obaa996
Enthusiast
I'm trying to replace the passenger side rear ball joints on my Gen1, and am looking for some advice on how the suspension is disassembled.
I've pulled the driveshaft and popped the lower control arm free of the ball joint. The lower ball joint is still attached to the knuckle. Per the shop manual, it is not serviceable, apart from replacing the entire knuckle; however, the ball joint is listed as a separate part in the parts catalog, and I have seen references to it as a separate part in the archive. How does the ball joint come out? Is it pressed into place, or screwed in? If screwed in, which way does it need to be turned to be removed (when viewed from the bottom/grease fitting side)?
I'd also like to replace the upper ball joint while I'm in there, but I can't even get the nut off; the stub axle prevents me from using either my u-joint or wobble extension on the socket. Do I need to disassemble the hub to get sufficient clearance? It seems that if I can remove the lower ball joint, I can slip my extension through the opening to remove the nut. I'll then be stuck with the issue of how to remove the upper ball joint from the control arm; I'd guess it comes off the same way as the lower joint.
If you guys have any hands-on advice, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks!
I've pulled the driveshaft and popped the lower control arm free of the ball joint. The lower ball joint is still attached to the knuckle. Per the shop manual, it is not serviceable, apart from replacing the entire knuckle; however, the ball joint is listed as a separate part in the parts catalog, and I have seen references to it as a separate part in the archive. How does the ball joint come out? Is it pressed into place, or screwed in? If screwed in, which way does it need to be turned to be removed (when viewed from the bottom/grease fitting side)?
I'd also like to replace the upper ball joint while I'm in there, but I can't even get the nut off; the stub axle prevents me from using either my u-joint or wobble extension on the socket. Do I need to disassemble the hub to get sufficient clearance? It seems that if I can remove the lower ball joint, I can slip my extension through the opening to remove the nut. I'll then be stuck with the issue of how to remove the upper ball joint from the control arm; I'd guess it comes off the same way as the lower joint.
If you guys have any hands-on advice, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks!