ball joints, it kicked my ass.

Rented a fork, and clamp set from the local autozone, as well as purchasing two upper ball joints after putting in my new suspension last week. And its kicking my ass. Can't get em to go in straight. No matter what I do. Started at 8 and its now 1.30 and hot as balls.

So we said f it, and took out the spindle. Well my lowers are shot as well, and my cv boots. Its hot as bawls, need a larger wrench for the axle nut, and its hot as bawls.

Any tips? Anyone free tomorrow am early?

 

Have a shop press them in for you. Midas did my uppers for $40.

 

Yeah, I was quoted 500 for the uppers and an alignment. F that. I just wish I could save the hassle and do em myself. Iwanna clean everything up real good.

 

Damn! I paid $40 because I only brought in the a arms and had them press in the bj's. Then, I came home and installed everything myself.

 

cv inner/outer boots, lower ball joints, and im lookn for steering boots now. 130ish and counting. uppers were 25 so 155 total, plus alignment, to save a grand

 

Forks are worthless for removing the taper from the knuckle. Hit the knuckle hard on the side and the joint will vibrate enough to pull out the taper. Make sure you loosen the nut, but leave it flush with the top of the bolt.
Take your time lining up the ball joint press and it should go in straight.

 

For the uppers, put the bj's in the freezer for about an hour. then use a "4X4 Ball Joint Press" tool kit (got mine at harbor freight for $74, but sure you could rent one) and press em in. You wont believe the difference that cold metal makes. Good luck!

 

Have never done up ball joints, but I know the lower ball joints is a pain in the butt. I took a hammer to the lower ball joints and kept on bashing on them until the lower ball joints popped out. haha

 

Lowers are a complete assembly. Ill have to try the freezer idea.

Don't think I can get just the boot for the tierod balljoints, so those are next.

Their wasn't any steering play, but braking and bumps were sloppy, so hopefully it'll guide like butter.

 

A cheap shop press will do you wonders, you can find hand pump ones on cl for like $50.
My buddy has one and it comes in use for SO MUCH stuff. I'm gonna buy one soon as a matter of fact.


If not, pay someone..$40 is about right to press in bjs onto control arms.
It's very difficult to unpress stuff out..but not as hard to press them in..long as it's straight. that's the key.



Goodluck..lol

 

Yeah, few months back I was checkin cl, ten ton handpress for like a buck twenty which is great. And I got those boogers out easy as shit, its going back in that's kicking my ass. Tie rods were thirty a piece

 

here's a really good right up from bajataco.com...

http://www.bajataco.com/tech/control_arms_01.html

I had to use a flat pry-bar to help keep the ball joint lined up (straight) as I was pressing it into the knuckle.

good luck.

 

did you end up getting them in? i did my passenger side balljoint and we couldnt get it to go in straight with the BJ press, so we used a air hammer

 

I have the from Harbor Freight and it's a life saver for ball joints I did mine in a snap.

 

I've never done a Tacoma but the Haynes manual says to use a press and two sockets of the proper size. It also says a large vise could be used.

 

I used a modified pitman arm puller ($15 tool - from the link in my previous post) and a flay pry-bar. Just put a little pressure on the pry-bar to keep it straight as you press it in. Went like butter.

 

The bottom of the ball joint, the rounded part, is rounded, and sits a tad below the bevel where the socket sits. Therfore if you used a wonderbar, id imagine it would crush the pivoting socket

got cv's apart from knuckle, wheel bearings feel firm (thank god), boots are still on, im assuming its a pin or something, i need to go clean all the grease before i take the boots off.

 

cv bearings are NOT sealed, you will drop all needles IF you lift up on the cusp. FML.

 

huh? The bottom of the BJ should be pretty flat, perhaps with a removable zerk fitting.

If the BJ you got is rounded on the bottom instead of flat, you could use a large socket in between the BJ and the flat prybar, but your puller (if you use a similar setup as below) might not be tall enough. Maybe get a piece of steel tubing (the same diameter as the outer portion of the BJ ) and cut a 1/4" piece and use that as a spacer instead of a socket...

Mine looked like this:
(images from a 1998 4x4, from Bajataco.com) This looks just like my 2004 Taco.