No snap ring on this joint, pressed out through the bottom and the damn thing does not want to break free.. Watched videos of the removal and have duplicated efforts seen and am out of ideas.

Swore up & down I'd never do ball joints again, and here I am...Did them on the Ram and experienced the same troubles but I did get it out.

Looking for any tricks or ideas on what to do next. Heat is not an option, dont have access to anything hot enough to have an impact.

 

no snap ring = rolled lip. these must be original, got it out by collapsing that ring inward, then applying pressure from the press, then using a not so big hammer (3~5#) with the chisel on the top. broke it free enough to use the impact wrench the rest of the way.

I swear I will never do this job again... no really... for reals this time...

 

What press tool were you using?

 

It is the rental ones from auto parts store... The joint had a rolled lip which was retaining it in the lower arm.

But... the fun did not end there. After taking the new joint out of the freezer and into the arm the press then would not fit with the adapters provided. New joint had a retaining ring and sat higher than the one I pulled out. So I went to home depot for a steel anchor plate to use instead of the cylinder adapter that was in the kit. Then I found I still could not get it in there with the larger sleeve from the kit. Ended up getting a 2nd ball joint press kit and using the sleeve out of it. But thats not all... even with that the c-press still would not fit so I ended up having to go back to HD for another steel plate. Once I did all that, it pressed into place as expected, retaining clip installed and it was good to go. I will post a pic of the setup later today, have the other side to do.

It took all day to get this all figured out, the other side should be less then an hour.

 

That job is in my near future, so I'm interested in see what worked for you. Thanks!

 

fj5, try to find a ball joint kit that is larger than the standard 10-piece set. Advance has a 23-piece kit that works really well. It has cups that fit the ridge on the upper control arm next to the ball joint.

 

I will snap a pic later today, 2nd one gets done next. Also fwiw, this is on a 4wd Dakota.

The 2nd kit I got to get the job done was identical to the 1st kit.

 

Got my kit from Detroit Axle.

 

Thanks ! I replaced one on my 04 1500 a long while ago. I borrowed the press kit from a mechanic friend... he's since moved, so I'm going to have to source it elsewhere. These 3/4 ton axles don't look like they'll be much fun.

 

Pic... here the joint is installed up until its flush with the top of the knuckle, then I switched to this setup to get it seated up all the way for the clip install. The plates will bend slightly, but they will hold enough to get the joint in.