Ammos Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 So what I am fighting with pathy today I am doing the ball joints due to the fact on the last oil change it had some play now it was rattling around for a week now I am putting on some three 555 ball joints so I got the 3 bolts out and the castle nut but I was wondering is it tapered ?I know you can't get a hammer and beat on the lower control arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Reverse Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 (edited) Sorry, you probably already figured it out, but yes, they have a tapered stud. For me the easiest way I have found to do mine is to unbolt both the upper and lower from the arms, knock the tierods out of the knuckle, remove the caliper, and the snap ring from the end of the axle halfshaft(4x4 only). Then I pull the knuckle and hub/rotor as an assembly off the truck and remove the castle nuts for the ball joints. Then it is a simple matter to knock the ball joints out. Install is reverse of disassembly. Have a jack, jack stand, or some other support under the lower control arm to help keep the torsion bar tight, makes it easier to reassemble. Sorry, just noticed that I am in the R50 forum. It is easier to just undo the castle nuts, and with a long prybar pushing the lower arm down, hit the knuckle next to the ball joints with a mini sledge or other small heavy hammer until the stud popps out of the knuckle. Then unbolt the joint from the control arm. Edited May 14, 2019 by Mr_Reverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjotrainbrain Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Moved to "The Garage" to keep R50 FAQ section reserved for FAQ's and pinned stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjotrainbrain Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Yeah, it's tapered. @Mr_Reverse's suggestion with hitting the knuckle next to the joint is the best way to get it apart without damage. When I did mine they were trashed so I didn't care about them and that method wasn't going easily enough, so I rented a set of pickle forks from my local Advance Auto (get your money back when you return the tools) and got em out pretty easy. In my opinion the hardest part was getting the ball joint past the rim on the back of the knuckle; it barely fits. Also, if you got new ball joints with grease fittings, take note of where they're pointing; I ended up going with non-greasables because the Moog's I bought initially had the fittings pointing straight at the CV, making them unserviceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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