How To Change A Ball Joint On A 2003 Gmc Truck Upper

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A worn-out ball joint will pivot horizontally and vertically, negatively affecting your handling at low speed, and becoming especially dangerous at high speeds. Recognizable for a knocking sound in the wheel well as y'all execute a turn, fixing old ball joints is an of import function of keeping your vehicle road-rubber. Y'all tin practice it yourself for the price of the parts and the right approach.

1

Prep the work area. Park on a apartment surface and block both rear wheels, front end and back. Jack both front end wheels off the footing and support the vehicle with jack stands. Chock the dorsum tires to make sure nothing will motility anywhere while you're working.
two
Inspect the brawl joints to make sure they need to exist replaced . Figure out if your vehicle'southward got a strut-style break or a control arm, then check the ball articulation by either jacking up the command arm almost the ball joint to check for bicycle play, or by jacking up the automobile and using a pry-bar to cheque for bicycle play in a strut-mode pause.^[ane]
- There should exist no space between the ball joint and the indicate of contact. If you see any space, or the bike moves considerably, the joint needs to be replaced.
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3
Purchase the correct replacement brawl articulation assembly for your vehicle. Become to the automobile parts shop and get a replacement part appropriate for your make and model. All you've got to know is the type of vehicle and yous should be able to utilize the guidebook in the alley, or ask for help and they'll be able to straight you.
- Typically, a solid ball articulation replacement will run about $80 or $ninety new. Compared to the several hundred to a thousand dollars they'll charge at the shop, this can be a very cost-effective DIY project.
four
Remove the bike and access the ball articulation. Depending on the steering associates, y'all may also have to motion aside the brakes. If then, use a wire to hang the brakes and don't dangle them by the brake lines. Y'all'll besides demand to loosen the mounts holding the command arm or sway bar in identify to give you more than room to motility suspension parts away.^[ii]
- If it's at all possible, effort to work around the restriction rotor, caliper, and the line without removing the assembly. If you practice, you'll accept to bleed the brakes, making this a much bigger job.
5

Soak all the bolts with WD-40 or Atomic number 82 Blaster. The brawl joints tin can be some of the gunkiest components on the entire undercarriage, quite caked with dirt and other road grit, and it tin be a bear trying to get the ball joint loose from that build-upward. To arrive easier on yourself, spray some metal cleaner on all the bolts to try to get them to sideslip off somewhat more easily.^[three]

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1
Pull the cotter pivot and loosen the large castellated nut. The meridian should await like a crown, or castle, at the bottom. Get out the castellated nut in place, just a few turns in to go on it in a safe identify.^[4]
- If you're working on a McPherson strut pause remove the "compression bolt" that clamps the ball joint stud.
2
Pop loose the ball joint. The goal is to effort to guide it through the hole in the upper half of the steering knuckle. Information technology can be somewhat hard considering of the extremely tight fit which helps agree the ball joint in place and the route crud congenital up around the suspension, so you volition most likely need to use a hammer and a special tool called a "pickle fork" or necktie rod separator to get enough leverage to maneuver.^[5]
- With the wrench, remove the largest nut from the joint, replace with the new nut, and then drive the pickle fork between the command arm and the steering knuckle. You lot'll probably take to hammer it, and don't exist agape to get rough.This will probably ruin the gasket around the ball joint, then make sure y'all've got one to replace it.
- By putting the castellated nut on before hammering abroad, yous'll avoid having the brawl joint popular completely out and drop onto the floor, or more likely your foot.
3
Remove the allen bolts and slide the control arm costless. Loosen bolts or drill out rivets holding the ball articulation in place, and slide out the ball joint. Sometimes, it's helpful to rut particularly corroded components with a torch to try to loosen them. Be careful if you attempt this.^[6]
- If your auto's interruption uses pressed-in brawl joints, yous'll need to remove the lower control arm and accept the associates to a mechanic with a hydraulic press, who can printing the old ball articulation out and the new ball articulation in.
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1

Guide the new joint through the knuckle hole. Slide the new rubber boot over the ball joint'due south stud and guide the new ball joint support through the steering knuckle pigsty, where it came from.^[7]
2

Bolt the articulation into place using the hardware included. Information technology's not commonly appropriate to re-utilise erstwhile bolts or safety boots that covered the old brawl joint, which will probably be too corroded if the ball joint wore out.^[eight]
three
Torque the bolts to the proper specifications. Refer to the manufacturer's service manual and use a torque wrench to tighten the bolts and castellated nut to specified levels; reinstall the pinch bolt if working on a McPherson strut.^[9]
- More often than not, the specs will be about 44 pounds per foot on the screws and around eighty for other bolts. E'er defer to the possessor's manual for accurate numbers, even so.
4
Spiral in the new grease fitting and pump grease into the assembly. If you removed the brake or bicycle, reattach them and lower the vehicle dorsum downwards to test out the activeness. Bleed the brakes, if necessary. It's a expert opportunity to do any other repairs you might need to do with the brakes, since you've got them off.
- Replacing a brawl articulation can affect alignment. If a brawl joint is worn enough, and the vehicle was previously aligned, it might be wise have the vehicle realigned.
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Consider ball joints as a prepare. Check to run into whether each wheel has one or two ball joints (upper and lower) and replace both; too supercede both left and right sides since y'all have the entire front end lifted.
Always have a wheel alignment performed after replacing brawl joints. Getting an alignment will ensure that all suspension and steering components are at the right manufacturer's specified angles for proper performance and prevent your tires from wearing prematurely.

Things Y'all'll Need

jack
wire for hanging brakes
hammer
rod separator ("pickle fork")
drill
torque wrench
grease pump

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Commodity Summary X

To replace ball joints, remove the wheel and soak all the bolts in WD-40 or another metal cleaner to brand the bolts easier to remove. And so, unbolt the control arm and slide out the ball joint. If your vehicle uses pressed-in brawl joints, y'all'll need to remove the lower command arm and take the assembly to a mechanic with a hydraulic press to bandy the joints out. Slide the new joint into place and pump it total of grease. For communication from our Mechanic reviewer on how you can know when the brakes are bad, scroll down!

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