Need to do ball joint - help

[xitsmike]

Like the title says im gonna try n do it myself ive never done this job before and i will appreciate any tips. I've looked through some of the posts on here and found some good stuff but a lot is for the newer gens and ive got a 91' so im not sure what of it wont apply to me. By the way i only needa do the lower driver side ball joint, im gonna do the bearings up front while im in the garage this fri but i can manage that.

So basically just wanna know if anyone can give me a good walk through of the process and any tips that might not be in the chiltons, specifically what not to do so i dont f*ck it up.

thanks

 

[MrShorty]

I thought Chiltons did just fine as far as the basic procedure. If you follow the directions in Chiltons you should be fine.
As far as tips-- If I were replacing a lower ball joint, I would replace the upper ball joint while I was at it. You've gone to all the trouble of removing everything down to the steering knuckle, I wouldn't leave an old ball joint in at that point. Other things to be sure to inspect/replace: axleshaft u-joints while you have them out, spindle bearings (the ones inside the spindle that the axleshaft rides on), outer tie rod ends, wheel bearings and seals, and hubs (if you still have the auto hubs).

If you're getting greasable ball joints, check the grease fitting that comes with the upper ball joint. The fittings that came with the upper ball joint on my BII were straight fittings. After I got it all back together, I realized that I couldn't get my grease gun onto the fitting without removing the axleshaft, because there just wasn't enough room between the axleshaft and the ball joint. The upper ball joint that I put on my Explorer came with 90 degree angle zerc fittings that make it easy to put a grease gun on it. If your ball joint comes with a straight fitting, go spend the extra buck or so to get a 90 degree fitting.

The hardest part of doing ball joints I've found is separating the spindle and the knuckle. I beat on the spindle on my BII for 2 days straight before it finally let go. On my Explorer, I only had to beat on it for a few minutes.

 

[xitsmike]

yea im gettin stuff today and im gonna try and do it today after work. I also am pickin up inner and outer bearings cus i know that those r bad on at least the driver side. I called the parts store and asked if they got moogs ball joints for it cus i read good things about moogs compared to the OEM non greasable kind, i thnk thats what someone said they put on the 92's maybe they were talkin bout later models, but anyway i asked if they have them and the guy said yes 2 diff kinds, one with a pinch nut and another with a threaded something i forget what he said. I told him i'd try and check it out but maybe someone knows what i need so i can just go on the way home today.

thanks

 

[MrShorty]

You have a Dana 35 front end, just in case they ask if you have a Dana 28. The D35 uses a pinch bolt on the upper ball joint, and a threaded nut on the lower ball joint. The difference between the threaded and the pinch bolt should be the difference between the D28 and the D35. Tell him you have a Dana 35, and that should eliminate the question.

 

[Rhett]

In my experience the hardest part on your model truck is breaking loose the knuckle and the spindle. (93-94's have an ABS sensor housing that's the most difficult part to remove). After it's broken loose you can use a c-clamp press to pop it out the rest of the way if you want. But sometimes just breaking it loose causes the ball joints to just about fall out. And then sometimes they don't come out easily at all.

 

[Brock94]

Ditto on the removal of the spindle. After adding a lot of penetrating oil, I ended up using an air hammer with a chisel between the spindle and the knuckle to break it free. A hand chisel would probably work too. Either way, work the chisel around the spindle, then be sure to clean up any raised areas on the mating surfaces with a file before reassembly. I think DeRocha (another member here) has a lot of detailed pictures in his Photo Gallery. It would be worth it for you to take a look so you see how the parts are shaped and fit together.

Another problem area for me was that I could not get the protector off of the ABS sensor. If you have ABS, then you have to remove the bolt from this from the back of the knuckle so you can remove the protector before you can remove the spindle. The protector is brittle and will cost you $40 if you break it (as I did) so be careful. The bolt requires a 6mm 12-point (not 6-point) socket. My Craftsman tool set only had this socket in a 3/8 inch drive which was too wide to fit down into the knuckle over the bolt. I was not able to locate a 1/4 drive 12pt 6mm socket at any local place, so I used a dremel tool to grind off the head of the bolt and replaced it with an alan-wrench bolt on reassembly.

Resist any temptation you may have to remove the ABS sensor itself. Just unplug it from the wire harness and make sure you don't hit it or crush it as you are removing the balljoints.

When you do reassemble, use plenty of anti-seize lube where the spindle meets the knuckle-- that'll make removal a lot easier next time. I also strongly recommend replacing upper and lower balljoints at the same time b/c it will only take an extra five minutes.

 

[Tony H]

You are going to need a Spindle puller (Spindle socket and Slide hammer)
You will need to undo the Boot clamp on the Passenger side axle so the axle will slide out.
If you are doing the lower, do the upper too. You need to get it out to reinstall the Lower on anyway.
IF it's the first time they were done,The Upper pinch bolt is a 12 point Bolt. Make sure you have the Socket for that.


Mark the Offset Washer thing under the pinch bolt with a Chisel or something so you put it back in the same position as it came off ( or your ailignment will be hosed).
Freeze the new ball joints overnight. Makes for a much easier installation.

Have you ever done Upper and lower Ball joints on any 4WD vehicle?

 

[Tony H]

OH, Mark the two halves of the axle so you rejoin them in the same orientation. I just used a hose clamp to resecure the Axle boot.

I did my Ball joints in September. I have some pics. They may not help but respond with your e-mail address if you want to see a pic of the Spindle puller.

 

[Tony H]

If I didn't just have a Rotator Cuff Operation I'd swing past and give you a hand. I just noticed you are right there in the Hamptons.

 

[Brock94]

I didn't need a spindle puller, but if you have access to one, great! That's probably cleaner than using the chisel, but both will work. Look at pictures if you can (see DeRocha)-- the spindle does not just meet up flush with the knuckle, it also has a portion that fits into a circular "cutout" in the knuckle allowing them to rust together particularly well. The axel boot stuff applies to the passenger side only, so if you're just doing driver's side, don't worry about it.

As Tony said, marking the camber bushing ("offset washer thing") is a good idea-- I use "white-out" to do that sort of thing. In my case, the bushing never moved, so I didn't have a problem, but it's good to mark it in case.

The stuff about removing the axel reminded me-- on the driver's side when you remove the axel (which you must do to get the knuckle off) that side of the differential will be open. if the differential is level or at a down angle, the fluid will pour out of the axel hole. No big deal, but it will make a big mess if you're not ready. Just be sure you top it off before using 4WD if this happens.

Also, all of us are talking about the procedure for a 4WD vehicle.

 

[Brock94]

If I didn't just have a Rotator Cuff Operation I'd swing past and give you a hand. I just noticed you are right there in the Hamptons.

Hey, I know where he can borrow a spindle puller!

 

[Tony H]

Oh geeeze. Yes, we are talking 4WD. I wasn't thinking.

I used NAPA # NCP 2601327 for the Upper
NAPA # NCP 2601328 for the Lowers. They are NAPA's top of the line the price reflected it : )

 

[xitsmike]

oh yea tony, ur in wading river, just down the road if im ever in serious sh*t. i use to live in rocky point.

Too bad i forgot to come home n check this post before i stopped at autozone, i ended up buyin both of the available uppers cus i didnt know which i needed yet lol, so ima return the other. I got a haynes manual and a lot of time im probly gonna make 15-20 trips back to the comp while doin it to check things on here so thx for the tips. btw i got a 92* not 91 as i typod in first post and i dont have abs so thank god that would be another bump in the road for me.

 

[Lloyd10977]

This link may prove helpful for you:

http://www.haroh.com/explorer/ball_joint.html

 

[xitsmike]

significant difference between the 97 and 92 or can i still use it as a guide?
btw ive been delayed due to a jammed key in the bearing retainer nut last night and then work school more work and im hopin to get it done on sat.

 

[Lloyd10977]

significant difference between the 97 and 92 or can i still use it as a guide?
btw ive been delayed due to a jammed key in the bearing retainer nut last night and then work school more work and im hopin to get it done on sat.

From the information I have gathered, there is little if any difference in the lower ball joints.