I started trying to do the ball joints on my 94 Chevy Caprice Classic today. This is the first time I've ever done ball joints on anything so I'm kind of new to this.I got the uppers on in on the side I started on. It was a little of a pain but it was doable. Anyway I moved onto the lower and got the knuckle off I just have to press the ball joint out. I got a Harbor Frieght ball joint press and can't figure out how to use it. What I was thinking was you need to put the hollow tube thing at the top around the threaded part of the ball joint and the round piece on the bottom so it hits the joint to push it up. I might be doing it wrong as it seems like the press just wants to slip off instead of pressing the joint out. It's also hard to get the knuckle to stay out of the way. Should I have down the lowers before I did the top? Any tips on how to get this stupid thing pressed out? It's kind of a pain. The top ones were riveted in and while a pain were easier than the lower. Any tips? How do I use this press? Thanks.

 

I've got the same set- I think. It came from Harbor Freight. On my neighbors car, we had to go to the hardware store andget a small section of rigid pipe and cut it tokind of 'rig' and extra piece to the set. It's almost like thing (the "set") is a puzzle.

 

I don't really understand what it should be doing and the instructions don't really help. Should the piece I put on at the top that is like a pipe or whatever. Should it be big enough it goes around the ball joint or should it be on the ball joint? For the bottom should it just hit the ball joint to push up on it?

 

Is that the grease I want to use to grease the ball joints?

 

Of all the ball joints that I have put in over the years I found that taking a 4 pound hammer and knocking the ball joint out with a swift hard blow and then use the press to install the joint.On installing take the cup and put it on top of the lower controll arm and then one of the round plates with the hole in the middle on top of the cup and the other plate goes on the threaded shaft of the press then take a pull handle and turn the threaded rod and watch the joint to insure that it starts strait and then press away.

 

+1 the tool is for installing ball joints, I've never had too use it too remove them. Go get you an 8 pound sledge hammer, their about 25 dollars, money well spent.

 

I was pressing them the wrong way. I figured out how to get them out easily. The picture shows you pressing them the wrong way so I was doing it wrong. Anyways now all I need to know is if that grease is what I want to use.