lexervip3r

Anybody have a DIY on a lower ball joint for a 2000 lexus rx300 I have not seen anything on it, is it similar to Toyotas, I hear the castle nut is hard to take off and also what size is the stock castle nut, a 17 or 19mm

salimshah

Nothing intricate. Breaking the bond can be tedious. Make sure you get the right tool and keep the nut on to prevent thread damage ,,, but then who cares, you are going to replace the whole thing.

The good thing is that you dont need to press out the ball joint. Nut and bolts is what holds the assembly in place.


Salim

Pzindy

If yyou are replacing the lower control arm and the lower ball joint at the same time, is there any reason you should or should not install the ball joint in the control arm first, and then install as an assembly?

thaeleelyr

According to the repair manual I have, you need to use red thread locker on the studs but not on the post for the castle nut. I don't know if that is standard procedure, but if so, you'll need some heat to break the thread locker bond (plumber's propane torch) and some new red thread locker for reinstall.

If I remember correctly, the bolt is a 19mm. You'll also want to make sure you have a new cotter pin with the part you bought.

@ Pzindy: correction because of my previous bad memory: Yes, you install the ball joint onto the steering knuckle first. Then the entire unit is installed onto the lower control arm. The wiggling happens when getting it onto the lower control arm.

lexervip3r

Thanks for the reply guys, the castle nut was a 19 as stated and the lower ball joint nut a b***h to remove had to hammer a socket over it and turn it, i also removed the spindle nut just to get to the nut couldnt even grind a wrench low enough to fit it between the nut and axle, i didnt replace axle nut hope it doesnt hurt the car in any way