lower ball joint stuck tight, help

[Huskerbob]

Okay I'm stuck here. Getting ready for new tie rod ends and lower ball joints. I have it all apart except I cannot get the lower ball joint stud out of the aluminum steering knuckle frame. Tried the pickle fork and a 2 jaw puller with no luck. Any ideas?

 

[swshawaii]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337814&highlight=lower+ball+joint

 

[Huskerbob]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337814&highlight=lower+ball+joint

Thanks for the link. I guess the floor jack and heat are my next steps. and a BFH

 

[Huskerbob]

Thanks for the link. I guess the floor jack and heat are my next steps. and a BFH

Well that was simple. Five minutes with the propane torch on the steering knuckle and one whack with the pickle fork and it fell off. DOH!

 

[FordFool2]

Glad you got it off Husker. How did you know you needed new for sure?

 

[Huskerbob]

Glad you got it off Husker. How did you know you needed new for sure?

Stuck my long pry bar between the steering knuckle and the lower control arm and got lots of motion.

I did this after hearing a distinct clunking noise coming from that area.

I also replaced the tie rod ends. I used Moog parts and they come with grease zerks.

Now my front end is like new. New upper control arms, new tie rod ends, new lower ball joints and new stabalizer bar links and bushings.

It's nice and quiet.

 

[DoraThe_Explorer]

A nice torch is a necessity when doing lower ball joints, that for sure! Glad to hear it worked out for you buddy.

 

[Huskerbob]

A nice torch is a necessity when doing lower ball joints, that for sure! Glad to hear it worked out for you buddy.

now you tell me! DOH!

 

[Huskerbob]

So this morning I set out to do the passenger side lower ball joint and tie rod end. I found a much easier way to get this job done.

My Explorer is 2003 4 wheel drive.

Set the parking brake and chock the wheels.

Pop the little hubcap and loosen the axle nut.

Loosen the lug nuts.

Jack the front end up and place it on jack stands.

Remove the wheel.

Remove the brake caliper and wheel speed sensor and tie them up on the upper control arm with wire or zip ties. DO NOT let them hang by the brake line.

Remove the brake caliper. 2 bolts in the back.

Remove the upper ball joint from the steering knuckle. Usually a couple of whacks on the outside of the top of the knuckle will loosen it. If not you can use a pickle fork but it will ruin the boot and you will need a new one so be careful.

Brake the tie rod adjusting lock nut loose and finger tighten it back against the tie rod end.

Remove the tie rod end cotter key and nut and knock the tie rod end out of the steering knuckle. If you are replacing it don't worry about beating it with a hammer or use a pickle fork.

Remove the lower ball joint cotter key and nut.

Remove the axle nut.

Heat the lower portion of the steering knuckle with a torch and then using a pitman joint wedge give it a few wacks with your 3 lb. hammer until it pops loose.

Using a large 3 jaw pulller grab ahold of the wheel hub and pull it off the axle. Make sure you don't pull the axle out of the transfer case.

When you get the steering knuckle loose you will need to pull it aside and place the axle up on the stabalizer bar for safe keeping.

Wiggle the steering knuckle out of the lower control arm.

Using a ball jont press rented from the parts store press out the lower ball joint.

Install a new ball joint with the same press and the proper adapters. You will need to ask for the 4 wheel drive adapter kit to get the correct height mandrels.

As an alternative you can use a small floor jack and carefully position the new ball joint and then apply upward pressure with the jack while beating on the top of the control arm equally around the circumference of the top of the ball joint.

Make sure you get the joint all the way seated and place the snap ring on it and insert the grease zerk if it came with one.

Install the new tie rod end and snug it up against the locking nut that you DID NOT move during disassembly. Insert the grease zerk if it came with one.

Re-install the steering knuckle by first inserting the axle so the splines match up with the hub. A little vienerschlider helps here.

Move the steering knuckle down to get the stem of the lower ball joint inserted and then finger tighten the nut for it.

Raise the steering knuckle up to catch the upper ball joint stem and finger tighten that nut.

Install the axle nut and pull it snug.

Torque all nuts to factory specs and insert cotter pins on both the tie rod end and the lower ball joint.

Reinstall the wheel speed sensor and the brake rotor and caliper. Torque those bolts to spec.

Reinstall the wheel and torque the lug nuts to spec and let the car down off the jack stands.

Torque the axle nut to spec and reinstall the tiny hubcap.

Check alignment.

Done.

There is NO NEED to remove the hub by taking out those 3 impossible bolts hiding behind the steering knuckle. NONE.

 

[lobo411]

I have a 1996 Explorer 2WD, and my upper and lower ball joint dust boots have been deteriorating for a few years now. I don't have any unusual noises when I steer, aside from a squeaking sound which seems to be tied to going over uneven surfaces in the road rather than actually turning the steering wheel (so I figure it's not the ball joints).

I see people posting that it's not too hard to replace the ball joints, but also that they used torches and hammers to do it. That makes me leery of tackling this unless I really really really have to. I know at some point I will have to, and I'm going to try the "raise the car, hands on 12 and 6, check for play" test when it cools down tonight. But say you had torn dust boots and no other symptoms. Say further than you can borrow a car to run for parts or whatever occasionally, but this is really your one and only form of reliable transportation.

At what point would you deal with this? (I see this is the Gen III forum...I got here by the search function. However, I guess the question still applies---when would you pull the trigger?)

 

[Huskerbob]

At what point would you deal with this?

I would deal with it when you notice loud clicking/thunking from the front end or looseness in the steering. I had clunking in the front suspension.

I think a 2 wheel drive would be somewhat easier as you don't have to deal with the front axle stuff.

This is not hard but you do need some tools. Most of what you need can be rented from the parts store and the rest is available for cheap at Harobr Freight.

Lots of instructions on this forum and I'll help wherever I can.

 

[lobo411]

I would deal with it when you notice loud clicking/thunking from the front end or looseness in the steering. I had clunking in the front suspension.

I think a 2 wheel drive would be somewhat easier as you don't have to deal with the front axle stuff.

This is not hard but you do need some tools. Most of what you need can be rented form the parts store and the rest is available for cheap at Harobr Freight.

Lots of instructions on this forum and I'll help wherever I can.

Perfect! That's exactly what I was hoping for...I got burned on my last two repair jobs (classic "one more bolt and I'm done! *SNAP*" issues!), so I'm not anxious to start another one. I'll just wait for the joints to tell me they need attention...hopefully that won't be for a while, and even then...not in high summer! Sick of red hot sun-heated wrenches!