Ball Joints ? Replacement

[Ndx]

Hi Guys,

I need to replace ball joints .. On my Mazda 3....

Mazda Says replace Control Arms ( Ball Joints Are Pressed In )

I found Snakei ball joints and some other non name ones ...

I think I will just press them out ...

What you guys thinks ?

K

 

[Falcon_LS]

Cannot speak for Mazdas, but I replaced the upper control arm bushings and ball joints on my Montero last week, and let me just say I wish I did the right the first time.

Instead of buying a complete control arm, I just opted to buy the bushings (got them from the Nissan dealer, as the Titan uses the same ones) and got a shop to press the new ones in. Thought I was being 'smart', and saving big money ($171 per control arm as opposed to $34 for all four bushings)

Big mistake! I wasn't happy with how the vehicle drove afterwards, so I ended up doing a repeat job and replacing the control arms (although I reused the ball joints, which are sold separately). Did it myself this time, as opposed to paying someone to do it for me.

I think your best bet is to trust the manufacturer's judgement, and just replace it as a complete assembly. I tried to be a smart@$$ by going down that route, and ended up redoing the job. Saves you the time, money and hassle.

 

[mechtech2]

If the control arms are in good shape, and their bushings fine, then you can replace only the ball joints as a smart move.
Give it more than a cursory look.
clean the hole where the joint seats really well.
Put the new joints in the freezer, heat the arm , and use lube when pressing it in.

 

[JHZR2]

At around 150-200k, the ball joints on w123 mercedes diesels tend to get sloppy. Because the cars are just breaking in at that point, and go twice that or better without thinking twice, or additional maintenance for the most part, we like to fix up the suspensions to make them tighter.

The ball joints must be pressed in. There are ball joints on the UCA and LCAs, and folks often replace the UCAs, but just re-press the ball joints on the LCAs. Not sure why, but that appears to be the norm to me.

I just had a ball joint pressed in on my 82. No problem. Front end is really tight and nice.

 

[JimPghPA]

Be careful doing anything around springs for suspension. I have a cousin who worked on cars for years. One day he put a ball joint on his own van because the one Chrysler would have put on under waranty was junk quality, compared to what he knew to be a better part. He busted up his hand realy bad when things flew apart during dis-assembly. The forces you are dealing with are much more than you think. I did ball joints in the past and always treated springs with respect.

 

[lexus114]

Loc: In Front of The Monitor. Thats the best location I`v seen yet!

 

[eljefino]

You can do it seperately. It's just not very much fun.