BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT HOW TO (w/ pix)

I was driving on a back road today going about 35 when I heard a bang and felt my 99 S10 pull....i thought i blew a tire so i stopped immediately...it actually appears that my ball joint completely broke(for the lack of a better word). The tire was pushed in on the bottom and tilted out on the top. Bottom line is the ball joint is no longer attached to the suspension, the actual ball piece with the bearings is still attached to the hub assembly. Even though I stopped immediately and had the truck towed could I have done any further damage? There were absolutely no signs of ball joint wear in my everyday driving....could it have rusted off?!? I can see where the top of the ball joint was shaved probably by my hub assembly. Anything to look out for here other than all the great info in the how to post? Also thanks for all the pics, could be a long day tomorrow... One last question should u always replace both ball joints even if only one is bad? I'm not that mechanically inclined as you can tell so I apologize in advance. Thank you.

Leo
99 S10 LS 4.3L 2WD

Yup, good move in getting the truck towed immediately ... its not you could have done more damage ... its more likely, you would have done more damage. Especially when you attempt to make your first turn and you end up not quite where you expected.

Is your S10 a 4x4 ... if it is you need to check more ...
There still may be more damage, you need to check that things seem straight. Also need to check that CV joint boots are not split, If they are then its likely better to replace the whole axel assembly with boots already in place. Not much more expensive than replacing the boots and a whole lot easier and way cleaner and less specialized tools.

The answer to you second question is yes you can replace just one ball joint. What can happen sometimes is the grease nipple gets broken and the joint just never sees any lubrication and eventually fails. Usually it gets really worn and shows in the tire wear before failure though, your failure is extreme. Have a look at the other ball joint to see if the boot is in good shape and it is not completly void of grease ... next use a prybar or pickle fork to see if there appears to be excessive wear or play ... probably will be ... I bet when you are doing the replacement it is really "floppy". If it is I would change it while you have the whole assembly apart. The additional cost is not much ... just a bit more of a pain to do.

Yup, good move in getting the truck towed immediately ... its not you could have done more damage ... its more likely, you would have done more damage. Especially when you attempt to make your first turn and you end up not quite where you expected.

Is your S10 a 4x4 ... if it is you need to check more ...
There still may be more damage, you need to check that things seem straight. Also need to check that CV joint boots are not split, If they are then its likely better to replace the whole axel assembly with boots already in place. Not much more expensive than replacing the boots and a whole lot easier and way cleaner and less specialized tools.

The answer to you second question is yes you can replace just one ball joint. What can happen sometimes is the grease nipple gets broken and the joint just never sees any lubrication and eventually fails. Usually it gets really worn and shows in the tire wear before failure though, your failure is extreme. Have a look at the other ball joint to see if the boot is in good shape and it is not completly void of grease ... next use a prybar or pickle fork to see if there appears to be excessive wear or play ... probably will be ... I bet when you are doing the replacement it is really "floppy". If it is I would change it while you have the whole assembly apart. The additional cost is not much ... just a bit more of a pain to do.


Nope, not a 4X4... I was able to get the new upper ball joint in today without too much trouble. The lower seems ok but I know I need to replace the other three soon. I will definitely be more prepared next time. Thanks to everyone!

Just did the drivers side today, found a leaky inner cv boot, so that took the afternoon, tomorrow I'll do the passenger side in half the time!

Thanks much for the guide!

I foolishly followed the Auto Zone instructions for the top ball joint and now am finding it very dificult to install the new one. Seems I probably should have removed the hub, but now I have the top ball joint removed and cannot find a good way to install the new one and get everything back together. I read that it is possible to install the top without removing the hub, but how?

Put your jack stand under the lower control arm, near the lower ball joint. (That will raise the lower control arm) The upper control arm is not under spring pressure and you can move it easily by hand to get the ball joint stud into the knuckle.

I have a 2000 gmc jimmy 4X4. I am thinking about doing all four ball joints soon. I am wondering do you have to take the whole drive axle out or can you just remove the hub and swing it out of the way to get the ball joints out? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I did not have to remove the axles.

Press the outer axle out of the hub. Then move it out of the way so you can get the lower joint out.You don't need to remove the inner axle from the differential.

Hey iboard4food,

Just like old_master stated ... but here's the skinny on some things that may get in your way if you haven't much experience with the front hub/knuckle assembly:

1. You will have to undo the axle nut and free up the axle from the steering knuckle/hub.
When I have done this I use a sledge type hammer and hit it really hard ... insanely hard actually to get it loose. Be careful with the threads as you don't want to bugger them up.
Doing this manouver with the nut on thinking it will straighten the threads later on is not going to work. They are hardened and if bent are not going to straighten up so be carefull.

2. Ball joints that have been replaced once already are easy as they are reinstalled with nut and bolts. Original equipment are riveted on so you will have to drill out the old rivets. You could chisel of the tops and bang out the old rivet with a punch but the realizm here is that these rivets get expanded in the holes and are nearly impossible to get out with a punch. This is the route I went and it took me about 1 hour a ball joint to get it free. If you can get a drill in there it would be better. The shops use a pnumatic drill which can be used with an angle fitting to get into tight spaces. Us doit yourselfers must improvize.

Hope this helps give you an idea that the job could be a bit more difficult than it appears on the surface. I did all 4 ball joints on my 1999 blazer and am glad I did. Good luck.

Another trick to remove the rivets is to grind the heads off flush with the ball joint. A pin point punch in the center of the rivet knocks them out very easily with just a couple smacks with a hammer. Takes about 5 minutes per joint, no fuss, no muss.

When I did my ball joints I actually removed the control arms so I could replace the control arm bushings. This made it a lot easier to get the rivets out as I was able to get over them and beat the hell out of them.



Old Master,
I stole your pictures for my facebook page. I love em'!

I was able to get over them and beat the hell out of them.

When all else fails, use a bigger hammer..:rofl: