88legendMaroon

I was reading the older posts and came across the sad story of a member who experienced his ball joints popping out with axle damage and transmission fluid everywhere.

The experience reminded me that my local dealership had raised a red flag about the lower ball joints on my car on two occasions.

#1 In May of 2002, there are a few notations on a 27-point inspection write up. It states "lower ball joints loose, 1/8 play"

#2 In April of 2003, another write-up states "Bothe lower ball joints loose, .03, .03"

I must sadly admit that I was distracted by other matters and did not do much with these warnings. For those who have experience with lower ball joints and associated tolerances, can you advise whether I have a minor, moderate, or URGENT problem? Also, is it really the case that failure of the lower ball joints would likely lead to the transmission dropping out of the car?

I intend to follow-up with my mechanic this week. If anyone is selling new lower ball joints for an '88 Legend sedan (Jono?) at a reasonable price, please let me know (with shipping fees to Los Angeles).

Thanks!!!!!

 

GREYLEGEND

The limit of wear before replacement is required is half of a millimeter. That works out to .02" You are .03" 50% over.

I'd say they probably require replacement. Do you get a high speed steering wheel shimmy?

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masupra

importedcarparts.com has lower ball joints for a pretty low price, 20ish plus shipping

GREYLEGEND

Yeah, importedcarparts has the best price I've seen. The real money is the garage that has the press to push the joint in.

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Nick T

If aftermarket ball joints require a press, I suggest paying the $45 for OEM replacement. They are drop-in and use a retaining ring. The money you save on labor cost will offset the higher price for the ball joints.

And to answer your question, YES it is an urgent repair. Never let suspension, brakes, CV joints go out of spec. Any failure will lead to unsafe driving conditions.

GREYLEGEND

My haynes says that I need a press to get the ball joints back into the lower control arm. Are you sure it is drop in? I know there is a snap ring but the manual says different.

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Nick T

GREYLEGEND,
OEM is drop-in, actually push-up since you will be pushing it up from the bottom of the control arm up towards the spindle. I've done it. No need for press, no need to remove control arm. Just remove old snap ring, remove old joint. Install new joint, install new snap-ring.

GREYLEGEND

Thanks for the info. Guess who is gonna do their front ball joints real soon. I hope the drop in is not as hard as getting the ball joints off the rear knuckle. That's why I was hesitant.

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Nick T

GREYLEGEND,
The rears are a pain. I just bought new control arms for the rear.

GREYLEGEND

Ha Ha, " The rears are a pain" in the A*s. You're right My nuts (castle nuts, that is!!!) were rusted abd I had to grind and chisel them off then use a really strong gear puller to get the ball joints out. It took me close to 4 hours to do the rear control arms. This guy "bukowski" said to just pound on the knuckle to loosen it up and then it comes out like butter. Stupid me, I believed him.

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Nick T

GREYLEGEND,
Ouch. Sounds like you are an accomplished shadetree mechanic. Invest in an air compressor and a good strong QUIET impact gun. I personally like Mac, less expensice then Snap-On and much quieter then Matco. Air tools will make your life much easier when you have a rusted nut/bolt as well as speed up your repairs immensely.

Regards

GREYLEGEND

Nick T

Well, until I decided to fix the G1 back up, I never really had the need for air tools. But what the problem was, was that the nuts had become rounded due to rust. So badly, that a no socket could grip it. It looked like a rivet actually.

Reviewing my Chilton manual, it clearly states that three tools are required. 07-GAFSD40330 ball joint removal base, 07-GAFSD40320 ball joint installation base, a clip guide to make sure that the circlip does not tear the boots. It also states that my whole knuckle has to come off. It also looks like the rotors have to come off if my knuckle has to be removed.

I know the rotor screws are not going to come off easy as I have tried, and I don't have an impact screwdriver.

So is it necessary for the knuckle to come off? How did you do yours?

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88legendMaroon

Several mechanics have reported that replacing the ball joints for my 88 Legend sedan is a two hour job and will cost between $110 and $140, plus parts.

I am an average home mechanic with a limited amount of tools and capability. Are you suggesting that replacing the lower ball joints is a pretty easy do-it-yourself project for the avg weekend mechanic? Maybe I am mis-reading your post.

If it is relatively simple, please provide a few specific instructions, insights, warnings, etc. and I will take the plunge.

My Haynes manual notes that the lower ball joint can be removed but special tools are needed.

I think I can get an OEM ball joint for $57 from my local dealer, maybe $40 + shipping from Augusta. I think www.importedcarparts.com will sell an aftermarket version for $28 + tax + shipping = $35 or so.

Thanks!!!

Nick T

GREYLEGEND and 88legendMaroon,
Lower front ball joints can be done at home. I use a shop with lift air tools and a large assortment of tools. It saves me time and effort but it CAN be done at home. It's been a long long time since I did mine but I did not use any special tools. A screwdriver to bend the retaining snap-ring out and pliers to remove it works just fine. You are not reusing it so why bother with the hassle of special tools. For installation, I used a pair of soft ( covered ) pliers to snap the ring in place being extra careful not to damage the boot.

You have to drop the lower control arm of course but the spindle/brakes (knuckle) can stay together. Just use and hanger wire to keep swing it away for room.

Impact/punch screwdrivers are a godsend, you don't need it for this repair but they always come in handy. You can probably rent them at your local auto parts store or just buy a set. You never know when there's a stuck screw you need to remove.

Hammer an air-impact socket (black colored) of slightly smaller size in rounded castle-nuts to remove them. Don't use the regular silver sockets, they might split/break on you.


From memory :
Assuming the car is on a lift or jackstands and the wheels have been removed.
Remove the large 32mm?? spindle nut ( if you don't have air tools, loosen this nut before you raise the car )
Remove lower strut bolt and nut from lower control arm
Remove upper strut fork from strut body, remove strut fork
Remove sway bar end link ( not sure )
Remove lockpin and loosen lower ball joint castle-nut (air tools here helps since worn ball joints may "turn" with the castle-nut
Hammer lower control/Hammer pickle fork between spindle and ball joint/or use small two prong puller to pop the ball join out of the spindle. ( I use the first method using two hammers. One placed on the control, and using the other to strike the first one. A couple blow usually pops the joint. I only use the 2 prong puller if it seems stuck after trying the hammer method)
Use flatblade screwdriver to bend balljoint snap-ring out enough for pliers to grip.
Use pliers to remove snap-ring. Ball joint should not drop off. If not slightly tap it off. ( you can also air-chisel the ring off )
Installation is the reverse with the only hard step being installation of the new snap-ring. Just be careful not to damage the boot. I use soft covered pliers for this step ( Craftman ROBO-grip with plier boots ) Remember to use a new lock-clip for the castle-nut ( it's not provided )

If I've forgotten any steps feel free to add to this.

Regards and Luck

88legendMaroon

Dear Nick,

Thanks for the attempt to talk me through the procedure. I must admit that its sounds a bit complicated. With so many screws and nuts involved, I am near certain I will ...

> run across at least one that is locked in place

> run across at least one that I can't access

> drop at least one into some black hole in the engine and have trouble retrieving

Does one hour per tire seem like about how long it would take for the avg home mechanic?

My mechanic said he would do it for 1 hour per tire or $110 total if I bring in the parts. I may go that route unless someone tells me it is pretty simple and can be done in 30 minutes or less.

Thanks!!!