Lower Ball Joint Replacement 2008

[goose17]

Hello,
I recently purchased a 2008 with low miles and have been fixing it up. I was planning on replacing the lower ball joints, but I can't find adapters to fit my vehicle. I contacted a manufacturer and they said if they don't have them it's either because you have to replace the control arm or they're bolt on. I have the ball joints already, so I know they are not bolt on. I brought the vehicle from the rust belt to AZ and I didn't want to mess with replacing the control arms.
Has anyone ever replaced the lower ball joints on a 2008?

Thank you

 

[firebirdguy]

have you checked the ball joint press toools for rent at auto parts stores, should be the right adapter in there or maybe use a socket of the right size to press them out, or take to a local shop.

have you confirmed they are actually bad & need to be replaced? you mentioned low miles so just curious if/how you confirmed they are bad. i have an 08 sport with 150k miles & the ball joints are fine.

 

[goose17]

have you checked the ball joint press toools for rent at auto parts stores, should be the right adapter in there or maybe use a socket of the right size to press them out, or take to a local shop.

have you confirmed they are actually bad & need to be replaced? you mentioned low miles so just curious if/how you confirmed they are bad. i have an 08 sport with 150k miles & the ball joints are fine.

It has low miles (101k), but the previous owners did not take good care of it.
The CV axle boots are torn on both sides and they are puking grease. I am going to replace them with aftermarket Cardone Heavy Duty axles. It looks like the ball joints are leaking too, so I was going to replace those at the same time. After a closer look though, it might just be the grease from the CV axles getting on the ball joints. I'll take a closer look once I get everything taken apart and if needed, get a quality press kit with a lot of attachments and try to get them out.
Thanks

 

[Drcoffee]

Its the same process for FJC.

How I replaced lower ball joints on FJ | Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

I just did mine and got proforged LBJs at rockauto $25 each. Rent the big kit for ball joints. The smaller kit wont fit.

 

[goose17]

Its the same process for FJC.

How I replaced lower ball joints on FJ | Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

I just did mine and got proforged LBJs at rockauto $25 each. Rent the big kit for ball joints. The smaller kit wont fit.

Cool, thanks. I did watch a YT video where they replaced the lower ball joints on a FJC. They didn't have the right size attachments for their press, so they torched it and hammered it out. It looked like more than I am willing/capable of doing. I will get the big kit and figure it out. I went with the MOOGs from RockAuto.

 

[Drcoffee]

You will need a strong breaker bar and floor jack handle about 4’ long to crank them off. But they will come out. I have done them twice now. Once on my 07 4runner and on a 07 FJC.

My mac impact gun would only go so far and then a long breaker bar to finally move them out. I did not use any heat either. Just brute force.

Sure beats replacing the lower control arm.

 

[goose17]

I have a 2 foot breaker bar and a new DeWalt impact wrench rated with 700 foot pounds of torque and 1,200 foot pounds of breakaway torque. I'm hoping it can make the job a lot easier, but it really depends on the rust.

 

[y=mx+b]

I replaced mine when I rebuilt my LCAs, and have a writeup here: Whiteline Lower Control Arm Bushing Tutorial (120+ Pictures). My LCAs were out when I did mine, but its much easier to leave them in the frame, since they won't be wiggling all over the ground

The part on replacing the LBJs is below. The 23 piece ball joint press kit from advanced auto is the one you want to rent. The first LBJ, which is shown in the post, I removed with a breaker bar, and the second I removed with the HF Bauer Electric Impact. Much easier with the impact lol

<a id="noballs">Step 4: Remove Ball Joint</a> | <a target="_self" href="!286971!maintenance-detailing/286971-whiteline-lower-control-arm-bushing-tutorial-120-pictures.html#jump" >Return to Steps</a>
To begin removing the ball joint, knock out the retainer ring, I used a screwdriver pushed into the clip opening. As corroded as this appears, it came out without issue. After this is removed, cover the ball joint connection in penetrating fluid and let it sit for a bit.
<a href="https://imgur.com/88RyWm7"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/88RyWm7m.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Next, get set up to press out the ball joint. The sleeve I used to fit over the old ball joint was 2-3/4"OD, 2-7/16"ID, and 2-1/4"L. I picked a fitting top hat that would allow the ball joint stem to poke through. The picture inside the sleeve should be extra big. The boot has been ripped off and hopefully the big picture will show how the sleeve needs to sit outside of the ball joint shoulder. It can't be on the shoulder for this step, because then both press sides would be on the ball joint.
<a href="https://imgur.com/5YeWsug"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/5YeWsugl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/gQduaVG"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gQduaVGl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Next, get the C-clamp press setup with some light pressure to hold everything together. Check that the ball joint stem is going through the hole and not bound against the top hat. The last picture shows how I set up to press it out. I had the LCA vertical, the ball joint press horizontal, and used an 18" breaker bar with a 22mm socket to turn the press. I just pushed the breaker bar with my hands to tighten up the press, using my weight to push down. I'm not really a big dude either, so this is certainly doable. An impact would definitely have made this easier, but at least we know it can be done with hand tools as well.
<a href="https://imgur.com/GaHFX3J"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/GaHFX3Jm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/3JoctA1"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/3JoctA1m.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/L0fzYid"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/L0fzYidm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

I heated it up a bunch with my propane torch and tightened the press as much as I could. The heat didn't really help me make much progress, until I gave it a light tap with the claw hammer shown. I was surprised, since it was a small hammer with a light hit, but the ball joint moved about 1/8-3/16" very suddenly. After that it was smooth sailing and it came out without any difficulty
<a href="https://imgur.com/7oDyFvv"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7oDyFvvm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/B4FdXcY"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/B4FdXcYm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/IdFxOfM"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/IdFxOfMm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a id="newballs">Step 9: Press in New Ball Joint</a> | <a target="_self" href="!286971!maintenance-detailing/286971-whiteline-lower-control-arm-bushing-tutorial-120-pictures.html#jump" >Return to Steps</a>
To start, I taped around my freshly painted LCA to prevent marring it up too much.
<a href="https://imgur.com/QjPxYzd"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QjPxYzdm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Next, select press tubes from the ball joint press kit that will be used to install. The 2-7/16"OD, 2-3/16"ID, 3-3/16"L press tube fit perfectly on the ball joint rim to push it in. The 2-1/8"OD, 1-3/4"ID, 1/2"L fit around the body of the ball joint and would sit on the top of the LCA to receive it. See this picture for the fitment of the pressing and receiving tube:
<a href="https://imgur.com/7AYA603"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7AYA603l.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/hhdM3uw"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hhdM3uwl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

I greased the ball joint and mating surface with the same marine grease I've been using. I believe the lubrication helps the ball joint to straighten out if it gets a tad sideways on install.
<a href="https://imgur.com/eeNT4Wa"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/eeNT4Wam.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/HwAUi4a"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/HwAUi4am.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Assembling everything into the press and tightening everything, the ball joint was starting to go in sideways. I over corrected the press to get the ball joint to re-center, which worked. The press could then be re-centered as well and everything was smooth sailing.
<a href="https://imgur.com/njteDpW"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/njteDpWm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/F9ljQJd"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/F9ljQJdm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Once the ball joint is fully set into the LCA, there is a slot for a locking ring that will secure the ball joint from falling out. Tap it in as far as possible with a hammer, then use the hammer on a screwdriver to set it fully.
<a href="https://imgur.com/7vGOdUZ"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7vGOdUZm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/Rubiuzc"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Rubiuzcm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/MD6apI3"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/MD6apI3m.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a> <a href="https://imgur.com/UHp5H72"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/UHp5H72m.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

 

[Drcoffee]

Let me tell you. Its way easier to remove the ball joints before you remove the control arm.

 

[y=mx+b]

Let me tell you. Its way easier to remove the ball joints before you remove the control arm.

Yeah that thought popped in my head right after I got the bushings out and there was no return lol

 

[goose17]

I replaced mine when I rebuilt my LCAs, and have a writeup here: Whiteline Lower Control Arm Bushing Tutorial (120+ Pictures). My LCAs were out when I did mine, but its much easier to leave them in the frame, since they won't be wiggling all over the ground

The part on replacing the LBJs is below. The 23 piece ball joint press kit from advanced auto is the one you want to rent. The first LBJ, which is shown in the post, I removed with a breaker bar, and the second I removed with the HF Bauer Electric Impact. Much easier with the impact lol

Thank you very much for that info!