Ball Joint Replacement
The ball joints on your vehicle perform a very valuable function. They connect the two wheel struts in the front of the vehicle to the steering column. When the ball joints become worn out, they will cause there to be some play in the steering of your vehicle and your tires will wear out faster. A ball joint replacement is a fairly easy job and you should be able to do it on your own with little trouble. Take a look at your vehicle's user manual and the diagrams for your particular vehicle to familiarize yourself with the configuration of your car.
To begin your ball joint replacement, you should jack up the front wheel of the car and remove the wheel. Turn the steering wheel to the right so that you can gain access to the ball joints on that side of the car and control arm.
You will need a socket set to remove the nut from the bottom of the entire part. To remove the worn ball joint, you will have to slide it up through the steering part of the control arm. Using a pickle fork, place the tongs on the ball joint and hit it with a hammer until it comes out of the control arm.
There will be two bolts on the top of the ball joint that you will have to loosen. Lift the control arm and remove the ball joint and put the new one in its place. Tighten up the bolts and put the cover over the joint and put it back in place. Put the mounting screw on the bottom of the ball joint and tighten it in place.
Put your wheel back in its original place, tighten up the lug nuts and put it back down. Now you are ready to perform the ball joint replacement on the other side of the vehicle.
While a ball joint replacement can be a simple process, you should familiarize yourself with the various parts of the car that you will be working with before you attempt the procedure. Look at a diagram of the control arm and where it is located so that you can easily identify the place where the ball joints are located.
You can find ball joints for your ball joint replacement online in a number of online retailers. You should also be able to find them in your local parts store for a quicker method of getting the parts and the repair done on your vehicle. There are cases when the parts store will have to order the parts for you. In this case, you should take a look online and see if you can get it for a cheaper price in a faster manner.
If you have noticed a clicking sound in the front of your vehicle that has turned into a thump, a ball joint replacement may be in your future. Take some time to accurately diagnose what the problem is before you start. It is important that you do a ball joint replacement as quickly as possible to avoid any damage to your vehicle and tires.
Check your toolbox before you start to make sure that you have a socket set, wrenches and a pickle fork for the ball joint removal. These tools are pretty basic and should be a part of your auto repair toolbox with the exception of the pickle fork. It is generally only used for ball joint removal and you may not have had a need for it at this point. It is a good opportunity to pick up the tools so that you will have them for your ball joint replacement.
