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Ball Joints Jeep TJ

Silly Willy

Silly Willy

Well-Known Member
Location
American Fork Ut
Hey,

I was helping a buddy do his ball joints. We got everything off of the axle and started to work on getting the old ball joints out with the ball joint tool from autozone. We couldn't get them to budge at all. We went back and got the 4wheel drive adapter again with no success.

Were going to get back to work on it tomorrow and hoped to get some suggestions from the fellow RME'rs.

So what's suggested?

I was going off the following thread http://www.stu-offroad.com/axle/balljoint/balljoint-3.htm

Unfortunately the press doesn't look the same as in the thread and surly doesn't work like I thought it should.

Thank you in advance for any help.
 
RockChucker

RockChucker

Well-Known Member
Location
Highland
The press I have always borrowed from autozone looks like a c clamp on steroids. I always had to finagle it a little to come up with spacers that work. It isn't a bad idea to soak them with pb blaster or other penetrant to help break things up.
 
Silly Willy

Silly Willy

Well-Known Member
Location
American Fork Ut
The biggest issue I'm running into with the clamp is the receiving tubes are too short, and not the right diameter. Because of this it appears that we are seizing the bolt in the adapter and getting no where. It probably doesn't help that we can't get a socket on the clamp as all of the ones autozone had were severely mushroomed out.
 
OutlawTJ

OutlawTJ

Member
Location
Clearfield, Utah
skippy

skippy

Pretend Fabricator
Location
Tooele
just beat the old ones out with a big hammer. You will still need a press to put the new ones back in

EDIT: I cant remember but do those ball joints use a snap ring to hold them in???? I havent worked on a dana 30 in a day or 2
 
RockChucker

RockChucker

Well-Known Member
Location
Highland
nope. no snap rings to deal with. and like skippy said, i was able to beat out my old ones with a hammer the 2nd or 3rd time i did them...i can't remember. done them way too many times.

is this what you got?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...rvice-set/_/N-264q?itemIdentifier=516524_0_0_

it works, you just have to try several combos of the spacers to make it work right. seems like the don't fit super well on the "C" either and can get a little crooked. i got frustrated too, but then i remembered i was saving several hundred in labor and it was worth it ;)

Good luck. if you don't have it figured out by Tuesday night, let me know and i'll see if i can rearrange some homework and come play with you.
 
Silly Willy

Silly Willy

Well-Known Member
Location
American Fork Ut
rockchucker said:
nope. no snap rings to deal with. and like skippy said, i was able to beat out my old ones with a hammer the 2nd or 3rd time i did them...i can't remember. done them way too many times.

is this what you got?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...rvice-set/_/N-264q?itemIdentifier=516524_0_0_

it works, you just have to try several combos of the spacers to make it work right. seems like the don't fit super well on the "C" either and can get a little crooked. i got frustrated too, but then i remembered i was saving several hundred in labor and it was worth it ;)

Good luck. if you don't have it figured out by Tuesday night, let me know and i'll see if i can rearrange some homework and come play with you.
Click to expand...

i wish that autozone had the 4wd press and addapter combo set in stock i'd much rather 130 to rent that. i had to shell out almost 200 to rent these
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...press-set/_/N-264q?itemIdentifier=557231_0_0_
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...apter-Set/_/N-264p?itemIdentifier=948075_0_0_

maybe next time i'll just buy this one
http://www.harborfreight.com/four-wheel-drive-ball-joint-service-kit-4065.html

i'm pretty sure the biggest issue i'm running into is the end for the socket is mushroomed out and i can't get a socket on it. I'm forced to try to do this with an opened end wrench.
This is at my buddies house, i'm headed there again after work today with my ginder to get rid of the mushroomed parts so i can get a socket on there.

I watched a few youtube video's and it really looks like it just takes some decent force or leverage (with the opened end wrench i couldn't get much of either)

any how, Thank you very much for the offer rockchucker, i'll let you know if i need to take you up on it.
 
D

D94R

Member
Location
Eagle Mountain
I just replaced all the BJs on my 07 JKU's D30 using my own HF tool.

A few tips that will make it much easier.

1) after you get it all situated, and crank on the C-clamp till you think you can't turn it anymore, smack the outside of axle "c" a couple times with a BFH. Just as you would if smacking the knuckle to dislodge it off the ball joints, this causes the stress to move the BJ up/down. THen crank on the clamp some more, and repeat till you have the BJ in/out. It works whether you are installing or removing the BJ's. Or (and the reason the auto store one is mushroomed) you beat on the clamp where the socket goes to do the same.

2) When removing the upper BJ's, to gain some room, push out the stud through the top of the joint first using the clamp. It will press the top of the BJ off and pop out through it. Then you don't have to fenangle the plates, cups, and clamp to work around the stud. This doesn't work with the bottom one since its a solid unit.
 
D

D94R

Member
Location
Eagle Mountain
Good luck getting an impact in there if the the rig is otherwise stock. Inner fenders get in the way, upper coil hoops, fenders, etc. Not saying it can't be done if you jack it up and then let that side droop (I had to do that to clear the passenger upper coil hoop just to use a socket driver) but once you add the ~ 8 inches of length to the clamp/press, it becomes impractical.

And like I said, wrench the clamp till you can't anymore, then smack the "C", or the top of the clamp, and continue. I had each BJ out in minutes that way. Setting up the damn clamp/cups/plates so it wouldn't interfere took longer.
 
notajeep

notajeep

Just me
Location
Logan
notajeep said:
Turn the tool over and use the correct adapter.
Click to expand...

That might have come out a bit more snarky than was intended. And, if so, I apologize.
The point that I was trying to make was that sometimes you have to get rather creative with the adapters, and some time it ill take several tries to find the right combination.
I have only ever done this job on a lift. And I can think of at least one jeep where I pulled the spring and the lower shock mount. A wobble socket is also a great tool for this sort of thing as well.
If the ball joint tool is mushroomed out, use your grinder to clean it up just enough to get a socket on it.
Hope this helps.
 
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