Before I tackled the job of replacing the ball joints, I did ALOT of research and found that individuals who crafted the homemade seal driver tool had to do more than just screw pieces of pipe together... most had to grind or use a lathe to get the piece the correct diameter.
Not wanting to spend my time fabricating the tool, I found this for $60... what's so great about it is it drives the seal to the correct depth... no guessing. Heres a pic and the link to it.
I just made the tool for about $17 at Lowe's (for some reason Home Depot does not sell 1-1/4" galvanized pipe) and had it turned down for free (machine shop does a lot of military contract work and hooked me up).
I'm going to tackle this tomorrow (and maybe Sunday too, but hopefully not) and I have one question:
What did you guys find worked best to clean off all the rust, dirt and grime off all the parts? I was thinking of using some fine emery cloth for the inside of the knuckle and the ball joint sleeves. I wanted to kind of clean up the front end and bring back some of the black to the knuckles, axle housing and everything else while I had it up and torn apart. I figured that since I'm replacing all the steering linkages (both drag links, both tie rod ends, both adjustment tubes) along with the ball joints I'd like it all to look nice again (to match my new front springs that are black too).
Any good recommendations for solvents, cleaners, etc.? I'm going to go crazy with the PB Blaster tonight so that it has a chance to penetrate before tomorrow morning.
Thanks for any info.
__________________ THE MOOSE
2003 F-250 PSD 7.3 Lariat FX4 CC/SB, 4R100, 3.73LS, dual alternators with 188K+ Miles
AIH delete, In-Tank (ITP) and Harpoon Mod, SS HPX, 203F Thermo w/Billet Housing, FTVB, '08 Rear Diff Cover, Headlight Harness (GOS), Zoodad (King Style), 6637, Foil Delete, Engine/CAC boots (Dieselsite), Moog Ball Joints, BFG Mud-Terrain TA KM2 285/75-16
Real Men Redline Less Than 3500 RPM
I just made the tool for about $17 at Lowe's (for some reason Home Depot does not sell 1-1/4" galvanized pipe) and had it turned down for free (machine shop does a lot of military contract work and hooked me up).
I'm going to tackle this tomorrow (and maybe Sunday too, but hopefully not) and I have one question:
What did you guys find worked best to clean off all the rust, dirt and grime off all the parts? I was thinking of using some fine emery cloth for the inside of the knuckle and the ball joint sleeves. I wanted to kind of clean up the front end and bring back some of the black to the knuckles, axle housing and everything else while I had it up and torn apart. I figured that since I'm replacing all the steering linkages (both drag links, both tie rod ends, both adjustment tubes) along with the ball joints I'd like it all to look nice again (to match my new front springs that are black too).
Any good recommendations for solvents, cleaners, etc.? I'm going to go crazy with the PB Blaster tonight so that it has a chance to penetrate before tomorrow morning.
Thanks for any info.
One of the first things I would get is the 3 jaw puller... OMG that is the #1 time saver... Make the seal install tool and grab some brake cleaner and green and blue scotch bright pads and clean away... Mine is great, but must have a bad bearing or something as I am still getting the popping in the left front. Good luck and have fun.
Also thanks to everyone that has posted help on this job....
Doc.
__________________
2001 F-250 Crewcab 7.3 Auto 4X4.
Add on's 6637 air filter mod, Full 4" exhaust and a Bull Dog chip set at 65 hp.
TIRE SMOKIN, NOS PURGIN AND TURBO'S SCREAMING THAT IS PMRA DRAG RACING.
It's night and day to drive it now (and I haven't even got an alignment yet). The wander is gone and the slop is all but eliminated (there's a little left, but it's a big truck and a new Redhead steering box wasn't in the budget this time).
I spent 8 hrs on Saturday and 8 hrs on Sunday. Yes, I could have done it quicker, but in my defense I was also replacing all my steering components from the pitman arm to the knuckles as well (both drag links and both tie rod ends). I tried to save them as best I could for spares, but I eventually had to give in and pickle fork the pitman arm to inner drag link joint (not enough room to get a puller in there and have it hold onto the link).
I had a copy of almost every write-up done on ball joints and used some portion of almost every one. Things I learned:
1. Steering knuckles don't line up well on a 12 ton press, so stand off to the side when pressing ball joints in/out (don't ask, the safety violations rose at the same rate as my frustration). At the end of it all, ball joints were swapped and there were no broken/severed appendages. It was a win/win (now I can look back with a sigh of relief and crack a smile).
2. Make the tool. It was perfect! I can't imagine doing it any other way (or paying $$$ for a special tool). About $17 at Home Depot and a quick stop at a local machine shop with a metal lathe and I was in business.
3. If you are replacing the axle seal (the one that requires the special tool), set aside some time to get it off. After several jaw pullers, I gave up and used a chisel and banged the cr@p out of it with a small sledge. It took me almost an hour to get both seals off (use that hammer to reshape the metal shield piece back to somewhat of it's original form).
4. Don't forget to put the dust shield on when you put the hub back on the knuckle!
5. Don't forget to put the dust shield on the correct way when you put the hub back on the knuckle!
At first glance, it may seem like steps 4 and 5 are the same. They are not! I do not want to discuss how many times (2) I had to pull the hub back off...
Thanks to everybody who took the time to take pictures, write it up or comment on how it went for them. Without this thread, I can't imagine how long it would have taken me.
Thanks again. And a special thanks to Racerguy for starting this thread almost 7 years ago...
__________________ THE MOOSE
2003 F-250 PSD 7.3 Lariat FX4 CC/SB, 4R100, 3.73LS, dual alternators with 188K+ Miles
AIH delete, In-Tank (ITP) and Harpoon Mod, SS HPX, 203F Thermo w/Billet Housing, FTVB, '08 Rear Diff Cover, Headlight Harness (GOS), Zoodad (King Style), 6637, Foil Delete, Engine/CAC boots (Dieselsite), Moog Ball Joints, BFG Mud-Terrain TA KM2 285/75-16
Real Men Redline Less Than 3500 RPM
Well, I started my 2005 Balljoint and hub work yesterday. Tearing down the parts was a breeze, finding a large enough external clip plier was a whole different story, it took me 2 days to locate one locally. I took the easy way out and took the knuckle and axle to my buddy's machine shop to replace the ball joints and seal, it took him less than 10 minutes and it cost me a 12 pack of beer.
I thought I was free and clear but I ran into a snag, I can't tighten the lower balljoint because the shaft keeps spinning. I have tried the jack method, but nothing. I don't have access to a air compressor, so no impact gun. Anyone have any suggestions?
Most nuts provided have those indentations to prevent them from loosening. Sometimes it's deformed too much, preventing you from getting them on. You could just file a little from inside the nut, only where it's deformed though.
You could also use some of that wick in loctite too.
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RCV Supertourer 6.0 V8 TDi.
