Replacing lower ball joint, does the spindle have to be removed?

[mizestang]

Guys, attempting to swap out this lower ball joint and having some issues. First, I didn't remove the axle nut as I was trying to pop this SOB out without removing the spindle. I'm still working on the replacement, but in case I needed to back out of this, I tried to put the spindle back into the upper ball joint and it wont line up into the upper arm. Do I need to remove the axle nut first then line it up?

 

[koda2000]

I just did this job on our AWD (did uppers and lower bj's). I removed the spindle. I don't see how you could do it w/out removing the spindle. Getting the upper to line up with the spindle during reassembly can be a bit tricky, but it's doable with a little fiddling.

 

[mizestang]

Yep, I think will have to remove it. No big deal, I was just afraid I did something to axle by not removing it. We'll see what happens. Have to wait until tomorrow now to get the ball joint remover unless you know another trick other than the BFH.

 

[koda2000]

IDK what size the axle nut is. It's the largest socket in my SAE 1/2 drive impact socket set. I'd guess that's about 36MM. It really helps to remove that sucker with a good impact wrench.

I removed the BJ snap ring, cleaned the dirt and any rust away from the lower BJ, sprayed a little WD40 around where the BJ goes through the lower control arm, supported the lower control arm with a floor jack and hit it the BJ with my BFH until it came out. It helps to tie the axle out of your way so you can get a good swing with the hammer. Probably takes 6-8 good whacks to knock it out depending how hard you hit it.

To install the new lower BJ I clean the hole in the LCA, use pieces from a ball joint press tool on top of a floor jack (making sure the BJ is going in straight) and use the BFH on the lower control arm. I've done it this way 4 times now. Worked every time, but it is a bit harder to do on an AWD/4x4 because the axle gets in the way of where you're trying to hit the LCA. An extra pair of hands helps. You'll know the BJ is fully seated when you can get the snap ring back on.

 

[XLTrunner]

I removed mine the same way Koda did...but, that's because my XLT was brought up from AZ and wasn't rusty. They popped right out with 8-10 gentle whacks with my 4 lb. hammer. I've heard stories of guys up here in the Rust Belt needing to heat them with a torch to free them. Good luck!

 

[koda2000]

I removed mine the same way Koda did...but, that's because my XLT was brought up from AZ and wasn't rusty. They popped right out with 8-10 gentle whacks with my 4 lb. hammer. I've heard stories of guys up here in the Rust Belt needing to heat them with a torch to free them. Good luck!

Yup, rust makes any job 10 times harder. Our rustiest truck is our AWD Monty. It's not terrible, but compared to our other remaining Ex's and Monty, which all have zero rust being southern trucks, it's rusty. Surprisingly the rust hasn't caused me any issues to-date, but one area of concern to me are the transmission lines. They have quite a bit of scale on them. If I have to replace them it's going to be a ***** and I don't know if i can find a new set anywhere. I was worried about them 4 years ago and they haven't improved with age.

 

[J_C]

^ Lather some grease on the lines to seal out water and air? Difficult to get to spots, you can mix grease with gasoline to thin it enough to spray on and get under the scale. I'd do that outside on a windy day so gas fumes blow away instead of drifting up into the cabin.

 

[koda2000]

^ Lather some grease on the lines to seal out water and air? Difficult to get to spots, you can mix grease with gasoline to thin it enough to spray on and get under the scale.

I was thinking about scraping off the loose scale and using a rust converter on them before painting them to stop further rusting. I'd be weary about putting anything petroleum based on the lines because lubricants actually attract moister.

 

[J_C]

^ Brake fluid attracts moisture but petroleum based grease doesn't, repels it,

 

[mizestang]

Got it out and replaced. What a ***** job. Thanks for the help.