed.

 

[BExplorer]

Axle...

Now I must know if I have a Dana 35 or 28, I would assume from what I read it should be 35 but... I looked at third member and found no tag, so went to door sticker, but the only info I could find was 41 for the gear 3.27. Is there another way to find out. For the joint, I dont think pounding any ball joint or bearing would be a great idea, but then... maybe it could work.

 

[Martinez]

Pound, pound, pound-that's the way I've always seen mechanics doing it. And they don't pound softly!!! I guess they could be pressurized in in a machine shop, but I have always seen them pound them in.

 

[Maniak]

That should be a Dana 35 on the 1994 TTB front end.

 

[megillet]

Do NOT pound the new ball joints in!!!! You will do one of two things: 1. Damage them or 2. Put them in crooked, both not good. Take them to a competent machine shop and have them pressed in, costs like $12 and then you don't risk messing them up. You can bang the old ones out, just keep banging away, if I remember correctly, you bang out the lower one first, the use a pipe through the hole of the lower one to pound out the upper one. You kinda have to set the whole thing up one a bench or something to make room for the upper ball joint as you bang it out. Good luck.

 

[Maniak]

Autozone here (Checker and Kragen also) will rent a ball join press type thing. We used that to take the old ones out and put the new ones in. It is kinda a small press type thing. You do need a vice to hold the everything still.

The rent was free.. you just had to payfor the tool and they give you your money back when you return it.

 

[BExplorer]

Thanks...

Thanks for all the advise, I tought that banging would do damadge (like with bearing). I received my parts, there MOOG and greasable unlike the one's from the dealer. Now I must find the time to change them.

 

[SCEXPLORER]

GREASING BALL JOINTS MOOG!

How do u know how much grease to put in? I greased it up until grease started coming out from the bottom of the rubber. Is that right?

 

[mikeh]

I grease until I see the new grease flow out. Then wipe off all the old stuff.

Mike H.

 

[ltools]

You grease untill you see the boot swell..... NOT untill you see it come out.... you just broke the seal......also, if you havent changed it yet, you can buy a small needle adapter, looks like something you put on an air pump to blow up a soccer ball or football... but its a sharp needle, pierce the boot and squeeze away, it fills the boot and when you pull it out a small amount of grease follows it, but the way the needle go's through the boot it leaves a small flap behind... worked great for me...
Doug

 

[ol_ben]

To get old ball joints out mount the assembly in a vise and pound, pound,pound the old ones out. Use a pipe or steel rod smaller than the opening. Heat as from an Oxy- Acetlyne torch helps.

To put the nwe ones I made a install tool out of a pipe who inner diameter would meet the top of the lip that rests on the shoulder when felly seated. I machined out the inside of the pipe to fit snugly over the moveable portion of the ball joint and press firmly against thr lip and long enough to accept a steel cap - 1/4 inch - for pounding purposes.

For the first balljoint - which must be installed first using a pipe through the oposite eye. I taped the steel plate over the adapter and pounded away- carefully. For the other ball joint the hammer strikes the adapter directly still with the steel plate cap. Freezing the Balljoints overnight and heating each eye with the torch allowed for a straight forward installation with not too heavy hammer blows.

good luck.
-ben