i need to put in new ball joints on a 94 explorer. 2 questions.
1. how do i find out what front diff. i have to get the right ball joints?
2. should i just let someone else do it, put new rotors on was not too bad, but this looks a bit of a bigger job? is it wirth the time?
any help would be great!

 

1. If you have an Explorer, you should have a Dana 35 TTB (that's all they came with from the factory). I know some parts places' computers will ask if it's D28 or D35. Tell them it's a D35.

2. This I can't answer for you. I've done ball joints on both my BII and my Explorer. BII was a bear because everything was so rusted/seized that I was constantly fighting to get things apart. The Explorer was relatively easy, everything pressed out a lot easier than the BII did. I would venture to say that, if you've done the rotors before, the ball joints are deeper in the suspension, but not any more difficult. Rent/borrow the press from Autozone or somewhere.
Either way, while you're in there, check the axleshaft u-joints. The axleshaft has to come out to get at the ball joints, this would be a good time to replace the u-joints if they are bad.

 

thanks for all the help. that made my choice to do the work myself a lot easier. going to get the parts. will check the u joints.

 

You made the right choice, you will save a bunch of money and learn from the experience. It is also a good excuse to buy some tools! The toughest part of the job will be removing the spindle and the steering knukle. The rest of the job is not difficult, just time consuming.

Good luck!

 

the spindle is rusted on, i have bet the hell on it and used enough pb blaster to free up a rusted tank! anyone have any good ideas as to how to get this thing loose? dealer just said to hit around the edges, no luck! am going to find a way to get this thing off i don't give up. HELP!

 

Fun, fun, fun

I won't tell you how I got the spindle off on my BII, I'm not sure I'd want to repeat that.

Some say the best way is to put a locknut (from manual hubs would probably be best, the autohub locknut probably wouldn't hold up) on the spindle, then grab that locknut with a slide hammer and hammer away.

If that spindle is seized on there that bad, the ball joints will likely be pretty seized in, too. Make sure you have the right press to get those ball joints out.

 

I picked up 4 new ball joints last weekend for my 93 I plan to change out during the holiday week next week. I'm hoping I don't have the rust issues mentioned. I doo like the "new job - new tool" justification theory though. Use it all the time.

I'm also going to remove the front diff and reseal it since it's been leaking for about 8 years. I've asked around at a couple parts houses and no one has a gasket for the pumpkin on the twin I-beam Dana 35. Anyone know if this exists or just slap a wad of RTV back on it?

 

I made a puller for mine using a piece of channel with a hole in the middle and a couple of coupling nuts and long bolts. The spindle nut (manual hubs) was used along with the home made puller.

A better option is a spindle puller tool that works with a slide hammer, I would have used this option if I did not have access to make my own puller. It takes approximately 4000 hammer blows to remove it without a puller of some sort. I removed one side without a puller and the other with a puller.

You will get it eventually. Remember to soak the back side with PB blaster where the spindle is almost press fit to the steering knuckle.

Good Luck

 

Jharger, I hope white 94 doesn't mind if I comment on your question on his thread...I threw out this question awhile back and the response I got was that they thought it was just RTV. I thought mine was leaking, but I felt like a big dummy when I found power steering fluid leaking onto it and running down inside near the "pumpkin".

 

Funny you mention PS fluid SJ. I just looked at a drip tonight that sure isn't gear oil. Felt like brake fluid but still had some lubrication to it. PS fluid makes sense. I'll investigate that first. Thanks for the tip. I'm not looking forward to pulling that pumpkin.

But I still want to keep to the thread's topic so I have another question on the ball joint job. I spent a couple hours tonight reading my repair manual and other literature I've found. I see now why the spindle and drive axels must be removed - the axels are in the way if you want to push the lower ball joint up and out of the knuckle. It seems like a few taps of the hammer and the spindle should fall right off - per the manual. Not the case though huh?

OK once the spindle is off, there is one additional bearing and 2 seals to consider. Inside the spindle is a roller bearing for the axel shaft to ride on and a seal to keep water/dirt out of there. Then there is a larger seal that seals the axel shaft on the backside of the spindle or spindle seat, towards the middle of the car side of the assembly. Do folks typically replace the bearing and the 2 seals while you're there?

I've only got maybe a couple thousand miles, if that, on the front running gear in 4WD. A little snow now and then going skiing and a few 4WD off road trips every once in a while.

 

Whether the spindle will come off easily or not is hard to predict. As noted, the spindles on my '92 Explorer (Originally from Heber City, so it's always been subjected to the salt, cold, and heat of Utah) came off pretty easily with a few good wacks of a 2.5 lb soft-faced dead blow hammer. The spindles on my '87 BII (originally from Ca, moved to Ut in the mid '90's) were so seized up that they resisted nearly everything I could throw at them. Only way to find out would be to get everything out of the way and start beating on the spindle and see what happens.

As for the spindle bearings, it depends. When I've had the axles out on both of mine, the spindle bearings were in good shape and had grease in them. They frequently get neglected, and I've seen a few reports from people who pull the spindle and find the bearings dry, rusted and worthless.

And, if you ever do drop the pumpkin, for whatever reason, that would be the ideal time to make absolutely sure your stub shaft u-joint is in good shape. The worst part of replacing that u-joint is getting the stub shaft out which is held in the diff by a C-clip. Might consider (if you're into that sort of thing) modifying to permanently remove the C-clip.

 

after using a half can of pb plaster and waking the hell out of it, i let it sit over nite. and with a dead blow mallet, ( these things are great for betting the crap out of anything) the next day the spindle began to move and finally came off with a little wedging around with screw drivers. that was a great moment! so the bottom line, if its rusted and you have the time, spray it, hit around it with said mallet repeat. let sit over nite and hit around and it will come off. yes you can hit the spindle out on the neck with dead blow mallet. no denting. well i learn with new challenge, thanks for the help

 

So now that it's apart, and with some obviouos previous trauma due to the removal difficulties, how does the inside of the spindle look? - bearing and seals?

 

all the seals and bearings were in good condition. i just had to grind out the rust from the inside areas of the spindle so everything would seat up nice and tight. then i greased those areas up, so if in future won't have problem again. thanks for asking.