Lower Ball Joint Replacement How To (lots of Pictures)

[parad1mg]

i didnt have the joy of using any heavier hammers since the PB blaster and a regular all-around hammer was good enought to loosen up my fused rotors. It just took some time for the PB to soak up and i just tapped the rotors every 5 mins, soon enough it went loose and away it went..

getting that spindle off the balljoint was the hardest part. no matter what i did, pound it with a mini-sledge (it was starting to chip and flatten a corner on the spindle so i stopped..) , bathe it with PB, used a wide forked crowbar to pry it off it still wouldnt get loose.. i just ended up taking the balljoint off the LCA while the spindle was still attached.. i would probably find a short and wide bearing puller to do the job next time around...

 

[5.0]

I'm working on mine now... replacing the upper control arms, lower ball joints, outter tie rod ends, cv shafts, and sway bar links. The floor jack trick worked awesome! One thing I done differently though was leave the ABS connector in the knuckle and just unclip the wire from the frame and sat the knuckle on the floor.

 

[99ExploderXLTCA]

I rented the tool from auto zone does it take the middle or the largest ring to remove the LBJ?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Just see which one fits over the ball joint entirely to remove it. It's different depending on the brand.

 

[CDW6212R]

Only four of the adapters were needed for my lower joints. Installing is a five second job, removal is a little worse because the collar underneath doesn't lay nicely against the lower arm.

 

[99ExploderXLTCA]

The LBJ will be the life of me. My question is this I was finally able to remove the ball joints after a week. The stock LBJ has a bigger lip than the new moog, am I missing something? Thanks in advance....

 

[CDW6212R]

The new ball joints have a collar/lip which keeps it from going up any further. I think the issue of some joints not working in a stock arm has to do with the diameter of the joint. If the joint slid up into the arm with no effort that would not work. Nor would it be usable if the joint was too tight. Mine(Moog) appeared to be about the same, with the grooves/splines of the joint large enough to make a tight interference fit.

 

[99ExploderXLTCA]

Ok am I missing something here or did I get the wrong part? :roll:

 

[carlover]

Thats about what mine look like. Ill be putting new ones in tonite as well.

 

[John_Rock]

The lip on the Ford stock one is over sized.

 

[99ExploderXLTCA]

Thanks a bunch I will no go finish up this PITA job....

 

[CDW6212R]

That's an interesting boot, is it rubber or what? That isn't the exact Moog joints I installed, mine had black rubber boots. The step on mine looked more like the stock ball joint, but that one you have may be fine. The section which goes through the arm is the critical part. That has to give some resistance to hold it in the arm, not too tight and not too loose.

Basically the short part before those serrations should be the same diameter as the hole. It should slip easily in until it reaches the serrations. Good luck,

 

[parad1mg]

Ok am I missing something here or did I get the wrong part? :roll:

you got the Spicer Brand Ball Joint:

i installed a moog ball joint when i did mine..

the lip/collar on the moog balljoint was pretty close to the size of the stock ones.. here's a comparison shot:

i think the difference between the two is that you can take the rubber boot off the spicer and not on the moog.. but the floor jack installation is a really easy and effective way to do it..

 

[CDW6212R]

Moog has come a long way with their boots. I can remember when all of their boots did not seal well, they all leaked a small amount. These both fit very well, they will not leak a bit,they hold grease well.

 

[shamal]

What about the spindle bearing ?

Guys: I'm getting ready to do all the ball joints and tie rod ends on my '93. Should I pick up some spindle bearings and seals? I haven't noticed any mention of these in the posts.
Anybody got a part number for them ?
Thanks! Hope ya'll had a good Christmas and Santy was good to ya!

 

[DeRocha]

Guys: I'm getting ready to do all the ball joints and tie rod ends on my '93. Should I pick up some spindle bearings and seals? I haven't noticed any mention of these in the posts.
Anybody got a part number for them ?
Thanks! Hope ya'll had a good Christmas and Santy was good to ya!

you are posting in a 2nd generation thread and you're question pertains to a 1st generation explorer..

In any case see the Dana35 restoration thread for good info and pics.

Spindle Bearing (Timkin B2110) {within the spindle}
Seal inner (Motorcraft BRS-88 F3TZ-1S175-AA) {End of spindle}

 

[shamal]

Thanks for the note: Sorry bout the wrong thread, I used your entry to try to find a spindle replacement issue / when to change thread etc.
Thanks again for the thread to your article, it's great! I take it I need a puller to get that spindle bearing out of the spindle??

 

[DeRocha]

Thanks for the note: Sorry bout the wrong thread, I used your entry to try to find a spindle replacement issue / when to change thread etc.
Thanks again for the thread to your article, it's great! I take it I need a puller to get that spindle bearing out of the spindle??

You will need a hammer slide puller to get it off (free autozone rental)

 

[shamal]

You Da Best, De Rocha! I'll get my hands on one before I start the party!
All the best of the season to you and your family!

 

[96eb96]

For 10+yo salt belt cars.. I wonder how easy it is to remove the CV joint from the splines. It seems you would need a puller. Also, did anyone every find the ball joint hole to be corroded or damaged to the point where a new one can't be installed?