Need lower ball joints... how hard is it to do it myself

[tpstaples]

Hey there,

I have a 1991 ford explorer.

I just got word from the mechanic doing my brake lines (which were leaking) that I need my lower ball joints (2 of them) replaced.

does anyone know how hard it is to replace these.?? I looked up the part at Autozone.com which is a local chain of autoparts stores.. and they're telling me that it's like 30 bucks per balljoint. Which is a great price... But that makes me think that replacing the ball joints is a serious job for the guy to want to charge me 400.

the mechanic says that the truck is not driveable without them replaced.

And i'm decently sure this mechanic isn't pulling me through the mud because he's serviced my family many times and never done anything devious.

what do you guys think?

thanks

 

[Josh]

I've done it on my buddies 93 before. Its a PITA if you don't know what to do. We just started removing stuff until we got to the joints. Look at a haynes manual and see if there is step by steps. One thing to keep in mind is that the alignment cams for the front end will need to be marked before they are removed. We did'nt mark them and he ended up driving to the Firestone shop with one of his tires only touching on one side. Also, it helps to have the right tools. I think we would have benefitted from a balljoint removal tool instead of the hammer. It also took the better part of the day, because we did'nt know what we were doing. The exact time is classified to protect our dignity , but, plan on it being the better part of the day. Hope this helps.

 

[MrShorty]

The worst part about doing ball joints is how badly seized are the parts. On my BII, the spindle was seized to the knuckle so it took me two full days before I finally got the spindle to come off. On my Explorer, the spindle came off with just a few good wacks from a soft faced hammer. On my BII, I tried with everything I had to press (using the C-frame press you can either borrow from autozone or buy) the ball joints out of the knuckle, and still ended up paying someone to do the pressing for me. On my Explorer, they pressed out pretty easy with the same C-frame press.
Haynes/Chiltons was adequate as far as directions go.
Others may feel differently, but if I were doing this myself, or paying someone $400 to do it for me, I'd seriously consider paying a little extra and replacing the upper ball joints, too, while I had it apart.

 

[fiftyfeetup]

spray the ball joints (upper and lower) with pb blaster (get it from autozone) every day for about a week before you start. you may want to leave the upper ball joint connected or put it back on when you beat on the lower one, it will add some resistance. try to pop the lower ball joint out by pounding with the biggest hammer you have from the top down. you don't have to start right away, unless when you jack your truck up your tire wobbles when you push on the top of it. the most important thing is the pb blaster, it will dissolve the rust. when you put your new ball joints on, coat the shafts with grease or graphitic anti sieze, that way next time the job will be a piece of cake. make sure you get an alignment or youll be doing them again soon, and replacing your tires.

 

[tpstaples]

thanks everyone... this really helps me a lot

I found this too.. is this accurate for a 91 explorer as directions go?

http://therangerstation.com/tech_library/balljoints2.htm

 

[glfredrick]

The Ranger Station write up is exactly correct...

BTW, you can purchase a ball joint C-press from Harbor Freight. I got mine on sale for $29.95. That is a great investment, and it comes with a lifetime warranty - if any "hand tool" breaks, HF just replaces it. I use mine for ball joints and u-joints and carry it with my on the trail on long runs.

The job is not all that hard, but you do have to disasemble the front axle to do it. I've done it several times on several different vehicles and years, and it is never one of my favorite jobs, but I have it down to a couple hours a side now from start to finish.

The PB Blaster idea is good. That stuff is magic... I buy it by the gallon.