Replacing Lower Ball Joint

[SYNFULL]

My car has been to 3 different shops including Fred Beans Dodge with their Viper tech and the problem still isn't solved. The problem is my rear drivers side wheel is moving. Three shops told me it was the concentric camber bolt and replaced them with new ones. The last alignment specialist I went to installed corvette bolts on the lower and upper control arms because the thread was longer and he could get more torque. When I got the car home the wheel had moved again. I took it back to him and he showed me now that the ball joint is bad. He also said the lower control arm must be bad because there was some play where the ball joint comes through. The ball joint stud moved about 1/8 of and inch when he applied pressure with a crowbar under the tire.
My questions are these-
When I loosened the castle nut on the end of the ball joint it got to a point where the whole wheel knuckle moved in and out as I was loosening the nut. I could see that is where the wheel movement is coming from- not the concentric bolts. When I tightened the nut it did the same thing- the wheel knuckle moved about 2 inches in and then out. Is a ball joint hard to take out and install, and require special tools? I already got a price on a knuckle, upper and lower control arms but if I just need a ball joint I'd rather not go through expense of changing it all. Does it sound like the lower is shot or do I need to take the ball joint out and take a look?

Thanks
Gary

 

[obaa996]

From what you described, if you remove the nut, the control arm should slide right off the ball joint. Is the hole in the control arm distorted in any way? The ball joint stud should be a very snug fit.
As you may have already found, the ball joint is not available as a separate part; you have to buy the whole knuckle assembly from Dodge. For my Gen1, I was able to find one from a Dakota which interchanged; I think someone found a Gen2 cross-match somewhere in the archives.
I had to remove my entire knuckle assembly and take it to a shop to have them press it out. There wasn't enough clearance for the normal balljoint press tools to work.
You may want to buy a replacement ball joint, and see how it fits in the control arm. If it is snug, then just replace the joint. If not, then buy and replace the control arm as well.

 

[SYNFULL]

I will search the archives for a cross match on the ball joint and give that a try first.
Thanks

 

[Janni]

You'll have to press that ball joint out and then press in a new one. It's a *****. We have the special tools for this I think - or - you can try taking it to a machine shop for the removal, and then we've put the ball joint int the freezer and the control arm in the oven at about 300 and then dropped it in.

(I am SOOOO tolerant about car parts in my kitchen appliances....)

Anyway - we check for ball joints failing / loosening by jacking up the car after it's been onthe track and grabbing the wheel at 12 and 6 and seeing if you can tilt it forward and back. That's the sign. Usually on the race cars it's a minor movement - but yours looks like it would be VERY obvious and could be done even when the car is cold.

Ball joints are cheap (old tech) but a PITA to change out. But they save you a heck of a lot of $$$ instead of new control arms. Consider doing both sides and perhaps even the uppers if this is the case for you. The special Dodge tools can be ordered through your dealer and the part numbers are in the service manual.

Hope this is your issue - it seems like you'd tried most everything else.

Report back!

 

[SYNFULL]

I have a quote on a used upper, lower, knuckle, with ball joints and bushings in supposedly good condition for 600. Maybe I will just swap everything out in my garage. I don't even think a new ball joint is available without a new lower control arm.
Thanks

 

[Jim Wilson]

You don't need to replace the control arms, the ball joints are available separately (see Janni's post). I belive the top ones screw in and the bottom ones are press fit.

Here is a link to some.......

http://www.snakeoylproducts.com/product.php?productid=17827&cat=340&page=1

I THINK they are the same as the Dakota's. Maybe try to cross reference part numbers. Also try a place like rockauto.com you should be able to save some big bucks.

 

[Janni]

You don't need to replace the control arms, the ball joints are available separately (see Janni's post). I belive the top ones screw in and the bottom ones are press fit.

Here is a link to some.......

http://www.snakeoylproducts.com/product.php?productid=17827&cat=340&page=1

I THINK they are the same as the Dakota's. Maybe try to cross reference part numbers. Also try a place like rockauto.com you should be able to save some big bucks.

Thanks - although $600 for an entire corner of a car's suspension for $600 is a killer deal, too - I'd probably get both.

 

[SYNFULL]

Local dealer say's they can order one for $80 but at this point I am going to replace the whole corner. I don't want to take it all apart, have the ball joint pressed out and then find out there is some type of movement in the lower arm. Also one of the bolt holes in the knuckle where the caliper bolts in was heli-coiled so I won't have to worry about that either.
Thanks!
Gary