# Removal of ball joint



## Red_Barchetta_1994 (Oct 13, 2003)

i am trying to remove an actual ball joint from lower control arm.I removed a c-clip and the ball joint still won't come out.Question is:can it be pressed out without having to remove the control arm and actually doing that on the car.If so,how should i go about doing that.

Thanks.all of your input will be greatly appreciated.


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## psr (Oct 6, 2003)

Red_Barchetta_1994 said:


> i am trying to remove an actual ball joint from lower control arm.I removed a c-clip and the ball joint still won't come out.Question is:can it be pressed out without having to remove the control arm and actually doing that on the car.If so,how should i go about doing that.
> 
> Thanks.all of your input will be greatly appreciated.



take to big hammers and hit on both sides of the ball joint at the same time and it should just pop out then (when i say ball joint i mean hit both sides of the control arm where the ball joint is seated.).. thats what i did. sorry if that not to clear but thats the best why i could explain it. or just get a ball joint remver at you local auto zone.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

psr said:


> take to big hammers and hit on both sides of the ball joint at the same time and it should just pop out then (when i say ball joint i mean hit both sides of the control arm where the ball joint is seated.).. thats what i did. sorry if that not to clear but thats the best why i could explain it. or just get a ball joint remver at you local auto zone.


ball joint removers won't always do the trick. But, if you're going to use a hammer...find a socket just bigger than the bottom of the ball joint to place under it so that the control arm rests on it, then whack the top of the joint with a BIG hammer. provided to got the right socket to ball joint should break loose eventually. If your car is like my pulsar was i had to use an air chisel on the passenger side. You'll need a tool to press new joints back in though


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## Centurion (Sep 5, 2002)

Why would he need a tool to install the BJ? Just tighten the nut and it will suck it right into the control arm.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

Centurion said:


> Why would he need a tool to install the BJ? Just tighten the nut and it will suck it right into the control arm.


i honestly have never had that work. been there done that, don't work.


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## scrub brush (Dec 31, 2002)

Something to consider when changing ball joints, when I got my new ones it, it turned out that the threaded portion was a bit longer than the stock ones and actually hit the driveshaft when the suspension was compressed. Check to make sure you have clearance, you might hafta grind the top of the joint a little.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

scrubnick said:


> Something to consider when changing ball joints, when I got my new ones it, it turned out that the threaded portion was a bit longer than the stock ones and actually hit the driveshaft when the suspension was compressed. Check to make sure you have clearance, you might hafta grind the top of the joint a little.


never heard of that. that would suck. I would have personally taken it back and said something, if they don't have another part then i would file it down but still...hmm.


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

To get the ball joint out (mine were destroyed) use a breaker bar or pipe & blowtorch. Fit the pipe or breaker bar w/deep socket, over the threaded portion. Pull the bar firm to put some good pressure on the ball joint. Then just torch the control arm around the ball till it pops out. Works for me!

Now I got a question?

When putting new ball joints back in, how loose should they fit?
My new ball joints rattle around a tiny bit. I know if I remove the snap ring it would fall right out.
Is this normal?
Maybe I should purchase OEM joints and try again?


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

Sethticlees said:


> To get the ball joint out (mine were destroyed) use a breaker bar or pipe & blowtorch. Fit the pipe or breaker bar w/deep socket, over the threaded portion. Pull the bar firm to put some good pressure on the ball joint. Then just torch the control arm around the ball till it pops out. Works for me!
> 
> Now I got a question?
> 
> ...


umm...because you warmed it up you made the hole bigger...they should not be loose at all. Usually they have to be pressed in really good. You mihgt have to get new transverse link (control arm)


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

Gsolo said:


> umm...because you warmed it up you made the hole bigger...they should not be loose at all. Usually they have to be pressed in really good. You mihgt have to get new transverse link (control arm)




its probably just these cheap parts, I shoudl have bought Nissan OEM parts.

I'll test it on the other side and see.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

Sethticlees said:


> its probably just these cheap parts, I shoudl have bought Nissan OEM parts.
> 
> I'll test it on the other side and see.


how cheap?? I got DANA ball joints


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

how much were they?


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## 1989SentraOK (Jan 29, 2004)

I have MOOG joints, bought them cheap at O' Reily's


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

minute rice sentra said:


> how much were they?


mine were uhh...umm.....i think about $19 each. Actually one of them is McQuay/Norris and the other said DANA. Both had to be ordered. Got them through shucks with a partsamerica price match. they work though, thats all that matters to me for now.


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

The same thing happened to me when I got mine, one was a DANA and the other was something else that looks sooo cheap, but I didn't even open the boxes until a month or two after I bought it so I couldn't really do anything about it. I'm gonna try to see if I can get the other one when I get all of the bushings and stuff to redo all of my suspension with SE pulsar stuff.


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## Sethticlees (May 30, 2002)

The parts where wrong size. I tested it on the other side. 
They fit very very close but they rattle and swivel with no effort. Wrong Size!

I took more caution removing the second ball joint, this is all i did.
Take blowtorch & large screwdriver. 
Heat the bottom of the ball joint around the edges.
Use the screwdriver to pry the lip on the ball joint out from underneath. 

Much easier and no risk of damaging the control arm. 



i think that blowtorch is probably my #1 tool of choice for working on suspension & brake parts. Makes life easy!


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Hindsight regarding ball-joint replacement*

I replaced my ball joints a while back (described in a thread called "Mystery noise: 'knuckle-pop,'" all the way from first realizing there was something wrong, then diagnosing the problem & making the repair), and I found out that there's a very good reason why some places only sell the control arms complete with pre-pressed ball joints. That's really not such a bad way to go. If you'll look at a Haynes manual, they recommend replacing the whole control arms.

The way I did it cost me right at $100: $67 for new Perfect Circle ball joints from Auto Zone and $33 labor at a local shop to press the old ones out of the arms & press the new ones in. If I had gone the next most expensive route, I could have bought a pair of control arms with the joints already in them for $208 plus tax. Just for grins I got a quote from the dealership & they said $900 + change (unbelievable!).

Unless you have a compressor & impact wrenches, it can be sheer hell to press out/press in the ball joints. Those things fit incredibly tight--and "incredibly" is a word I almost never use--and they're supposed to fit that tight, and if they don't fit so damned tight something is wrong & you can have a big problem. If there's any wiggle & only the circlip holds the ball joints in, the car is *NOT* safe to drive.

I rented a press from Auto Zone (like an oversized beefy c-clamp) & I just plain could not make the ball joints move. Because none of the adaptors in the Zone's kit fit just right (to get a straight shot, rather than at an angle cocking the things slightly sideways), I bought a big 38mm socket, and even so I could barely make the ball joints budge. So I took the control arms & my new ball joints to a local shop, where they disappointed me somewhat because obviously they used big hammers to press the joints.

Ah, well.

I don't believe the control arms were damaged in the process, and as it turned out my alignment was not affected a bit--but whamming around on there with 4-pound sledges or whatever is not my idea of fun, and if you blow it you can screw up an important part.

It's much easier to put the car up, remove the whole control arm, then put in new one. If you can afford it I firmly believe that is the way to go. Once again the Haynes people are right on the money.

Also (as I found since), the side of the car on which the ball joint has worn the most may well have substantial wear on some of the stabilizer-bar bushings. While you're under there you might want to think about replacing all those, too.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

Haynes is writen by the british and they don't know much about how we work on cars. Yes you can replace the whole transverse link, but thats expensive and then some. If you can do just the ball joints helluva lot cheaper. Only problems will be gettting them out. Putting them in only takes the balljoint press dohickey that you mentioned.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Six of one / Half-a-dozen of the other*



Gsolo said:


> Haynes is writen by the british and they don't know much about how we work on cars. Yes you can replace the whole transverse link, but thats expensive and then some. If you can do just the ball joints helluva lot cheaper. Only problems will be gettting them out. Putting them in only takes the balljoint press dohickey that you mentioned.


Yeah, it's much more cost-effective only to replace the ball joints. And that is the way I did it.

But if I have to do this again in another 73,000 miles, provided I have the cash to buy complete control arms, that's the route I plan to take next time.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

92 Sinatra said:


> Yeah, it's much more cost-effective only to replace the ball joints. And that is the way I did it.
> 
> But if I have to do this again in another 73,000 miles, provided I have the cash to buy complete control arms, that's the route I plan to take next time.


yes it is easier to do complete arms, don't forget bushings though too cause might as well if you have it apart.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Yup--upgrade to polyurethane bushings*

From Energy Suspension. Gonna tackle that this weekend. Kinda pricey ($157 with the tax), but this covers both ends of the car. They're supposed to be very durable & somewhat tighter on the suspension--maybe a slightly harsher ride, but crisper handling.


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