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Re: Balljoint replacement questions Posted by sam96CS [Email] (#852) [Profile/Gallery] (more from sam96CS) on Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:29:15 In Reply to: Re: Balljoint replacement questions, Dale, Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:40:17 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Here are notes I've accumulated about doing the job. I don't know if this is the easiest way, but it worked for me.
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:
Floor jack, jackstands, chocks
Breaker bar
torque wrench
13, 16, 17 & 19 mm sockets
13 mm wrench
Two 3/8" ratchets with 4" and 8" extensions
Hammer
Mirror
Large standard screwdriver
PB Blaster if anything is stuck.
Antiseize lubricant
Rag
PROCEDURE:
01. Park car on level surface, set handbrake, put chocks behind rear wheels, loosen front wheel bolts.
02. Raise car high enough to remove front wheels, rest on jackstands and then remove the wheels.
03. Remove the circlip from the top of the ball joint spindle using the large screwdriver. Note the orientation of the parts. The head of the pinch bolt is toward the front of the car. The balljoint's mounting flange rests on top of the control arm. The 3 mounting bolts pass through from above, so the head of the bolt is against the balljoint's mounting flange and the nut is against the control arm.
04. Loosen and remove the pinch bolt. The nylon locknut is 16 mm and the bolt is 17 mm. Use PB blaster and a hammer if the bolt is stuck.
05. Remove the 3 mounting bolts (13 mm) that attach the balljoint to the control arm. Lever down the control arm with the screwdriver if there isn't enough clearance to remove the center bolt.
06. Now you can manually move the hub away from the control arm. If you're lucky the balljoint will fall out. The balljoint spindle probably will be stuck in the hub. Work it loose with hammer, screwdriver and PB Blaster. Move it up and down and keep spraying PB Blaster to overcome the grit and rust. You can also pry open the gap a little after removing the pinch bolt to make removing the spindle easier.
07. The sway bar can work against you during the next step. With a 16 mm or 5/8" socket loosen the drop link nut until the nut is at the end of the drop link to give yourself a very useful extra 1/2" or so of play.
08. Put antiseize on the balljoint spindle and insert it through the hub's clamp. Fit the new balljoint to the control arm so that the balljoint's flange rests on top of the control arm. You may have to pry down the control arm with the big screwdriver to do this. Use a mirror to help line up the holes. The 3 bolts fit very tight through the holes, and you may have to use the 13 mm wrench to work them in. Install the two outer bolts first and tighten the nuts until they are just snug. You'll have to lever the control arm down with the big screwdriver to install the center bolt. Put antiseize on the pinch bolt, install it and tighten the nut until it is just snug. Install the circlip that was removed at step 03. I used the end of an 8" socket extension to push on the circlip.
09. Torque the pinch bolt to 37 ft. lbs., and tighten the nuts on the 3 mounting bolts to 22 ft. lbs. Torque the drop link nut to 18 ft. lbs.
10. Repeat steps 03-10 for the other side.
11. Install the wheels and tighten the wheel bolts until snug.
12. Lower the car and torque the wheel bolts to 85 ft. lbs.
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