Failed at ball joint replacement while installed on the car.

[pmesfun]

I attempted to replace the ball joints with the knuckles and everything else on the car, it was impossible for me. They were too tight, original ball joints btw. So I went to my mechanic's shop for him to replace them, but he said he was booked until next week, but he could do them if I brought the knuckles to him. Dropping them off tomorrow morning.

When I took off the knuckle I noticed there was a lot of crud inside the wheel bearing area where the axle sits. For as far I can remember this car has had brake problems, when I step hard on the brakes to stop, right when the car is about to stop the abs comes on and the car will barely stop. I talked to the mechanic over the phone and his said this could be the problem since abs sensors are very sensitive, so I cleaned the crud off carefully. I didn't get close to the wheel bearing so the grease wouldn't get contaminated with dirt. I tested the bearings and they seem fine, spin pretty easily and no play. I'll have him check them. I took some before and after pics of them, I'm wondering if this normal.

Right before:



Left Before:


Left after:

Right after:

[Eye8Pussies]

I agree that it's def very possible that the dirt makes the abs sensor read things wrong


and yeah, I believe that the balljoints are easiest to remove with a press

[Mister_Perkins]

If you dont have a press available, you can heat up the knuckle with torches and beat the balljoint out too. But then you risk bending the arm, or cracking the arm. And each time you heat metal up you are making it weaker. You can rent Ball joint tools at autozone, or if you have a Vice available you can press it out with a vice as well. You just need a big enough socket or something round that will accept the ball joint when you press it out. You will also need something thats slightly smaller than the hole on the control arm as well to be able to push the balljoint out, but not get stuck in the control arm.

[AlmightyCamry777]

you don't say how many miles are on the car...but since you've gone this far in taking the front end apart, i think i'd go ahead and change the front wheel bearings now, anyway. When i did my V6 timing belt i changed a perfectly good water pump and idler pulleys for new, because generally the water pump can't be relied on - some go 150,000 miles some go 25,000 miles. Then you have to tear into it again.

Unless you are getting rid of the car in a year or two in which case i wouldn't bother.

[fenixus]

you couldn't loosen the original BJ castle nuts? they are only 90ft-lbs, a little more than wheel lug nuts. what tools were you using? last time I loosened MOOG BJ castle nuts with a borrowed from Autozone 1ft long open end wrench (1-1/16'' if I remember correctly), no problems, but that was fairly fresh install from 6mo ago.

on OEM BJ castle nuts you ought to use 19mm crowfoot 3/8'' dr, 3/8'' dr extension 6'' long, adapter to 1/2'' dr and a breaker bar (or 1/2'' torque wrench from HFT with loose handle setting), it works nice too. have you switched it to reverse setting when working from below? mind the perspective. spraying PB Blaster helps too, it penetrates threads in as little as few minutes.

if you loosened the castle nuts easily, but was unable to pull it out then this tool is your friend:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qua...tor-99849.html


screw the heating and beating it with a hammer, you will just damage other parts when doing so, this separator works like a charm.

I agree on cleaning the hub bearings on the axle side, all that dirt could have been cheating the ABS sensor easily. I see you still have original factory bearings with the idiotic rubber seal on the inside. that rubber side went to shit on my car and allowed bearing to rust (and disintegrate upon removal). the new revised Toyota design on wheel bearings is all metal on both sides (no more rubber seal), should hold up much longer than the stupid original design.

[pmesfun]

This thread is full of win. In a nutshell:
-I got everything back together. Drove 35 miles, no problems.
-My mechanic didn't charge me to replace the ball joints, because he is that awesome.
-NO MORE BRAKING PROBLEMS!!!!! Stopped from 60-0 and ABS did not come on once.
-Steering wheel is tight and solid feeling(even at highway speeds, was loose as hell before), no movement over bumps. Minimal pull to the right now and steering wheel is now centered. Not a sound over lane markers anymore.
-Taking it back sometime this week in the evening for alignment.

Only picture I took.

[fenixus]

grats

[pmesfun]

Thanks, I'm glad I took the knuckle out, would have never found the braking problem if I didn't. I still want to do an upgrade though. Pads have 50% life left so I'm not sure when.