DIY: Uni Ball Replacement

Prelude:

Disclosure: I am not a mechanic; I have no mechanical education and advise that if you are not confident in your own abilities that you do not attempt this alone. Everything here is as a suggestive nature and is not all inclusive.

BLUF: How to do a basic ball joint/ uniball replacement with aftermarket A-Arms.

Background: I decided to go play in the mud last weekend and had a blast. The following day, upon pressure washing my truck, I had developed a terrible screeching/ squeaky noise coming from my front end. This sound was a real head turner (NOT in the good way) and I received much ridicule and laughs/ pointing as I drove around town... Due to this I have replaced inner/ outer tie rods (unrelated), and both Uni balls on my LCA's (related). I also had an alignment done- (recommended). Since then I have no more noise and the truck is driving better than ever.

Symptoms: Excess play in the cup/ spacer assembly. Groaning/ popping/ screeching/ grinding/ squeaking over bumps and turns while moving and at a stop. Often times the sound will cease if you remove the load from the uni ball. (Jack the truck up and turn the wheels). Additionally, check your uniballs for any pitting, rust, dirt or rocks. If there is any severity of damage to these components it is recommended to replace them.



Expected life span: Mine went after 15k miles; 6k of which was in the Eastern salt belt in upstate NY. Those 15k miles included harsh driving conditions, off roading and plenty of high way miles. From what I have noted across forums; the expected life span is anywhere from 10-25k miles, but there are plenty of cases that fall well above and a few bellow this figure.

Maintenance: I found that weekly wipe downs/ toothbrushing and lubrication are essential to maintaining your uniballs. Granted the more you lubricate them the more they will collect debris from the road. Be specially cognizant of the LCA's as they will gather the most materials. Dry lube is the first choice, then lubricant with Teflon, and if nothing else then a silicon based lube. I would never use WD-40 on these as well. (PB-Blaster has Teflon in them and will work well for a deep lubrication if you are experiencing excess noise from your cups.)

Things to consider: Uniballs offer greater range of motion and are typically stronger than most ball joints. For many Tacomas they help to bring lifted trucks back into an acceptable alignment range. Expect LCA's to require more maintenance if you select a uniball configuration. (they are exposed so they will wear faster than a BJ) While replacing your uniball, it is a great idea to replace bushings as well, or service your heimed joints. Doing so is a preventative service and will likely save you time and remorse down the road.

I understand there may be some corrections to this thread; please be helpful and remember this was created to help people find answers. Sharp shooting, complaining, arguments, or general unwanted/ unhelpful posts should be taken else where. I hope this thread provides useful information for those that require it and may help others as it has helped me. Cheers.

 

This post will apply to most manufactures of after market A-arms. However, in this example I am detailing on a vehicle with TC UCA's and Dirt King LCA's.

Resources:
1) Torque Guide Here: Thanks to @Benson X
2) Other How To: Tools:
- Jack
- Jack Stands
- Chock Blocks
- Eye Pro
- Gloves
- Ball Joint Press
- BJ Press Master Adapter Set OR some Sockets
- 200lb Torque Wrench
- Breaker Bar
- Rubber Mallet
- Ball Pein Hammer
- Snap Ring Grips/ Needle Nose pliers
- Cutting Pliers
- Wire Brush
- Anti- seize
- PB Blaster
- Lock Tite- Red
- Brake Cleaner
- Towels/ Rags
- Bungee Chords
- Cheater Bar (Recommended)
- Wrenches: 17mm, 19mm (others if needed**)
- Sockets: 10mm, 12mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 21mm, 22mm, 24mm and 35mm. (others if needed**)



** Some sizes may be specific to my set up. This is a general list of what is required.

Prep:
1. Its a good idea to soak your hardware in PB Blaster the day/ night before doing this. Particularly if you have an older truck or live in the salt belts.

2. Ensure you are in a safe area on level ground; I trust you can jack your truck up and do basic maintenance if your reading this so this portion will be short.

3. Engage 4WD, leave key in ignition (truck off- prevents steering wheel lock) raise one side of truck- opposing tire resting on the ground. Confirm jack points are solid- Remove tire.


How to Remove Hub Assembly:

With tire removed..

1. Begin by removing your grease cap. This is done by using a flat head screw driver and a mallet to tap under and pry away from the wheel hub.



2. Next you will want to separate the brake and abs lines from the spindle. Use your small sockets to remove the brake line bracket and a flat head screw driver to gentle manipulate the tree cap from the back of the spindle. One free I would recommend removing the speed sensor bolt at this time. (Be very gentle with this- speed sensors are delicate and expensive) Just remove the sensor bolt for now.



3. Now you can remove your brake caliper from the rotor. This is done by removing two large bolts from the back of the caliper. I would have bungee chords available to hang the caliper and not bind/ stretch your brake and abs lines. I used a jack stand to rest the caliper away from the CV Axle along with the bungees. This will help you later. Notice the second/ lower caliper bolt has already been removed.



4. With the brake caliper out of the way you can now remove your rotor. Sometimes these can be seized and require some love. Give it a good whack with your mallet to free it from the hub. Once removed you should see this.



5. At this point I would recommend breaking the axle nut free. Grab your 35mm socket and a breaker bar. Once the cotter pin is removed with the lock nut go to town. Partial rotation of the hub/ axle is expected (1-3cm) This is why 4WD and the tire are left on the ground. Once it is broke free, spin it to the end of the axle threads. Do not remove it.



6. Now you can begin to work on the Four bolts holding the bearing to the spindle. These can be hard to break free so use the wrench with a cheater bar. Be careful not to apply pressure on the oil seal that is pressed into the bearing assembly. This will cause it to flatten and possible destroy the integrity of the seal. The oil seal is a gold ring with a lip. You wont be able to remove the bolts from the assembly. Your only backing them out. Practice partially loosening, then using a flat head to pry under the bearing assembly where it meets the spindle. Work in a clockwise motion and gentle separate the pieces while returning to loosen more thread from the bolts. Its a process but works. Once the bolts are free from the spindle, remove the axle nut and pull the assembly and dust shield away from the spindle.



Note: Now is a good time to remove your speed sensor, gentle wiggle and use a flat head to pry away from the housing. Check your housing for any excess debris, burn marks and broken seals/ bands.



How to Remove Spindle:

1. Break your tie rod free of the spindle. Remove cotter pin, remove castle nut, invert castle nut and thread flush with bolt. Hit with hammer until free. Leave in place for the time being. (prevents turning of the spindle)



2. Break the UCA bolt loose- leave nut at the end of the bolt. [No Pic]

3. Break the two knuckle bolts loose and remove.



4. Remove UCA bolt and Tie Rod castle nut. [No Pic]

5. Support your CV axle with one hand and separate the spindle from your UCA, Tie Rod and knuckle. It should easily pull away with minimal force.



Note: At this point you can break away and clean up your suspension components and wheel assembly. Remove old contaminants, replace seals, wipe down and regrease components for install. Be careful with your CV Axle, ensure nothing is resting on your boots and that its not under pressure. Now is also a good time to hang your axle away from the lower joint.



How to Replace Uniball:

1. This is best done with a friend, but the talented can pull this off as well. Using two large socket wrenches break the spacer assembly bolt free from the cup of the uniball. This will likely spin easily, so ensure you have a proper hold before applying pressure. [No Pic]

2. Remove snap ring from under side of cup. This may require a flat head to remove crud away from the edges or to finagle free from the housing.



3. With the snap ring removed, you can proceed to remove the the arm completely, and use a shop press to remove and install your new cups. OR as I did, a ball joint press while the arms stay on the vehicle.

Note: Using the BJ Press, assuming you have enough space below your arms- you can successfully use the press to torque the cup from the housing by tightening the push rod. If there is not enough space OR your adapters are too large. [ TC/ DK cups are exaclty 2" from outside to outside] you may be able to use a socket to substitute for an adapter. I used a 33mm with success.

Note2: In the included video: I did not have clearance, so I simply rotated the bearing and used the push rod to apply pressure to break the cup free. [old bearing was trash anyways] As you will see the video shows how much pressure was behind it, due to being seized. I learned my lesson the first side so I saved my floor with the dog bed. Once the cup breaks free it is easily tapped out with a socket and mallet. [Not my proudest moment but here's the shot]



4. With the cup removed clean out the housing as best as possible. Ensure any grease is removed and apply some anti seize to the inside of the housing. Once complete use your BJ Press or an additional floor jack to push the new cup into the housing. This should be relatively easy. If the cup is resisting or requiring a great deal of force it is likely crooked. Back it out and retry. It should press to the top with the snap ring groove becoming visible from the bottom.



Warning: Be weary of using the floor jack method. This will cause the Arm to move which could throw your vehicle from its perch and result in harm or damage. Ensure your truck is properly seated at all times while doing this. My 650lb spring was enough to cause minimal movement while pressing the new cup into place.

5. Wipe any excess Anti seize that has pushed through the housing away, and install the snap ring.

6. Reattach the Spacer assembly bolt to the knuckle and torque to 160lbs. Again best with a friend. Ensure you place anit seize on the unthreaded portion of the bolt that spins inside the spacers. And use red locktite on the threads for this bolt. [No pic]

Reassembly:

No special tricks here, but here is the order I followed.

1. Slip clean and lubricated spindle up into UCA bolt while guiding the CV axle through the oil seal. Hand thread UCA nut, and the two knuckle bolts into the bottom of the spindle. Again, use red lock tite on these.

2. Attach Tie Rod to spindle, Torque Castle nut to 41-50lbs and install new cotter pin. Next torque TC UCA bolt to 83lbs, knuckle bolts to 118lbs.

3. With the spindle firmly in place reinstall your cleaned and lubricated wheel bearing assembly. Remember the dust shield. I would apply red lock tite to the four bearing bolts prior to placing on the truck. Once the bearing is pressed up to the truck, ensure your cv splines are seated correctly into the assembly. Use the axle nut and hand tighten in place. Then evenly tighten your four bolts to 59lbs. Followed by the axle nut at 173 lbs. Apply red lock tite to the axle nut and follow with lock nut and cotter pin.

4. From here you can attach your rotor, I like to button it down with lug nuts while I apply the caliper back on. Caliper bolts to 91 lbs. Then your speed sensor, brake/ abs brackets. I didn't look up torque specs here, just ensure these are snug. DO NOT crank down on the speed sensor.

5. Place your grease cap back over the outside of your hub and hit with mallet. Reinstall your wheels and you should be good to go. Lugs should be torqued to 85lbs or more pending tire size..

 

Quick Torque Specs:

Axle Nut: 173lbs
Caliper Bolts: 91lbs
Bearing/ Spindle Nuts: 59lbs
Tie Rod: 41-50lbs
TC UCA spacer bolt: 83lbs
DK LCA spacer bolt:160lbs
LCA to Crossmember: 100 lbs

Pieced Back Together:


Finally take for a test drive and ensure all is right.



Enjoy the boat load of money you just saved with a nice cold beer.

Hope some of y'all find this helpful or useful.

 

You're pulling your hub assemblies off to replace ballpoints? Why?

 

With Dirt King LCA's you have to remove the spindle in order to gain access to the head of the uniball bolt. Makes things easier pressing the cup in/out as well.

Here is an image to elaborate the small space.

 

Hmm, why not just remove the LCA?

 

I found it to be unnecessary for what I was doing. Involves removing the knuckle, coilover and cam bolts. Then I need to find a vice or a shop press to do what I did on the truck. I didn't mind getting into the other parts of the truck. Lets me see whats going on with some of the other components and perform some mild maintenance.

 

Reviving old thread but did you need any of those special adaptors that icon or total chaos make to remove the uniballs or just the basic ball joint press works?


Also couldn't you just unbolt the uniball portion and the bottom shock mount bolt and just pull the LCA away from the spindle? I know you can do the UCA without removing anything just unbolt the uniball and that's it.
Don't see why you couldn't unbolt LCA from shock and spindle and have it just drop down to work on similar to the UCA.

I'm getting a pop from my front end whenever turning and figure UCA are 3 years old and LCA are one year old in Ontario so same salt winter climate as NY. Figure the control arms are a good place to start.