2001 lower ball joint advice

I think I have everything I need - lower ball joint and hardware, puller, manual, but I just wondered if any of you out there had any advice or tricks for replacing this part?

As stated in the OEM repair manual, it says to remove the steering rod end also, I'm assuming this is to gain enough clearance to pull the ball joint out of the lower suspension arm? Is this really even need on a 2001?

Also, any tricks or advice on removing the fuel tank and pump unit? I will soon be pulling it out to repair that sending unit to fix the guage/CEL issue. I've read over the manual, but just wondering if there are any good things to know before I get into that job?

Thanks in advance!
Mark

For the ball joints, pop the upper ones loose as well. Its very hard to slide the lower joints in an out of the control arm otherwise. I did it but it was a very big hassle. The first time I did lower joints on mine I could not get them to pop. I had to use a torch to heat the knuckle around the joint (it will set fire to the boots and grease) and use a good heavy pickle fork (craftsman) with a steep angle. I broke a puller trying to use that instead of a pickle fork. Also you will need to remove the snap ring from the end of the cv shaft inside the front hub. This will allow you to slide the cv some and sneak the 4 bolts past it.

Fuel sending unit, use a 2x10 or 2x12 between a floor jack and the tank if you can find one to even the load. Try to run as much fuel out as you can without running out of gas. I think I had 1/4 left when I did mine and it was still really heavy. Instead of removing the fuel lines at the pump and risking breaking the plastic pump, I removed a couple of the 10mm head bolts attaching the fuel lines to the tank at the front, then lowered the front of the tank down and removed the rubber lines there. Other then that its pretty straight forward, 2 bolts in front, 2 in back and remove all the hoses. You will need snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring holding the pump in.

Thanks Giz!

What you said about the lower joints not wanting to pop was exactly what I was worried about. I have a puller very similar to the one listed in the OEM manual, but I also plan to have a pitch fork and cylinder style ball joint remover on hand just in case! Mine is 2 wheel drive, and that is why I was wondering about the steering tie rod the manual stated, thinking of what you said about the CV joint - to make just enough clearance.

I just bought the fuel sending unit kit on ebay that the one guy on this forum talked about. The lines you where talking about, removing with the 10mm instead of at the pump, I was wondering about just that, figured it might be easier to remove the rubber clamped hoses rather than mess with some plastic quick connects! So the pump unit is held on to the tank by a snap ring versus a turn-down style (one you would use a screwdriver to turn loose)? Also, did you have to by a new seal for between the pump unit and tank or is it a pretty durable one?

Thanks a bunch for your advice!!
Mark

Popping the tie rod off can be helpfull. Try and pop them off if you can. The first time I did mine one tie rod popped out but the other stayed stuck. The side with the tie rod off was a little easier to work with.

When I did the fuel lines on my tank I only removed the front 1 or 2 bolts then let down the front of the tank just enough to get to the rubber lines, didnt want to go too far and break something. I did end up tearing up the rubber fuel line though cuz it was stuck on good. Luckily its only a short section that runs over the cross member to the fuel filter. So I replaced both rubber lines, fuel filter, and got rid of those stupid spring clamps. I cant stand those things and always replace them with some like THESE (http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=DOR&MfrPartNumber=55172&CategoryCode=3055)
I bought my sending unit kit from Isuzu and it came with 2 sending units (different sized plugs) and an o-ring seal for the pump body. I went ahead and used the new one though the old one looked fine. The pump on mine was held in with a large snap ring, different years might have a different design.

Ok, now I get what you mean about the tank. Did the new sending unit fix the guage/CEL issue, any problems with the pump afterwards?

Did you pop the upper one out of the knuckle or just loosen the attach bolts and remove it that way? Did removing the wheel speed sensor give you any problems, or did you even have to remove it?

Don't mean to ask too many questions, I just like to get a good idea of a job before I get into it on a vehicle I need the next day!

Thanks!

The sending unit solved the problem on mine. Some need to have the ECU reprogrammed for the new sending unit, but most dont. Pump is still working fine almost 4 yrs later.

The first time I did the ball joints I did uppers and lowers at the same time (along with lots of other things) so had them both off at the same time. Since the upper one mounts on top of the control arm you cant just unbolt it. The second time I did them (ripped boots) I just did the lowers and spent probably 3x longer and alot more frustration then if I had popped the upper ones loose. I couldnt get the wheels sensors out of the knuckle and didnt want to risk breaking them. I was able to get enough slack by unbolting the wires from the upper control arm.

Good deal about the fuel pump staying good for years after. Hopefully I don't need an ECU re-program, especially since I don't know what that unit is?!:runaround:

I noticed after I posted last night that like you said, unbolting the uppers would have no effect - duh. I take it you used the fork to pop off the uppers? At least on my '01, the speed sensor is in the way if you were to use a puller. were you able to use the fork without damaging the boots though?

Hopefully being here in SC, not having the rust you guys have on the vehicles out west and up north, I won't have quite as many problems as you did. When you did it without popping off the uppers, did you break anything else loose then?

Thanks again!
Mark

For the uppers ones I just jacked up the front a bit and put a steel bar (2x4 would also work) between the bottom of the upper arm and ground then let the jack down a little bit. This way there is some upward pressure on the arm. Then loosened the castle nut so there was some space but it was still on. Then using 2 hammers (24 oz ball peen and 3 lb sledge) I placed the ball peen against one side of the knuckle and smacked the other side with the sledge. 3 or 4 hard hits and it popped loose. Worked on both sides.

When I did the lowers the 2nd time the only other thing I took loose was the tie rod ends. But I was replacing them at the same time so dont know if it actually is needed. Getting the old ones out was hard but getting the new ones in was alot harder. The new ones will be really stiff so its hard get them to move the way the need to so you can slide them in. Took alot of creative hammering and even more creative words.

Dont have much rust here since they use magnesium chloride on the roads instead of salt. But my rodeo spent the 1st year or two in wisconsin so has a bit of rust.

I figured you guys had the same stuff I remember from growing up in New York and then Michigan - nothing but pure salt and dirt!

I'll only bug you with one more question - you said you didn't remove the speed sensor, so it obviousely wasn't affected by the heat applied with the torch on the lower ball joint?

When I get mine done, I'll let you know how it went, and if the puller I bought was worth it, I'll send you a link where I bought it if you ever need it!

Thanks again for all the good advice!
Mark

You really should not be heating suspension or steering components. Use a good heavy duty pickle fork and a hand sledge and smack the crap out of it until it separates. If using a puller its good to get the puller tight pressing on the ball stud and it it doesn't pop, hit the knuckle with a hammer. It should pop it loose instead of continuing to tighten the puller and breaking it.

Cat Fuzz,

I've done that type of thing with a puller on machinery gears of different sorts, good idea!

I'm going to invest in a good pickle fork too, and have a good quality puller that looks identical to the one shown in the repair manual.

Thanks you guys for the advice!

Mark

AHA! SUCCESS! Ya, I know, big deal you guys might say, but it's done!! I wound up actually using a mixture of advice given here. The friend of mine that helped me out is a good mechanic too, and it was a bit of work to get it out, but the puller, heat, and framming with hammer and brass punch did it.

We had it on a jack stand, with the jack supporting the lower arm. the steering tie-rod was disconnected (came off pretty easy with the puller), the ball-joint nut was loosened all the way to the end of the threads and the puller was put on. As I was cranking on the puller, the other guy was constantly tapping on the knuckle with a brass punch and ball-peen. It got to the point of being tight enough that only when he tapped it, would I get a fraction of a turn. We decided to heat up that knuckle with the puller still attached and plenty of pressure on it. Only when it got hot enough to start burning off some of the grease, like Giz talked about, did I get some turn on the puller and then - POP- it was loose (and hot as hell! LOL).

He raised the jack up as I worked the whole knuckle (still attached by the upper ball joint) down until the ball joint just cleared, It wanted to spring upward, so I had to ease it up and rear-ward. With the steering tie-rod removed I was able to move the whole forementioned assembly to the rear (like the wheel turned to the extreme left ) and remove the balljoint straight out. Put it back together, attach bolts to 85 ft-lbs and big balljoint nut to 108 ft-lbs (this as per the actual service manual).

Giz, since the puller worked, here ya go: ebay store (http://search.stores.ebay.com/Summit-Racing-Equipment_summit_W0QQsaselZ178360995QQsofpZ0) - in the search box, the part number is w142. I found the hub spindle nut wrench there too - number w83007.

Again, thanks for the advice, as I hope this post might help someone down the road. I had a camera to take pics, but I forgot to pick it up the whole time - oops!

Glad you were able to get it. Probably one reason mine was more difficult when I just did the lowers is because of mine being lifted. With the front torsion bars cranked up its difficult to get the lower arms horizontal.

When I did the fuel lines on my tank I only removed the front 1 or 2 bolts then let down the front of the tank just enough to get to the rubber lines, didnt want to go too far and break something. I did end up tearing up the rubber fuel line though cuz it was stuck on good. Luckily its only a short section that runs over the cross member to the fuel filter. So I replaced both rubber lines, fuel filter, and got rid of those stupid spring clamps.

Hey Dave,

I've got to crawl under, drop the tank & replace my sending unit/fuel pump soon.

You wouldn't happen to recall the size of the feed/return fuel lines, would you? ID/OD?

I assume the feed line is a pressure line, but not the return, correct?

Thanks Dave

XR

Sorry I dont remember. I had some laying around here either 1/4" or 5/16" I think and made that work till I got to the parts store with the original to match it up.

Giz,

Just wanted to let you know I got the sending unit replaced today - all went well!

The seal that I got with the kit wasn't the right one, instead of the flat style, it was rounded and too small - luckily put a little vasaline on the old one, and no leaky!

Thanks again for your advice, and mine did look like your old one that you posted the picture of some time back.

Mark

Glad you got it. Always nice to hear someone successfully repairing problems.

Ok, I just did another ball joint so the process is fresh in my mind again. I'll post this as a help for future forum searchers. This is for my 94 4x4.

You don't have to pop loose the tie rod. Remove the caliper and tie it up. Do not let it dangle by the brake hose!

Pull the locking hub assembly. Try to keep it as intact as possible and set it aside. Start removing the rotor. The three little screws can be stuck so make sure you use a good quality #2 phillips screw driver to remove them. Go buy a new one if you have to. It might help to tap the end of the screw driver a couple times to help loosen the screws. Remove the outer bearings and pull the rotor. The seal might be holding it. Just give it a good tug. You might want to replace the seal while you have it apart. Remove the backing plate. Three 10 mm bolts. Remove the cotter pins on both the upper and lower ball joint studs and remove the castle nuts. If you are only replacing the lower ball joint, go ahead and use a pickle fork to separate it. Your going to need a good hand sledge, standing up and getting a good swing. You may need to smack the crap out of it or it might pop on the first whack. You will also need to seperate the upper ball joint. A pickle fork won't work here especially if you don't plan on replacing it. You don't want to tear the grease boot or you'll be tearing it apart again in a few months. What you need here is a good long pry bar and a nice ball peen hammer. Place the castle nut back on the stud and tighten it a couple turns. Using the pry bar, pry the upper control arm up while using the steering knuckle as the fulcrum. Push down somewhat hard and smack the steering knuckle where the stud goes through. Be prepared for it to release suddenly. You might have to smack it quite a few times. Once you have both ball joint sperated, you can wiggle the steering knuckle around and get it away from the CV axle and now you have room to remove the lower ball joint. You new ball joint should come with new hardware including bolts, nuts, and lock washers as well as a new castle nut and cotter pin or a new nylon locking nut. If it doesn't, take it back! Find one that does come with new hardware.


Reverse the procedure to re-assemble. Torque everything to specifications. Don't kill yourself.

Good point about the hardware, but I actually ran into something when I replaced mine that you reminded me of. Looking at my Haynes, the picture of the lower ball joint doesn't go into the control arm like my '01 - must be a 1st gen vs. 2nd gen thing, but the joint I got from Napa - the top one ($75) came with hardware apparently for the older style because the nut grabbed on maybe 3 threads of the new bolt! Needless to say, I re-used the old mounting bolts!

Mark

Ok, I just did another ball joint so the process is fresh in my mind again. I'll post this as a help for future forum searchers. This is for my 94 4x4.

You don't have to pop loose the tie rod. Remove the caliper and tie it up. Do not let it dangle by the brake hose!

Pull the locking hub assembly. Try to keep it as intact as possible and set it aside. Start removing the rotor. The three little screws can be stuck so make sure you use a good quality #2 phillips screw driver to remove them. Go buy a new one if you have to. It might help to tap the end of the screw driver a couple times to help loosen the screws. Remove the outer bearings and pull the rotor. The seal might be holding it. Just give it a good tug. You might want to replace the seal while you have it apart. Remove the backing plate. Three 10 mm bolts. Remove the cotter pins on both the upper and lower ball joint studs and remove the castle nuts. If you are only replacing the lower ball joint, go ahead and use a pickle fork to separate it. Your going to need a good hand sledge, standing up and getting a good swing. You may need to smack the crap out of it or it might pop on the first whack. You will also need to seperate the upper ball joint. A pickle fork won't work here especially if you don't plan on replacing it. You don't want to tear the grease boot or you'll be tearing it apart again in a few months. What you need here is a good long pry bar and a nice ball peen hammer. Place the castle nut back on the stud and tighten it a couple turns. Using the pry bar, pry the upper control arm up while using the steering knuckle as the fulcrum. Push down somewhat hard and smack the steering knuckle where the stud goes through. Be prepared for it to release suddenly. You might have to smack it quite a few times. Once you have both ball joint sperated, you can wiggle the steering knuckle around and get it away from the CV axle and now you have room to remove the lower ball joint. You new ball joint should come with new hardware including bolts, nuts, and lock washers as well as a new castle nut and cotter pin or a new nylon locking nut. If it doesn't, take it back! Find one that does come with new hardware.


Reverse the procedure to re-assemble. Torque everything to specifications. Don't kill yourself.

I know this is a little old...
But I am about to attempt to change out all 4 of my ball joints along with "flipping" the upper ones on install.
I have been a aircraft mechanic for 25+ years and have worked a lot on my own cars over the years... So I am familiar with mechanics... but
I am a newbie to suspension work and have limited experience. So any info and advice will be very welcome.
My truck is a 1995.5 Passport 4x4 with a 3inch body lift and 3" shackles with the torsion bars fully torqued.

A Couple starting questions : Do I need to release the tension on the torsion bars before starting?
.. and when attempting to break free the lower ball joints, should I support the lower arm with a floor jack or just support the frame?
Thanks much for any info :)

Ok, I just did another ball joint so the process is fresh in my mind again. I'll post this as a help for future forum searchers. This is for my 94 4x4.

You don't have to pop loose the tie rod. Remove the caliper and tie it up. Do not let it dangle by the brake hose!

Pull the locking hub assembly. Try to keep it as intact as possible and set it aside. Start removing the rotor. The three little screws can be stuck so make sure you use a good quality #2 phillips screw driver to remove them. Go buy a new one if you have to. It might help to tap the end of the screw driver a couple times to help loosen the screws. Remove the outer bearings and pull the rotor. The seal might be holding it. Just give it a good tug. You might want to replace the seal while you have it apart. Remove the backing plate. Three 10 mm bolts. Remove the cotter pins on both the upper and lower ball joint studs and remove the castle nuts. If you are only replacing the lower ball joint, go ahead and use a pickle fork to separate it. Your going to need a good hand sledge, standing up and getting a good swing. You may need to smack the crap out of it or it might pop on the first whack. You will also need to seperate the upper ball joint. A pickle fork won't work here especially if you don't plan on replacing it. You don't want to tear the grease boot or you'll be tearing it apart again in a few months. What you need here is a good long pry bar and a nice ball peen hammer. Place the castle nut back on the stud and tighten it a couple turns. Using the pry bar, pry the upper control arm up while using the steering knuckle as the fulcrum. Push down somewhat hard and smack the steering knuckle where the stud goes through. Be prepared for it to release suddenly. You might have to smack it quite a few times. Once you have both ball joint sperated, you can wiggle the steering knuckle around and get it away from the CV axle and now you have room to remove the lower ball joint. You new ball joint should come with new hardware including bolts, nuts, and lock washers as well as a new castle nut and cotter pin or a new nylon locking nut. If it doesn't, take it back! Find one that does come with new hardware.


Reverse the procedure to re-assemble. Torque everything to specifications. Don't kill yourself.
I know this is a little old...
But I am about to attempt to change out all 4 of my ball joints along with "flipping" the upper ones on install.
I have been a aircraft mechanic for 25+ years and have worked a lot on my own cars over the years... So I am familiar with mechanics... but
I am a newbie to suspension work and have limited experience. So any info and advice will be very welcome.
My truck is a 1995.5 Passport 4x4 with a 3inch body lift and 3" shackles with the torsion bars fully torqued.

A Couple starting questions : Do I need to release the tension on the torsion bars before starting?
.. and when attempting to break free the lower ball joints, should I support the lower arm with a floor jack or just support the frame?
Thanks much for any info :)

RockinV,

I can relate, as I've been an aircraft mech for about 13 yrs, and have also had limited automotive experience until these last few yrs.

As far as your questions, I don't think there would be any reason to mess with the torsion bars. They act as a strut would - to keep the front end up while driving. Their position also effects the alignment. There shouldn't be any reason to release the tension, because as soon as you jack the front, the front arms rest against the stop. Only if you needed to take the lower arm off would the torsion bar be a consideration.

As far as your second question, when I did mine, we had the front end on jack stands and used a jack to support the arm. This was so the arm didn't slam down to the stop when the ball joint was free.

Hope this helps,
Mark