Ball Joint Replacment How-To

[MCPaudiTT - DEFCON 1]

Required Parts:

8N0 407 365 A or 8N0 407 365 B ($78 from www.1stvwparts.com ) - may or my not come with all the required nuts, check with them. You can reuse the old nuts if you need too, but new ones would be prefered.

Required Tools:

Lug wrench
Jack
Jack Stands
16 mm Wrench
18 mm Wrench
Ball Joint Splitter tool (see Photo 7 at the link)
15 mm Wrench
Torque wrench with 15 mm socket

The ball joint is item #10. Nuts #11, #12 come with the replacement part:



Here is the old ball joint, determined to be worn by grabbing the wheel on the jacked up car, and rocking up and down:



As always, the right tool makes the difference. Here is a ball joint removal tool in action:



After the joint is split:



Comparison of old and new components:



New part in place:



Not a difficult job at all, should take under two hours your first time, under one the next time.

Also, once you are this far, you might as well slip in some DEFCONs!

Full write-up and descriptions in my Fotki at the link...

• Ball Joint Replacement Fotki

[JustJeff]

[MCPaudiTT - DEFCON 1]

[JustJeff]

[MarTT]

[MCPaudiTT - DEFCON 1]

there for very cheap, though (it is linked in my Fotki, photo 7). I know a few Jeep friends who use them a lot, I just never have found much useful stuff there. Wish I had bought there, as it is MUCH cheaper than the MAC tool I got, and includes a tie-rod removal as well. Oh well, live and learn ; )

[MOBlueTT]

[Rocky-in-Connecticut]

from that pic it looks like you are tightening up the ball joint to the lower control arm off the previous marks. That will throw your alignment off.

Not to be a PITA, but it would sure suck to wear out a tire before it's due.

[MCPaudiTT - DEFCON 1]

be getting a full alignment and corner balance once I am through. Note also, though, that the new nuts have a "hex shaped" washer, where the OEM ones were round, so the pencil marks will never line up exactly right.

[SparTTan]