Do-it-yourself ball replacement - how to double the resource of parts

A ball joint is a simple part that is a hinge. Thanks to it, the wheels can turn and not change their position in relation to the roadway. Due to the fact that the parts support the weight of the car, their serviceability is important for safe and comfortable driving.


The design of the suspension is different. If in budget models one ball is most often installed, then in more advanced ones there may be two - external and internal. In multi-link, they are placed above and below, and in some models (most often in German) there can be up to 5 hinges per wheel.

Symptoms of a malfunction

In order to prevent a situation where, due to wear, the spherical tip jumped out of the body and the car sat down on the asphalt, it is necessary to detect a malfunction in advance:

• ✅ When driving over bumps and poor-quality roads, a knock is heard, it can be both weak and strong
  
• ✅ The steering becomes stiffer, it is more difficult to turn, the car can pull to the side. It does not follow a straight line path, as it should be in the normal state of the suspension.
  
• ✅ A creak is heard in the hub when maneuvering and roll appears
  
• ✅ Tires on the front axle wear out unevenly, the tread wears out more at the edges
  

Knocks and other problems can also appear due to other nodes. No need to rush to buy spare parts, it is better to diagnose.

How to check ball

There are several ways to use them, you do not need special equipment. Do you need a pit or overpass, and an assistant. The work options are:

• ✅ For the top support. Put the car on handbrake. One person must press the brakes, and the second, holding the top of the wheel, swing it back and forth. If there is at least a little free play, you need to change the part
  
• ✅ For the bottom, you can use the method with jacking and rocking the tire. If it does not hold tightly, it is best to check for sure in the way described below.
  
• ✅ Drive the car into a pit or overpass. Raise the side to be checked, insert the mount between the ball mount and the fist or lever, the main thing is not to damage the rubber part. Gently swing the connection, even a small backlash will be visible.

Inspection can also give a result. If the anther is torn or cracked, most likely dirt and sand got inside, which caused the assembly to fail.

How to change

It is worth disassembling the process of replacing the lower ball joint, it is on all cars. The upper one changes by analogy with corrections for location. Instructions may vary depending on the method of attaching the ball joint. It is better to inspect the knot in advance in order to know what tools will be needed.

If the support is pressed into the lever, automakers recommend replacing the entire assembly. But you can save. To do this, you should contact a turner or car mechanic to press out the old ball joint and carefully put a new one in its place. To do this, you need special devices, which are most often not available in a regular garage.

When the hinge is fixed with a nut twisted on a finger, the instruction consists of the following steps:

• ✅ Inspect the attachment point, clean it of dirt with a brush and process it abundantly with a liquid key. it is also recommended to disconnect the stabilizer link so that the lever travel is greater
  
• ✅ Tear off the nut and unscrew it, but not completely. Often it rests on the semi-axis and it can be removed only by moving the ball from the seat in the lever
  
• ✅ The main trick is no need to remove the wheel, knock with a sledgehammer and so on. Suspension spring force will be used to remove the pin. When the wheel is level, there is a small distance between the fist and the lever, a limiter must be inserted into it. It is best to choose a chisel of suitable thickness or other metal object
  
• ✅ Then you need to raise the wheel with a jack, as the car rises, the spring will put more and more pressure on the ball. If you hear a click - the finger is out of the seat. When it remains, you can hit the steering knuckle on the hung wheel with a hammer. Usually 2-3 times is enough
  

It is necessary to assemble in the reverse order, being careful. It is important not to damage the rubber boot and the threads on the finger. In no case should you hammer the swivel joint with a hammer.


The second option is ball bearings, fixed with screws or rivets and fixed with a coupling bolt in the eye on the steering knuckle. In this case, the work will be slightly different:

• ✅ Treat the bolt with a liquid wrench, leave for 5-10 minutes, then carefully unscrew the nut. To remove the bolt from the eye, you must first turn it with a ratchet, and then press it from the back and pull it out
  
• ✅ Depending on the method of fastening, the hinge must be unscrewed or drilled out with rivets, and instead of them, use bolts of a suitable diameter
  
• ✅ Assemble in reverse order, being careful when inserting your finger into the eye, very often the anther is damaged at this stage
  

If the entire lever is being changed, you need to remove the old part and install a new one in its place. If possible, use new fasteners and self-locking nuts that do not loosen even with strong vibration.

What to do to increase the resource of ball bearings

Parts go from 15 to 120 thousand km, depending on the type and quality of workmanship. But almost any can be modified so that it lasts twice as long on average as usual:

• ✅ Buy high-quality grease for swivel joints. Most often, one of these options is used: Liqui Moly Thermoflex Spezialfett, Molykote PG-65, Motul Tech Grease 300, Amalie Elixir Green Synthetic Calcium Sulfonate Grease or ShRB-4 from Agrinol. The latest product is not inferior to the previous ones in terms of characteristics, but it costs several times cheaper.
  
• ✅ Carefully remove the ring at the bottom of the boot. Pry off the end and lift it up so as not to scratch the rubber part. Then lift it up or remove it and remove the grease installed at the factory, often there is not enough of it. You don’t need a perfect result - just wipe the composition from the hinge part and the inside of the anther
  
• ✅ Apply new grease, it is recommended to drive it into the cavity between the metal and the nylon insert with a syringe. But you can just put a moderate layer around, when moving, the composition is distributed by itself. It is not necessary to put a lot, so that after putting on the anther it does not burst. Collect the item back
  
• ✅ After winter, inspect the rubber elements for cracks. If the surface is damaged, you can replace the protective part,
  Before winter, it is advisable to clean the anthers and treat them with silicone grease. This will increase their elasticity and eliminate cracking when the temperature drops.
  

If there is enough high-quality grease in the ball, and the anther is intact, it lasts many times longer. Sometimes it happens that the protective elements are changed several times (at the same time, the lubricant can be updated), and the hinge remains in perfect condition. Masters at car services claim that almost always ball joints fail not due to wear, but due to water and sand getting into them.