hello. new to the forum. new to dodge as well. couple weeks ago picked up '96 dakota 4x4 club cab, standard trans, 3.9l, 95k miles. seems like a good truck. hopefully wont give me to many problems. anyways the front axle seals are leeking. was going to replace them and probly the outer axle tube bearings also. figured might as well do the upper/lower ball joints also since there seems to be a little slop. dloaded the service manual here and i got a haynes manual also but it didnt seem neither says much about the lower joint. is there a write up on this procedure ? i looked all over hek but couldnt find anything. i want to avoid removing the A-arms if all possible. can that lower joint be removed with the c-clamp ball joint press tool ? any help would be great.

heres the tools i figure i would need. does this list seem right ? anything else i might need ?

1- upper ball joint socket
2- bearing remover and slide hammer for bearing at outer axle tube
3- bearing installer (i might have a socket that would work)
4- c-clamp press tool for lower ball joint
5- is there a screw type tool that sits on the lower ball joint and pushes up against the top joint while your unscrewing it ? do i need to bother with that tool ?

 

Yes the C-Clamp style ball joint press can be used without removing the control arm. Autozone as well as others rent it for free as well as the other tools you would need.

 

thought for some reason the top joint screwed in. aparently it presses in. so how do i go about getting the top one out ? will the c-clamp tool work or do i need that special screw tool shown in the service manual ?

 

on a side note i kept hearing this damn rattling noise. sounded like loose exhaust pipe or something. pretty sure its the timing chain . guess ill be doing that next. and it appears theres a weep hole at the back of the tranny and just my luck theres gear oil comin out. better go back to autozone for more seals

 

I Just did all thsi on my dak. after my wheel hub seized up. The lower ball joint will either been peened in or have a c-clip on top bust off the top if its peened in and press it downwards. I gave it a good couple wacks with a punch to break it lose from lower arm.

The upper one will need the special 2" 9/64 socket I bought mine at autozone for like $25. Beware when taking it out it might strip the threads if it does just try scew it in the weld around seam of joint and A arm.

Have fun cuz it is a PITA job im still waiting on money to finish

 

thnx for the heads up. lower joint doesnt appear to have peens or c-clip but rather a couple prongs that stick out preventing it from going out the bottom of the control arm. im going to use the c-clamp press tool from auto zone. wouldnt i press the bottom joint UP out of the bottom control arm ?? doesnt make sense to me to press it out the bottom. maybe im confused. if i grind off the prongs can the joint be pressed out the bottom ? or is it better to press it up ?

as for the upper joint. i see how you could put some kind of a socket on there. i asked a parts store about this socket and they hadent heard of it. maybe ill ask a different parts store. i had originally thought the upper joint was screwed in but i havent tried to take the old one out yet so im unsure. i went with the moog joints but they had to be ordered and wont have them until tomorow but ill start tearing everything apart today. while i was at the parts store i looked at one of the cheap chinese upper joints they had and there was not any actual screw threads on the upper joint but rather just some raised ribs, . so does the upper joint actually screw in/out ? and will the new moog joint have actual threads or just the raised ribs ? right now im pretty damn confused, hopefully everything will make sense once i get started.

 

ok i checked the haynes and it does says something about the top joint screwing out, atleast on the 2wd models. doesnt say anything about 4wd versions. sure how this job goes easy. got 5 days off work, sure hope i can finish it in that amount of time.

 

Upper ball joints - SCREW IN. (Believe me, I have a 1996 4x4). Requires a SPECIAL 2-1/8 inch socket. http://www.amazon.com/SK-4-Inch-8-In.../dp/B00063K9KC The socket will look like that. (That socket is 3/4" drive. Most of the sockets will probably be 3/4" drive)

Lower ball joints - If I remember correctly, the lowers are pressed in from the bottom (meaning, to take out, you will press it down towards the ground).

 

Yes both 2wd and 4wd uppers thread in. Both 2wd and 4wd lowers press in.

The service manual part number for the ball joint socket is C-3561
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...059_0307679101
http://www.handsontools.com/Miller-T...-_p_18008.html

Darn DodgeRules86 you bet me by 1 min.

 

I had to order the special socket online. here is the link http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=110266_0_0_

Yeah you have to break those tabs off to get it to go down. After you get the knuckle off the joint press down from the top. You cant press it up cuz there is a lip on the ball joint here is a picture of my old one hard to see but that lip wont go through the Arm


Yes there are actual threads or ribs on the upper again here is my old one