Thanks guys and road i foind febest ones for 15 bucks a piece. Anyone have a diy link for replacing these ball joints? Or know of a shop in Sacramento that can do it? Going on a 600 mile trip this weekend and need to have it done soon

 

Yeah...I saw those 15 dollar Febest ones online and was going to buy them, but they were out of stock at the time. As for DIY....think twice before diving at it. This job is not for the faint of heart. Even my mechanic said they were a Biotch to remove. Awkward to access and press out the old ones, without removing the Kingpin. I'm a die-hard DIY'er, but this was one I chose to walk away from.

 

Yea been reading more about it last night and it would be way over my head. But got up this morning and after an appeal with the warranty company theres a email waiting for me thats says APPROVED... now thats how you start the day off right. Dealer was charging almost 2200 to do both sides. I basically come out of pocket 50 bucks for deductible.

 

LOL....2200 dollars. Unbelievable. I did my entire front end (8 control arms, 2 ball joints and two shocks/struts) for about 1600 dollars inc parts and labor and wheel alignment,.

 

Yea tell me about. Dealerships r such ripoffs. I only go there because of warranty

 

Do the uppers need to be torqued under load? If so whats the best way to achieve it? Can it be accessed from below well enough to torque them down or does it not matter??

 

You remove the upper control arms and brackets they are attached to from the car together. On the workbench you remove the old and reinstall the new control arms into the brackets and tighten them in the same position you took the old ones out of the brackets. Put them back in the car they are set correct and reinstall your struts. Don't try to do this without removing the struts. Its so simple to remove the struts its not worth the effort to go around them. If your bushings are totally torn then this method might not work. I seriously doubt they are torn with no tension left on them.

 

Thanks. I replaced mine last fall and i took them off like you said but didnt think to tighten them up in the same position. So now i am wondering if they need to be adjusted somehow. Can any one with orginal or replaced UCA's measure the distance from the center of wheel opening to the ground? Mine measure about 29 inches. I want to compare.

 

easiest way to replace those ball joints is to use an air chisel to hammer it out. good luck.

 

Im at 281/8" Left and right front. 28" both sides rear. New shocks no air suspension. 18" wheels. 29" is close enough no sweat. Worst case you have to change them again some day. No big deal the uppers are easy and cheap.

 

Thanks for the info. In reading the service guide it just says to STABILIZE SUSPENSION before your torque them to 37 ft ilbs. I think they are ok like you said. Mine are like yours 18" wheels new struts and all new upper and lowers.