How-To: Ball joint/LCA replacement
How-To: Ball joint/LCA replacement
Seeing as how there is little to no information regarding this procedure here on 2gn I figured I might as well make a how-to. I decided to be the guinea pig and try this without much in the way of advise. I included as many pics as I could, hope this helps those of you who are weary about this project.
TOOLS NEEDED:
*Hammers
*Torch (Mapp gas at the very least)
*Air Compressor
*1/2" Impact gun
1/2" + 3/8" ratchets
Various sockets (10-13-15-18-21-22mm and more)
Various socket extensions
A few combo end wrenches and a 12" crescent wrench
Small and large pry bars
1/2" Torque wrench
Ball joint press (or hydraulic press if possible)
Jack and stands
Vice grips and various pliers
*Are optional tools
STEP 1
Raise vehicle and support on jack stands. Access to a lift would prove very useful. Remove wheel and tire assemblies and set aside.
STEP 2
Remove pinch-bolt attaching ball joint to the steering knuckle. May require a bit of force to remove, don't be afraid to beat on it since we're replacing it anyway. A pry bar works well and does the least damage.
The pinch-bolt bore:
Pry like this:
STEP 3
Once the control arm is separated from the knuckle, we need to remove it from the vehicle. Start by removing the stabilizer bar end-links. Grab the upper threaded nut with a pair of vicegrips or athe correct wrench, and use a 15mm socket on the bottom. The impact gun makes this much easier. Be sure to reassemble the endlinks before setting them aside, this way they're easier to reinstall later. Swing the bar down and out of the way, allowing the control arms to move more freely.
STEP 4
Remove the plastic belt shield by removing the three 10mm fastners. Set aside. Now remove the pencil strut, held on by two 15mm bolts. Keep the bolts and washers intact and set aside.
STEP 5
Now remove the engine torque strut. The rear bolt is deep and may require the use of a wrench to remove. I didnt have a deep socket in that size in my home-box, so I had to do it the hard way. The front bolt is much easier to get to (18mm I believe). Keep all hardware and set aside.
STEP 6
Time to remove the lower control arm. Use a 22mm socket to remove the bolt holding the front part of the LCA to the frame. A 15/16" works well for the rear. Air is your friend here, these are very tight and very large bolts.
Front:
Rear:
Removed:
Some pics of the bad ball joint still installed:
STEP 7
Alright, time for the fun part. Set up your ball joint press so that the lower cup is big enough to recieve the whole joint. Find a way to support the control arm to be as level to the ground (or bench) as possible. Assemble the upper portion of the press to put equal force on the joint. Be sure to position the joint in the LCA so that it is as straight-up as possible. A hammer works well here. Press the ball joint out through the bottom of the LCA and into the reciever cup. If you use air on the press, keep the level down, and be sure to apply anti-sieze to the threads to prevent binding. Keep it as straight as possible when hitting it.
Once the joint is out, clean the bore in the LCA and be sure it is in decent shape to accept a new ball joint. Assemble the press to basically do the reverse (LCA is now upside down) and press the new ball joint in. *** Be very careful not to apply uneven pressure to the joint. Keep it straight. Do not over tighten it; it is fully pressed in once the joint is flush with the LCA bore.
***Be sure to get the pinch bolt bore in the ball joint facing the inside of the LCA. It should be as straight as possible. Adjustment can be made on some ball joints after install if the top of the joint uses a hex. Otherwise, get it right the first time.
Once pressed in, slide a new grease boot over the ball joint and pop it over the lower portion of the joint. Apply multi-purpose high temp grease in the zirc fitting until it comes out the top of the joint. Wipe of the excess and install a non-serviceable zirc fitting in its place. The LCA is ready for reinstallation.
STEP 8
Install the LCA back into the frame. Reinstall both bolts The front bolt needs 120 ft lbs while the rear calls for 170 ft lbs. Torque them and move on.
Use of a torch may be required for this portion. You need to install the ball joint into the knuckle. The bore of the knuckle is VERY tight around the head of the ball joint. I tried hammering, heating, prying, nothing seemed to work. Finally I ended up using a small flathead screwdriver to pry to the slit in the knuckle open, allowing the knuckle to be forced over the joint. I supported the LCA with a jack, which basically created a ghetto vice of sorts. Worked like a charm. The hard part is over. Now install the pinch-bolt and tighten down to hold the ball joint into the knuckle.
STEP 9
Reinstall the torque strut. See FSM for aligment specs, or PM me for them. Reinstall pencil strut and the finally the belt-guard. Last but not least, reinstall the stabilizer bar endlinks back onto the LCA and tighten. If you removed anything else, now is a good time to put it back together. I removed the knuckle-to-strut bolts to get some extra movement out of the knuckle, but it might not have been necessary for some people. Get everything tightened up and reinstall the wheel/tire assemblies. You're done!
Special thanks to my Dad for letting me attempt this one his Neon.
Thanks also to my buddy Mike K at work for the press, and Shane for the air-powered grease gun.
Credit for the majority of the procedures goes to my trusty FSM.
TOOLS NEEDED:
*Hammers
*Torch (Mapp gas at the very least)
*Air Compressor
*1/2" Impact gun
1/2" + 3/8" ratchets
Various sockets (10-13-15-18-21-22mm and more)
Various socket extensions
A few combo end wrenches and a 12" crescent wrench
Small and large pry bars
1/2" Torque wrench
Ball joint press (or hydraulic press if possible)
Jack and stands
Vice grips and various pliers
*Are optional tools
STEP 1
Raise vehicle and support on jack stands. Access to a lift would prove very useful. Remove wheel and tire assemblies and set aside.
STEP 2
Remove pinch-bolt attaching ball joint to the steering knuckle. May require a bit of force to remove, don't be afraid to beat on it since we're replacing it anyway. A pry bar works well and does the least damage.
The pinch-bolt bore:
Pry like this:
STEP 3
Once the control arm is separated from the knuckle, we need to remove it from the vehicle. Start by removing the stabilizer bar end-links. Grab the upper threaded nut with a pair of vicegrips or athe correct wrench, and use a 15mm socket on the bottom. The impact gun makes this much easier. Be sure to reassemble the endlinks before setting them aside, this way they're easier to reinstall later. Swing the bar down and out of the way, allowing the control arms to move more freely.
STEP 4
Remove the plastic belt shield by removing the three 10mm fastners. Set aside. Now remove the pencil strut, held on by two 15mm bolts. Keep the bolts and washers intact and set aside.
STEP 5
Now remove the engine torque strut. The rear bolt is deep and may require the use of a wrench to remove. I didnt have a deep socket in that size in my home-box, so I had to do it the hard way. The front bolt is much easier to get to (18mm I believe). Keep all hardware and set aside.
STEP 6
Time to remove the lower control arm. Use a 22mm socket to remove the bolt holding the front part of the LCA to the frame. A 15/16" works well for the rear. Air is your friend here, these are very tight and very large bolts.
Front:
Rear:
Removed:
Some pics of the bad ball joint still installed:
STEP 7
Alright, time for the fun part. Set up your ball joint press so that the lower cup is big enough to recieve the whole joint. Find a way to support the control arm to be as level to the ground (or bench) as possible. Assemble the upper portion of the press to put equal force on the joint. Be sure to position the joint in the LCA so that it is as straight-up as possible. A hammer works well here. Press the ball joint out through the bottom of the LCA and into the reciever cup. If you use air on the press, keep the level down, and be sure to apply anti-sieze to the threads to prevent binding. Keep it as straight as possible when hitting it.
Once the joint is out, clean the bore in the LCA and be sure it is in decent shape to accept a new ball joint. Assemble the press to basically do the reverse (LCA is now upside down) and press the new ball joint in. *** Be very careful not to apply uneven pressure to the joint. Keep it straight. Do not over tighten it; it is fully pressed in once the joint is flush with the LCA bore.
***Be sure to get the pinch bolt bore in the ball joint facing the inside of the LCA. It should be as straight as possible. Adjustment can be made on some ball joints after install if the top of the joint uses a hex. Otherwise, get it right the first time.
Once pressed in, slide a new grease boot over the ball joint and pop it over the lower portion of the joint. Apply multi-purpose high temp grease in the zirc fitting until it comes out the top of the joint. Wipe of the excess and install a non-serviceable zirc fitting in its place. The LCA is ready for reinstallation.
STEP 8
Install the LCA back into the frame. Reinstall both bolts The front bolt needs 120 ft lbs while the rear calls for 170 ft lbs. Torque them and move on.
Use of a torch may be required for this portion. You need to install the ball joint into the knuckle. The bore of the knuckle is VERY tight around the head of the ball joint. I tried hammering, heating, prying, nothing seemed to work. Finally I ended up using a small flathead screwdriver to pry to the slit in the knuckle open, allowing the knuckle to be forced over the joint. I supported the LCA with a jack, which basically created a ghetto vice of sorts. Worked like a charm. The hard part is over. Now install the pinch-bolt and tighten down to hold the ball joint into the knuckle.
STEP 9
Reinstall the torque strut. See FSM for aligment specs, or PM me for them. Reinstall pencil strut and the finally the belt-guard. Last but not least, reinstall the stabilizer bar endlinks back onto the LCA and tighten. If you removed anything else, now is a good time to put it back together. I removed the knuckle-to-strut bolts to get some extra movement out of the knuckle, but it might not have been necessary for some people. Get everything tightened up and reinstall the wheel/tire assemblies. You're done!
Special thanks to my Dad for letting me attempt this one his Neon.
Thanks also to my buddy Mike K at work for the press, and Shane for the air-powered grease gun.
Credit for the majority of the procedures goes to my trusty FSM.
-Derek
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- spencersummerfield
- 2GN Member
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- Location: London, Ontario
^Oh yeah, it would be a huge pain to do it with a ratchet. A vice would be a necessity if you dont use air on it, otherwise you'd be spinning the whole thing and it would be pretty tough.
-Derek
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Thanks Chris
Yeah it would indeed be a great time for LCA bushings. I included "LCA replacement" in the title since about halfway through the job the control is out and can easily be serviced (bushings) or completely replaced with a new one if needed. Kinda kills two birds with one stone.
Also note, Dodge offers a LCA package with bushings AND ball joint already pressed in for somewhere in the $250 range. We almost went this way to avoid headaches, but ended up taking on the ball joint separately to save money. This job cost about $55 in parts. Expect to pay $2-400 in labor to have a shop do this.
Yeah it would indeed be a great time for LCA bushings. I included "LCA replacement" in the title since about halfway through the job the control is out and can easily be serviced (bushings) or completely replaced with a new one if needed. Kinda kills two birds with one stone.
Also note, Dodge offers a LCA package with bushings AND ball joint already pressed in for somewhere in the $250 range. We almost went this way to avoid headaches, but ended up taking on the ball joint separately to save money. This job cost about $55 in parts. Expect to pay $2-400 in labor to have a shop do this.
-Derek
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Great write-up. i am about to do this along with the control arm bushings ....
So realisticly speaking, could this be done without an air compressor and impact gun?
and for lubing up the ball joint, how much? what greese brand did you use? and do you do that after it is back in the knucle, or before you re-install the control arm?
thanks,
So realisticly speaking, could this be done without an air compressor and impact gun?
and for lubing up the ball joint, how much? what greese brand did you use? and do you do that after it is back in the knucle, or before you re-install the control arm?
thanks,
"In theory", you could.latief wrote: So realisticly speaking, could this be done without an air compressor and impact gun?
BUT every time that I have done front-end work, I usually need air tools at some point.
Lube the ball joint BEFORE you put it on the ground with the full weight on the car.
Hopefully, other people can chime in regarding the necessity of air tools ....
I *may* have done some front end work without power tools (it has been a while), but I had a compressor "on hand" in each instance, so I never got stuck on the job.
-Nick
-1998 2-dr SOHC MTX= 57mm TB; Maddog STS
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm
Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm
Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009
If you can provide a good 50-100 lbs of man-torque for a solid 30 mins then air tools arent necessary. With enough leverage there is no need for air tools in general, but they're sure nice! The press doesnt need to spin fast; the threads may be damaged if you apply too much torque too fast. Set the impact gun to its lowest setting and let it do the work. Some anti sieze does wonders regardless of the method you use to turn the press.
-Derek
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WTF?
Bill
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCMOlha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester
I had a hard time when I did my lower control arm bushings install
You also don't know how much i'm kicking myself in the ass right now for not replacing it while I was down there
You also don't know how much i'm kicking myself in the ass right now for not replacing it while I was down there
dank(r/t) wrote:you tell 'em altezza light, black headlight cover guy!
you know what's up, it's obvious.
TheRandom1 wrote:Adionik, you're an asshole, we all know this.
The joint I used was a Napa part, and I don't have the # anymore. You might try looking in the Part # request forum. If you can't find it, just post a new thread requesting the info. Shouldn't take more than a few hours for a reply.
-Derek
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The idea is to prevent someone from over greasing the ball joint. The boot design keeps the grease in there a lot longer than a standard one, which is why they claim they are "for the life of the vehicle." Obviously this is not the case, so having and using a grease fitting isn't a bad idea at all, if you know what you're doing.
-Derek
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- Location: Arizona
Just did this procedure on one side, and I have to say, it was alot easier than I expected (I didn't use air). My old joint was in really bad shape. I got one of the MOOG ball joints, and it was goodt build quality, but I liked the fact that it had a snap ring to retain it (probably why it wasn't insanely hard to press in, didn't need as tight a clearance) and a hex head so you could adjust the direction after installation.
"If you haven't bled on it, it's not your car"
WOW, Nice !!!anomalous0 wrote:Just did this procedure on one side, and I have to say, it was alot easier than I expected (I didn't use air). My old joint was in really bad shape. I got one of the MOOG ball joints, and it was goodt build quality, but I liked the fact that it had a snap ring to retain it (probably why it wasn't insanely hard to press in, didn't need as tight a clearance) and a hex head so you could adjust the direction after installation.
Another +1 vote for Moog parts !!
- Nick
-1998 2-dr SOHC MTX= 57mm TB; Maddog STS
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm
Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm
Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009
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- Location: People's Republic of Kalifornia
Find a shop that will do it for a reasonable price. I paid $40 to have the old ones pressed out and the new ones pressed in and boot installed. Took them about 5-10 minutes to do both. Money well spent IMO. No screwing around with a tool, that no one had for rent up here anyways, for god knows how long.
They wanted about the same local. Except that I am beyond stretched for cash. That's $40 I need to spend on my GF's xmas presentsdarthroush wrote:Find a shop that will do it for a reasonable price. I paid $40 to have the old ones pressed out and the new ones pressed in and boot installed. Took them about 5-10 minutes to do both. Money well spent IMO. No screwing around with a tool, that no one had for rent up here anyways, for god knows how long.
dank(r/t) wrote:you tell 'em altezza light, black headlight cover guy!
you know what's up, it's obvious.
TheRandom1 wrote:Adionik, you're an asshole, we all know this.
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Well, I feel i'm a little better with my hands then when I first got the car...so I don't feel completely overwhelmed taking it on.
I also got my daily driver back up again (Which is actually the one that REALLY needs the ball joints) so I will have a working vehicle while the other is down.
The SXT needs new ball joints
The SRT needs new joints and prothane bushings sitting in my garage.
Fancy me...I get to do it twice
I also got my daily driver back up again (Which is actually the one that REALLY needs the ball joints) so I will have a working vehicle while the other is down.
The SXT needs new ball joints
The SRT needs new joints and prothane bushings sitting in my garage.
Fancy me...I get to do it twice
dank(r/t) wrote:you tell 'em altezza light, black headlight cover guy!
you know what's up, it's obvious.
TheRandom1 wrote:Adionik, you're an asshole, we all know this.
- garfield3887
- 2GN Member
- Posts: 156
- Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:37 pm
- Location: Kansas
This is an awesome write up! As easy as it was aside from all the pulling, prying, and rust I had to deal with... I will gladly give my left nut to NEVER have to do this again myself!
I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies Club #102
“I slept on it for 24 hours, ... and it made a lot of sense, so I agreed. Both of us then put our best pieces on the table, and we both found surprises. We took parts from both our engines, and we were able to increase our horsepower.” - Jack Roush
“I slept on it for 24 hours, ... and it made a lot of sense, so I agreed. Both of us then put our best pieces on the table, and we both found surprises. We took parts from both our engines, and we were able to increase our horsepower.” - Jack Roush
- NEON PARABOLA
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Going to attempt this this weekend. I have an electric impact wrench but only one jack and two jack stands. We shal see.. I'm friggin tired of waiting and they aint gonna install themselves...
I think what I will do is take the old castings, remove the old bushings/hardware, sandblast and powder coat them, then save for a moog bushing kit and re-install them. The ones I am replacing with are ebay specials and are nothing special and I dont know what to expect as far as longevity or quality of ride, so yeah thats my awesome plan
I think what I will do is take the old castings, remove the old bushings/hardware, sandblast and powder coat them, then save for a moog bushing kit and re-install them. The ones I am replacing with are ebay specials and are nothing special and I dont know what to expect as far as longevity or quality of ride, so yeah thats my awesome plan
-Sean
Official "I'm driving my neon till' it dies #28
BLK 03' NEON SXT 150,000 MILES
- NEON PARABOLA
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Just a side note, I used a bottle jack to push the ball joint up into the knuckle. You will want to secure the strut so it doesn't move outward when you start to jack the ball joint up. Mine slid in easily once I secured the strut assemble and knuckle into place
make sure you pre-load the ball joint before tightening the bolt! I simply jacked the lca with a bottle jack, to a level height than I tightened the bolt. if you dont, you may bind and hear a nasty popping noise when turning.
make sure you pre-load the ball joint before tightening the bolt! I simply jacked the lca with a bottle jack, to a level height than I tightened the bolt. if you dont, you may bind and hear a nasty popping noise when turning.
-Sean
Official "I'm driving my neon till' it dies #28
BLK 03' NEON SXT 150,000 MILES