more suspension work

[pgibbzz]

so my car hit its 100K mark a little while ago, and upon replacing the strut assemblies, i noticed that i need all new ball joints, and tie-rod ends, and also a new water pump because its causing a bearing noise and the fan and pulley have some play (but thats unrelated im just venting). I got caught up on a motorcycle that i bought so i kinda neglected my car for this entire year until now . Anyways im gunna do the ball joints and tie-rod ends first and it will be my first time. Any advice on these? Ive watched couple howto videos so it doesnt look too bad, im gunna rent the kit from autozone. It always seems to go smoothly for everyone who does these kinda things but i always seem to run into problems. i think the tie-rods should be easy, except the threads are really rusty. Also the upper control arm looks in bad shape as well but still perfectly functional. im probably going to make a new thread about the water pump, but any advice on this would help.

 

[Sparky]

Well you have a couple options here...

I replaced my ball joints individually. You can use the press you can rent from Advance Auto to do it, but it is some work. If I was doing mine again I'd get whole new arm assemblies with all the new bushings and ball joints, but that's because mine could use bushings now (182k on originals, so.... yeah). A fair bit more costly to do that however, $130-ish per arm vs only $40 per ball joint. If your bushings are OK then just do the ball joints.

A buddy helped me do my stuff and he has air tools at his work. It was quite helpful to have two people keep the press and the various cups all lined up.

 

[v7guy]

check to see if the arms move around on shot bushings too.

you can replace the balljoints themselves with the press from advanced auto or you can hop on rockauto and get the a arm replacements and just swap em out with new bushing and new ball joints already installed. I've done both, multiple times, I would lean towards advising you to go with the a arm replacements unless you have lots of time and a reasonably well equipped garage. Replacing the arms is just a simple parts swap.

Just replacing the bushings and the ball joints is half ass covered here.

http://gmtnation.com/f77/rebuilding-front-suspension-896/

 

[meerschm]

my tie rod ends were frozen up, so I ended up cutting them in half and replacing both sides inner and outer.

inner is a little tricky to get off, but not imposible.

I purchased a tool for the job which made it easy and allowed proper torque setting.

Lisle 45750 Inner Tie Rod Tool : Amazon.com : Automotive

pretty sure this was it. harbor freight has one cheaper, but it needs some work to make it fit the TB.

 

[pgibbzz]

buying all new arms is just not an option for me, way too expensive. im gunna try and tough out the ball joints with my impact wrench and the kit, i also hear about air hammers doing a good job on these as well, and come to find out they are not that expensive. i havent ordered any parts yet but i will keep everyone updated when its time.

 

[CaptainXL]

I purchased a tool for the job which made it easy and allowed proper torque setting.

Lisle 45750 Inner Tie Rod Tool : Amazon.com : Automotive.

I see a bunch of people renting these. Not sure why you bought it? Just curious.

 

[The_Roadie]

I see a bunch of people renting these. Not sure why you bought it? Just curious.

I bought the Harbor Freight unit and did the grinding to modify it so I could take it offroad with me. When you have this sort of failure 10 miles from pavement, and 70 miles from the nearest car parts store open on Sunday, you want to have not only the spare parts, but the right tool. Breaking the inner tie rod end loctite free with a chain-vise grip and 18" channel-lock pliers took two of us (Teebes and me) a lot of grunting. Others might just want to own the tool, and any excuse will do.

 

[meerschm]

nice to have the right tool. it is a nice option to borrow/rent tools from local auto parts places, but these can be subject to abuse.

Mine actually has a nice plastic case and looks good on the shelf.

you can never have too many tools.

 

[meerschm]

buying all new arms is just not an option for me, way too expensive. im gunna try and tough out the ball joints with my impact wrench and the kit, i also hear about air hammers doing a good job on these as well, and come to find out they are not that expensive. i havent ordered any parts yet but i will keep everyone updated when its time.

I had to since the inner and outer were seized up to each other. and the alignment was off. ( I could have tried to torch the inner to see if I could get it to move, but did not trust myself with that much heat so close to steering geer, boots, and other stuff.)

 

[v7guy]

buying all new arms is just not an option for me, way too expensive. im gunna try and tough out the ball joints with my impact wrench and the kit, i also hear about air hammers doing a good job on these as well, and come to find out they are not that expensive. i havent ordered any parts yet but i will keep everyone updated when its time.

My suggestion for the arm replacement was under the assumption that the bushings were soon to be replaced too. In my experience (working on 4 different trucks up here in the northeast), even on stock 360s, the bushings are right behind the balljoints. For the price the mevotech arms are very reasonable, especially when you consider the 10+ hours of labor involved when replacing the bushings and balljoints individually.

As always, ymmv

 

[pgibbzz]

My suggestion for the arm replacement was under the assumption that the bushings were soon to be replaced too. In my experience (working on 4 different trucks up here in the northeast), even on stock 360s, the bushings are right behind the balljoints. For the price the mevotech arms are very reasonable, especially when you consider the 10+ hours of labor involved when replacing the bushings and balljoints individually.

As always, ymmv

i wouldnt mind replacing the upper control arms after i put ball joints in, as its an easy swap, but the lower ball jonts + control arm seem just fine for the moment. i dont mind doing the work myself no matter how long it takes, except im a little worried from a previous comment about the the inner and outer tie rods sticking. but im just your average garage mechanic that would like a challenge, and of course a reason to buy new tools.