92 4x4 lower ball joint help
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Joined: Apr 2006
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92 4x4 lower ball joint help
hello, dakota ball joint newbie here.
so im trying to replace the lower ball joints on my 92 4x4 dak and im having trouble. got the knuckle and axle out of the way. a few questions:
are the factory bj's spot welded in?
do i need to grind the cap deal off of the top?
does the snap ring that came with the new joints replace this cap?
and a final very stupid question: the bj is removed downwards, right? toward the ground?
please dont tell me ive been trying to drive it the wrong way!
ive spent the past 4 hrs with a bj press with no luck and my neighbors are getting tired of hearing my impact gun. i have searched for info on this with no luck. has anyone been sucessful at this? any help or guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!
thanks
dan
so im trying to replace the lower ball joints on my 92 4x4 dak and im having trouble. got the knuckle and axle out of the way. a few questions:
are the factory bj's spot welded in?
do i need to grind the cap deal off of the top?
does the snap ring that came with the new joints replace this cap?
and a final very stupid question: the bj is removed downwards, right? toward the ground?
please dont tell me ive been trying to drive it the wrong way!
ive spent the past 4 hrs with a bj press with no luck and my neighbors are getting tired of hearing my impact gun. i have searched for info on this with no luck. has anyone been sucessful at this? any help or guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!
thanks
dan
Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
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RE: 92 4x4 lower ball joint help
No the bj's aren't spot welded into place, there should also be no grinding neccessary, I believe the balljoint comes out the top as the tool you should be using has a bolt that should come in from the bottom of the joint. If you need to, you can also take the control arm off and have a machine shop press it out for you.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
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RE: 92 4x4 lower ball joint help
im pretty sure it is removed from the bottom, otherwise the weight of the truck would push the bj out of the control arm. thats a good idea tho about getting it pressed out, but taking the arm out means i gotta put it back in, and that doesnt look like fun. im gonna get to grinding when i get home. thats the only thing i can think of and the only reason i would imagine they would supply a snap ring with the new bj.
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Joined: Apr 2006
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RE: 92 4x4 lower ball joint help
ok so heres how it went for anyone wanting to know:
i had to grind the cap off the factory bj (the snap ring does replace the cap to keep the bj from coming out the bottom), then it came out thru the bottom with a hammer. removed any burrs or galling caused by hammer(should have useda punch!) with dremmel. lubed new bj and pressed in with press. had to rig some parts on press to fit, i think this one was designed for smaller vehicles. i could not get the bj in 100% so heated control arm with torch then hit the press again to get the 16/th " i was lacking. install snap ring and reassemble. really wasnt that bad once i knew what i was doing, the other side took about an hour and a half.
i had to grind the cap off the factory bj (the snap ring does replace the cap to keep the bj from coming out the bottom), then it came out thru the bottom with a hammer. removed any burrs or galling caused by hammer(should have useda punch!) with dremmel. lubed new bj and pressed in with press. had to rig some parts on press to fit, i think this one was designed for smaller vehicles. i could not get the bj in 100% so heated control arm with torch then hit the press again to get the 16/th " i was lacking. install snap ring and reassemble. really wasnt that bad once i knew what i was doing, the other side took about an hour and a half.