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ball joints

Got an autozone near you? They will loan you that tool for free.

FWIW, that wouldn't touch the balljoints on my truck. I ended up paying someone at Napa like $30/side to press the old ones out and new in. Well worth it, after wasting hours trying to get them out with a giant c-clamp that flexed.

Come out easy for some, not so much others. Free is almost always worth trying first though. :)
 
I used that cheapo harbor freight ball joint press a bunch of times with great success until I tried to press out the ball joints on my dodge 60 and I snapped it in half.

That being said I have another one and it's really handy to have around for smaller ball joint jobs and changing u-joints.

Get some never seize and lube up the threads with it and it'll work just fine.
 
Yea, I used Autozone/O'Reily's for the tool rental. One of them also offers a "deluxe" package that has a few "cut out" sockets that help getting the uppers out. And it's free unless you want to have a set for other work.

I just used an impact wrench on the end of the c-clamp. Worked great.
 
I literally read the direction on that tool and took the "don't use an impact gun" to heart.
Good thing I had my Wheaties and a breaker bar :D And that was just to put new ones IN. lol
 
K85 Octane said:
Good thing I had my Wheaties and a breaker bar :D And that was just to put new ones IN. lol
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Putting them in the freezer overnight helps them go in a little easier.

And here's the BJ tool I got from Harbor Freight - used about a half dozen times.

photo2_zps3ead7341.jpg


photo5_zps749f5204.jpg
 
Thanks for your help. Got it from o'reilly's 194.00 untill I return it so Free. Thought these would work better than a hyd. Press. only pressing on the ball joint socket/hole and not the whole knuckle. If I had more time I would make one with acme threads. It would be nice if it had a hyd ram on it. They will be coming out, I'll put the impact on it. Good advice. And I have a torch.
 
I have always got pressure built up n the C-clamp nd then good wack on the side of the knuckle body next to the b/j being pressed in/out and it realy help shock it it to moving over 100% just the press tool .

and if you dont use the right cone sizes you can get noware . so be sure to test the cone size first on the new b/j to see if it fits.
 
If I need to I can cut some pipe or tubing and get it turned on a lathe. I did get the 4x4 kit everything should fit. Never know with all the crap coming out of china. After I get the ball joints out I'll take them to O'Reilly s so I get the right ones
 
I wouldn't get the BJs from O'Reilly since it's hard to tell what quality they are. You don't want to go through all this work and have to replace them because they fail prematurely, even if they do come with a free replacement. Get a quality set from someone like Moog that have zerk fittings. Do you have a spanner socket to set the preload on the adjusting sleeve (can be made out of a 3/4 or 13/16 deep socket in a few minutes). And just in case you don't know the procedure, here's write-up from ftn96:
http://nashvillek5.freeservers.com/balljoints.htm

And as long as its torn apart as far as it will be it's a good time to check the spindle bearings and axle shaft u-joints.
 
Cool thanks. Also when I pulled the axle out the gear oil looked like chocolate milk. How can I flush it out? Would carb cleaner work? Spindle bearings and u.joints are good
 
Kerosene or diesel fuel works as well and is a lot cheaper than carb cleaner or brake cleaner to flush the gear oil out...if you have an old paint gun or garden sprayer those work well to wash the gears and housing out...
 
Yeah that will work. Whats the best way to seal the diff cover. I've used pretty much everything over the years and the only thing I like is rtv red, black oil resistant is only good for a year and high tack isn't much better. Got the knuckle off going to press the bj's in the morning then start the driver side. Hoping to have everthing apart and cleaned tomarrow
 
diesel4me said:
Kerosene or diesel fuel works as well and is a lot cheaper than carb cleaner or brake cleaner to flush the gear oil out...if you have an old paint gun or garden sprayer those work well to wash the gears and housing out...
Click to expand...

That's a great idea. I cringed when brake cleaner was mentioned. It used to be a $1.98, but it is around 5-6 bucks in the auto stores near me. Lacquer thinner is about $20 bucks a gallon at home depot. When I started in the painting industry, paint thinner was a couple bucks per gallon. Now that even seems expensive at at least $10 per gallon.

One of those spray cans that you can fill with liquid and compressed air would probably be good when used with some type of thinner by the gallon. It would beat the price of spray cans.
 
rezsst said:
Yeah that will work. Whats the best way to seal the diff cover. I've used pretty much everything over the years and the only thing I like is rtv red, black oil resistant is only good for a year and high tack isn't much better. Got the knuckle off going to press the bj's in the morning then start the driver side. Hoping to have everthing apart and cleaned tomarrow
Click to expand...



Right stuff is the best for everything


http://www.all-spec.com/products/85224.html?gclid=CKmkzump8rgCFfFDMgodIn8AYw
 
On the upper bj the threaded sleave I noticed is on an eccentric. Is this for alignment? Ill copy the driver side. If I torque it then its set to what it is? Maybe I'm over thinking.


Thanks
 
I hate paying 5+ bucks a can for any spray can cleaner ,you used to get carb or brake cleaner for 1.50 anywhere,now they bend you over for it..

I've found lemon juice works better than carb cleaner on really corroded lawnmower carbs,boil them in it for 15 minutes and they come out looking like brand new...

I used gasoline more than once to clean things like a diff,but outside and was very careful not to risk getting it ignited in any way--spraying gas or thinner is like a bomb waiting to go off under the right conditions..

And yes,laquer thinner is a ripoff now too,I remember selling it for 4 bucks a gallon back in the 80's..Mineral Spirits works ok,but is no cheaper than diesel fuel today...

I use a gasket and silicone RTV when I remove a diff cover,thats worked best for me...I've used just RTV a few times and it was OK for awhile,but it leaked at the bottom after awhile..that was back when "Ultra Blue" was supposedly Permatex's best stuff,I know they came out with at least half a dozen more colors and blends since,but I haven't used many of them,not having worked on much in recent years..The "right stuff" seems to get good reviews ..

I used Permatex #1 hardening gasket sealer once on a diff cover in a bind--next time it had to come off I had to litteraly chisel it off!..bent it before it came loose too!..stuff is like weld once it sets up..
 
can someone tell me how to remove the steering arm rom the knuckle
 
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