ball joint tightening

[mjshort18]

hey everyone, i replaced my coilovers with the factory springs and when i did this i took apart the ball joint in the front and i could not get it to tighten up very far because it just spins the ball. what do i do to tighten this up? thanks to anyone who can help me.

[whtteg]

Are the threads clean and is ity cross threaded? You should be able to finger tighten it enough to put pressure on it so that it does not spin. I would make sure that the threads are clean, very clean use a wire brush if you have to, and then try again. If it still does not tighten up without spinning then take your floor jack and put it under the lower control arm and gently put some pressure upward on the lower control arm, not the weight of the car, just a little pressure. This will help the tappered part of hte balljoint to wedge into the lower control arm so it does not spin.

[mjshort18]

thanks for the help whtteg, the problem i have though is that the crown nut is already on and i cant get it to come off or go on any farther. i will try the jack idea though because that sounds like a good solution. thanks alot and it you have any other inputs i would really appriciate it.

[2CivicGarage]

If this is still a problem that you haven't solved, here is the answer:
When you try to put the nut back on a balljoint and the shaft just spins, it means you need a new balljoint. This, like any suspension component, should be replaced on both sides at the same time.

[mjshort18]

really? i thought ball joints were supposed to be able to spin, so they can move when your suspension moves up and down. i do still have the problem so if you can give me more info i would appriciate it.

[2CivicGarage]

nope, if it spins a 360 it's time for a new one. Balljoints are designed to move back and forth, side to side and so on, but not spin. This would defeat the purpose of securing it with a nut on a threaded shaft (hence the reason you cannot tighten it). To remove, you wil most likely need a 3 jaw puller (2 jaw may work, but it's a pain in the ass). I assume you have a balljoint seperator or a pitman arm already to remove the knuckle from the control arm. If you feel the need to hit your old balljoint in order to get it out, by all means, beat the shit out of it, just don't hit the new one UNLESS you have a brass hammer. Installation is reverse of the removal. Hope this helps. Btw, you should invest in a Haynes or Chilton manual, they really come in handy for these kind odf repairs and will save you tons of money in the long run.

[mjshort18]

ok, thanks alot, i do have a haynes manual so i should be able to use that to help me but i do not have a 3 or 2 jaw puller. well thanks for all the help.

[S13wanabe]

You don't really have to get new ball joints. You usually would have to get the whole control arm which could get more costly than you want. Try air tools. They will usually work. Make sure to put pressure on the lower control arm though, I did it and it worked for me. Good luck.