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auto_news
CarJunky News Manager
Jun 23, 2006, 2:36 AM
Post #1 of 4
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How to Change Ball Joints
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SUMMARY: With a good set of instructions, a small amount of mechanical knowledge and a bit of patience, you can change the ball joint yourself and save a tremendous amount of money in labor costs.
View full article
What do you think about this story? post your comments below.
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
Jun 20, 2009, 1:41 AM
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This really depends on the type of vehicle you are working on, let's say you have a 1986 Regal and you follow these instructions, I am sure we will read about you in the obituaries. Numerous people have been killed by the spring popping out when not properly relieved of its tension. At one shop I worked in, another mechanic did not follow the correct procedure for the car and when the spring came out, it did so with such force as to fly across 4 bays and it embedded itself into the cinder block wall. If any person had been in between the car and that wall, it could have taken their head clean off, or just put a 7" hole through them. Be careful! This may be OK for strut equipped cars, but if you have upper and lower ball joints, you need a good spring compressor and you absolutely must get an alignment done afterwords. Also for many cars the ball joint must be pressed in and out with special tools. They don't just bolt in. And, some cars have the ball joint integral with the lower control arm (Ford does that a lot.)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 20, 2009, 3:19 AM
Post #3 of 4
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OK Guest,
No need for the scare tactics. Springs don't embed in cement walls. Your stories are a product of your imagination.
If you really knew what you were talking about, you would know that the spring cannot just "fly" out of it's seat. The spring is positioned well up inside of a frame housing and the only direction it can really come out is straight down and the control arm is there to deflect that force. You also must realize that there is a shock absorber in place that will generally prevent anything from separating. The biggest concern here is just not having your fingers or hands in the wrong place if any of the restraints let go. Due diligence for safety is always in order when doing anything on a motor vehicle.
Common sense dictates that differing vehicles use differing methods. It would have been nice if the article revealed the make of the vehicle being discussed but it gives you the basics of the process.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 19, 2011, 1:00 PM
Post #4 of 4
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This thread is 3 years old. Please don't post to old threads.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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