BallJoints Need replacing

[Doug]

I took my truck to a local 4wd place for an alignment and they told me my balljoints are shot. Does anyone know if it is possible to replace them yourself? Also something called "cam frame notches" need to be replaced as well, does any one know what they are? Im assuming they have something todo with the torsion bars.

 

[The Godfather]

For the ball joints, I'm assuming upper and lower, you need to take the spindle off. You'll need a tie rod end puller, pickle fork, ball joint puller, and ball joint press. While you're at it you might as well replace your tie rod ends. You can get by with out taking the ends off but it's much easier for the first timer to do it. Once you get to the ball joints, there's usually a clip on them, take that off. Then you can hammer them out, just be careful with the hammer, you don't NEED a puller. Then put the new ones back in with the press and reverse your steps. I'm not sure if this is the correct steps for an Explorer as I haven't done one yet, but I did an F-150 just the other day.

 

[Doug]

ok cool it doesnt sound to bad. like i said im gonna go get a haynes manual and hopefully thatll have some decent info.

 

[Doug]

I only need to do my lower ball joints and Im not quite sure how to go about it. I got a chilton's manual but i dont think they know what theyre doing. (they basically repeat everything twice in this part of the manual, i dunno maybe its just mine but i doubt it.) It doesnt tell you how to remove the ball joints it just says that the lower control arms need to be removed. It also tells me i need to remove the torsionbar and that i need a special tool to remove. My question is that do i need to remove the lower control arm to take off the lower ball joint?

 

[The Godfather]

The F-150 has pretty much the same set up and I never supported it. I've never really liked Chiltons manuals and I don't have any manual for this vehicle yet so I don't have something to look at. I've only taken the front wheels off besides rotating the tires so I haven't really looked at the front suspension yet.

 

[bandlow]

Chilton's says the ball joints are integral with the control arm and are replaced as an assembly for '95 and later 4WD Explorers. (Page 8-24 of Chilton's 26688, 1991-1997.)

Haynes says the same thing. (Page 10-9 of Haynes 36024.)

Rich

 

[bandlow]

There is a special Ford tool to take the tension of the torsion bar so the support nut can be removed and the tension slowly released. I haven't done it so I don't know if there is an aftermarket tool that can do it safely. Haynes shows a picture of a tool on page 10-14; Chilton's on Page 8-20.

Rich

 

[Doug]

thats nice but it still doesnt answer my question as to whether or nor i need to remove the lower control arms

 

[bandlow]

Well, it does answer the question.

Haynes p10-9

"1995 and later models:

The balljoints on upper and lower control arms are not removeable or serviceable. If a balljoint is damaged or worn, replace the control arm."

 

[Doug]

well I realized that the lower control arm needs to be removed so i took it off and removed the ball joint. The only problem I have now is i cant get the new ones in. Im gonna take it to a local shop and have the ball joints pressed into the lower control arms. I dunno what haynes and chiltons are talking about. the lower ball joints are definantly removable. I think theyre both smoking crack.

 

[bandlow]

That's good to hear! Let us know how it works out.

Rich

 

[JoshC]

Namitey--DO NOT TAKE THE CONTROL ARM OFF. I did mine a few months ago and it really isn't that big of a job. Just like The Godfather said, those are the tools you are going to need. If you've done much work at all on cars then you should be fine. After i took the spindal off mine (are they called that for a 4wd?) i just moved it aside and carefully removed the retaining ring with some snap ring pliers, then carefully beat the joint out with a ball pin hammer. It was kinda tricky getting it back in because it has to be pressed in of course. The press i rented was not deep enought to allow me press the joing in fully, so i kind of did my own little rig job. When get the press you'll see that it has a bunch of "spacers" in it. I just took one of those spacers, placed it on the platform of my floor jack, put that over the (really under) the ball joint and jacked it up until i knew it was the lower control arm up and then i carefully beat down on the control arm in different places. Wouldn't hurt to put some grease around the joint before you start pressing it in, might help some. Now you souldn't really beat on the control arm with a hammer so you might want to put a piece of wood on it and beat on that. If you don't get what i'm saying let me know and i'll try it a different way. Thanks!

Happy trails!!

 

[Doug]

lol, first off ive already removed the lower control arms and beat out the old joints (they where worn!) Im gonna go to an automotive store near me and have them press the ball joints into the lower control arms. Im trying to figure out why you removed the spindles. All i did was disconnect everything from the lower control arm and held it all up with a strap. The only thing i did have to remove was the torsion bar. I guess what yoursaying is you had a hard time putting the control arms back in. I already took mine out as i said before ill let you know how easy/hard it is for me to get them back in

 

[JoshC]

Well, better late then never, haha! How hard was it to remove the torsion bar? I've never done that but i was just curious. Thanks!

Happy trails!

ps Namitey, i'm everywhere! j/k

 

[Doug]

Have I ever mentioned ball joints suck? First off we couldnt find any places open on sunday's to press the ball joints in so we decided to to it ourselves. We tried a bunch of different things to hammer them in and it didnt work. We went over to a friend of a friends to use his press but it was broken. He then banged one of them in with a socket and that worked. We couldnt get the 2nd one in using the hammer/socket method so someone sugeested we heat up the lower control arm..... OUT CAME OXYACTELENE TORCH! went in like a charm! I get back to my house and grease both the ball joints but the one that was heated up with the torch wouldnt take any grease. We realized when he heated up the lower control arm the ball joint heated up and some sort of plastic bushing and it all oozed out. I had to go out any buy a new ball joint. Fortunantly a place near me had them in stock. My friend and I then spent the next hour trying to bang the ball joint in but it didnt work. then my friend got the bright idea to use a vise and 2 sockets. 1 socket on either side of the control arm and we got the ball joint in, in less than a minute. Go us. needless to say my friend is all pissed off that we wasted the day only to get it in doing something relatively simple. Well we're off to put everything back together hopefully my truck will be back on the road tonight.

Jot btw the torsion bar isnt hard to take off. we used a 2 prong puller to take the tension off the adjuster screw.

 

[JoshC]

Well at least you got both of them in there. Sometimes learning the hard way works better, for me anyways, give people a new way to look at it when you try to help them. Glad to hear the good news, so far!

Happy trails!!

 

[Doug]

we got it all back together with a little trouble but it looks like there is something wrong with my master cylinder ;( . there is what looks like to be brake fluid dripping down the engine compartment and when i step on the brakes the whole master cylinder moves!?