It is not difficult to detect a malfunction of the ball joint. Extraneous sounds from the front wheels, backlash in the lower part of the hub. Even if the boots are damaged, the ball joints must be replaced.
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare your vehicle for repairs. To do this, install wheel chocks under the rear wheels. To be sure, turn on the handbrake, it will not be superfluous. It is necessary to replace the ball joints on the car with the front wheels removed. By raising both sides of the machine, you will weaken the anti-roll bar, it will not interfere with the repair. First, rip off the wheel bolts, then lift one side, place a safety support under it, then lift the other side, you also need to install a support under it. Remove the wheels after installing them on the safety stands.
Step 2
Apply a penetrating lubricant to the threaded connections. Front suspension components are constantly submerged in water and mud, so rust is common. To make the job a little easier, you will need to disconnect the tie rods on both sides. And only after that you can start dismantling the old ball joints. For this, special pullers are not needed, all the work is carried out with improvised means. The first step is to unscrew the bolt that secures the ball joint pin to the wheel hub. To do this, put a 17 open-end wrench on the nut, and unscrew the bolt head with a 17 socket wrench.
Step 3
Knock out the bolt from the hub using a punch. Now is the time to remove the ball joint pin, for this you need to install a sturdy screwdriver in the slot in the hub. This will allow the pin to slide freely out of the hub. Now pull the hub to the side and proceed to dismantle the ball joint. First of all, at the top, remove the retaining ring that does not allow the ball to fall out downward. But even after removing the ring, it will be quite problematic to dismantle the old ball one, because it is quite tightly pressed into the lever.
Step 4
Take a piece of pipe, the inner diameter of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the ball joint. This piece of pipe must be placed under the lever, the lower part must be resting on the ground. The ball must go inside this pipe. Now, using a hammer, you need to carefully press the ball out of the seat. After that, you can install a new one. It must be pressed in with an extension. Do not hit the new ball as this could damage it. Always replace the bolt with the ball that secures the pin to the hub. Assemble in the reverse order, do not forget to install the steering rod in place. The left and right sides are dealt with in the same way, there are no significant differences.
