Can you change the ball joint of the UCA?
01-29-08, 09:59 PM
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Can you change the ball joint of the UCA?
Hi Guys,
Just wondering if it is possible to replace the ball joint of the Upper Control Arms? Since the bushings can be upgraded to polyurethane, perhaps the ball joint as well?...Let me know.
Just wondering if it is possible to replace the ball joint of the Upper Control Arms? Since the bushings can be upgraded to polyurethane, perhaps the ball joint as well?...Let me know.
01-29-08, 10:29 PM
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01-30-08, 01:50 PM
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LiCelsior,
That tut is the lower Control arm bushes, he's talking about the Upper control arm bushings that are common on these cars...
I mean you attack clunking in the front end in this order, cheapest to expensive and obviously you feel for looseness.
1. Stabilizer bar bushings Cheap and easy
2. Lower ball joints.. Common wear items , most of the weight of the front of the car is on these and they wear a lot.. You'll hear creaking on cold days, and get wandering..
3. Maybe Strut rod cushion, but this is more of an issue on 1995 and newer LS, the older ones these wear out slooowly...Maybe skip these, just visually inspact if really cracked replace, but otherwise leave alone.
4. Struts.. OK, if they are not oily, you just bounce around a littel.. My drive was oily, I just replaced both.
5. Finally and most expensive.. If after all that you still experience the light clunk over potholes, it is your Upper Control arm bushings.. And not just the upper ball joint, but the Rubber insulators that bolt onto the car.
At $330 a piece.. I just bought mine through www.arnottindustries.com
They sell replacement air susp products.. The only thing is there Upper ball joints and the threads are about 1/16" or maybe 2/16" inch longer than factory.. So you have to Get Grade 8 Washers, from Tru value just make sure they are Strong and put them in the ball joint because you can't torque to 80 LBS without running out of threads...
But I've been running the Arnotts for about 6 months and they are exactly factory except for the longer B-joint ..... After all theses improvements your LS will handle wonderfully.. And as far as I know the UCA ball joints are not replaceable, just spend $200 and get them both from arnott and be done with it.
FOr $200 i wouldn't even mess around with a press and such, just buy them
That tut is the lower Control arm bushes, he's talking about the Upper control arm bushings that are common on these cars...
I mean you attack clunking in the front end in this order, cheapest to expensive and obviously you feel for looseness.
1. Stabilizer bar bushings Cheap and easy
2. Lower ball joints.. Common wear items , most of the weight of the front of the car is on these and they wear a lot.. You'll hear creaking on cold days, and get wandering..
3. Maybe Strut rod cushion, but this is more of an issue on 1995 and newer LS, the older ones these wear out slooowly...Maybe skip these, just visually inspact if really cracked replace, but otherwise leave alone.
4. Struts.. OK, if they are not oily, you just bounce around a littel.. My drive was oily, I just replaced both.
5. Finally and most expensive.. If after all that you still experience the light clunk over potholes, it is your Upper Control arm bushings.. And not just the upper ball joint, but the Rubber insulators that bolt onto the car.
At $330 a piece.. I just bought mine through www.arnottindustries.com
They sell replacement air susp products.. The only thing is there Upper ball joints and the threads are about 1/16" or maybe 2/16" inch longer than factory.. So you have to Get Grade 8 Washers, from Tru value just make sure they are Strong and put them in the ball joint because you can't torque to 80 LBS without running out of threads...
But I've been running the Arnotts for about 6 months and they are exactly factory except for the longer B-joint ..... After all theses improvements your LS will handle wonderfully.. And as far as I know the UCA ball joints are not replaceable, just spend $200 and get them both from arnott and be done with it.
FOr $200 i wouldn't even mess around with a press and such, just buy them
01-30-08, 01:52 PM
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Oh, sorry LS CELCIOR, is see your other reply, nevermind...
Basically if your upper ball joint in the UCA is loose, you can pretty much say with 100 % certainty that the bushings on the 2 17 mm bolts are shot also... I mean those thing go through a lot of wear, and My ball joints werent' too bad, but the bushings were really bad and caused wandering and clunking as the arm was moving to and fro.
Basically if your upper ball joint in the UCA is loose, you can pretty much say with 100 % certainty that the bushings on the 2 17 mm bolts are shot also... I mean those thing go through a lot of wear, and My ball joints werent' too bad, but the bushings were really bad and caused wandering and clunking as the arm was moving to and fro.
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