Are you listening to a banging sound or experiencing sloppy or stiff steering? Is your tire worn out unevenly? If yes, then it is high time to replace the lower ball point properly. Ball joints have a role in your vehicle’s suspension and steering systems. Ball joints connect the wheel hub to the suspension in your vehicle.

The wheel and tire are mounted to the hub. With time, ball joints tend to wear and tear. Worn-out ball joints make it difficult to handle the car at low speed. It can make driving dangerous at a higher speed. You need to replace the old ball joints with the new ball joints.

Replacement of ball joints is not a difficult task. You need to have the right tools and a basic understanding of your vehicle. The right tools make your work very easy and quick. Some of the required tools are listed below:

Ramp or Jack- It is used to lift the vehicle.
Metal wire- It is used to hold the brakes in some vehicles.
Chucks or bricks- It prevents your car from moving. You can place these chunks or bricks behind the tires at the back.
Hammer and pickle fork- It allows the popping of the ball joint
WD-40- You can lose the bolts
Bolts and nuts- It can be used to replace old bolts and nuts
Wrenches- It helps to remove bolts and nuts
Drill- Its requirement depends on your vehicle. It helps to drill the rivets.
Torque wrench- Helps to tighten bolts and nuts

The step-by-step process to replace a low ball joint

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1. Get started to replace a lower ball joint

Park your car on a flat surface. Block front, rear, and back wheels. Jack front wheels above the ground. Provide support to your vehicle with the help of a jack stand. Have a look at the back tires, as nothing must move during your work.

2. Examine the ball joints and make sure that it requires replacement

Check the type of suspension in your car. Is it a control arm or strut style?
Examine the ball joint. You can jack the control arm to check wheel play.
In the case of strut suspension, jack up the car. Use a pry bar for checking wheel play.
The space between the contact point and ball joint must be nil.
In the case of space or moving of wheel, joint needs to be replaced.

3. Buy right replacement assembly for ball joint

Purchase the specific replacement part according to the model and make of your car. You must have the information about which type of vehicle you are having. In the case of help, you can get this information from a guide book.

4. Take out the wheel and reach to ball joint

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Move the brakes aside. It depends largely on the kind of steering assembly you have.
By using a wire, hold the brakes. Please don’t hang them on brake lines.
Lose the mounts that are attached to sway bar or control arm. This is required to create the space for moving the suspension parts.
You must work around caliper and brake rotor. Also, focus on the line without taking out the assembly.

5. Keep the bolts in PB blaster or WD-40

Bolt joints are gunkiest ones in the undercarriage. They can be very dirty. The dirt could make it hard for you to remove the ball joint. You must spray a metal cleaner on the bolts. The bolts can easily be removed after spraying metal cleaner.

6. Pulling a cotter pin, castellated nut gets loosened

A component is there that has the top like a crown and bottom like a castle.
Turn the castellated nut.
If your car has strut suspension, then take out the pinch bolt.

7. Loose the ball joint

You can loosen the ball joint from the hole. The hole is located at the top part of the steering wheel.
It can be difficult as it is very tight. By using hammer and pickle fork, you can loosen it.
With the help of a wrench, take out the largest nut. After that, replace the old nut with the new nut.
Move the pickle fork in between the steering knuckle and control arm.
You are required to be rough and hammer it. This step can damage the gasket that is on the ball joint. So, don’t forget to replace it with a new
Now put the castellated nut. You must avoid popping out the ball joint.

8. Take out Allen bolts and free the control arm

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Drill the rivets out that hold the ball joints.
If it is not coming out, you can heat the corroded components and loosen them.
If your vehicle has pressed-in joints, then remove control arm at the bottom.
If you are finding it difficult, then carry the assembly with a hydraulic press to your mechanic.

9. Put the new best ball joints from knuckle hole

Take the new rubber boot and slide it over the stud of a best ball joint.
Put new joint from knuckle hole.

10. Put the bolts back into their place by using the hardware

Now, it’s time to keep back the old bolts and boots of rubber.
Clean the old bolts properly.
You can also use the new bolts if the condition of old bolts is very bad.

11. Torque these bolts to the proper specifications

You can use the manufacturer’s manual that can help you to tighten these bolts.
Also, torque the castellated nut to the mentioned level.
If you are working on strut suspension, then put back the pinch bolt.
Refer to manufacturer’s manual to know the right number. However, the specs for screws are about 44 pounds for every foot. The specs for other bolts can be around eighty.

12. Finally, screw new fitting of the grease and put grease in the assembly

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Put back wheel and brake. Lower down the vehicle to test it.
If it is required, you can bleed your brakes.
If required, you can also repair other parts of your vehicle like brakes.
The alignment gets affected due to replacing the ball joint.
You must realign the vehicle.

The worn out ball joints can disrupt your journey. In that case, you will require a best fifth wheel hitch. The selection of the fifth wheel hitch depends on trailer and tow vehicle. If you don’t want this situation to come, then replace worn out ball joints immediately. Our guide helps you to remove the ball joints quickly with ease. Please mention your comments and share the article if you like it.