How to replace upper and lower ball joints on a '99 4x4 Durango.

[mamasboy]

Originally Posted by MoparEarthquake

,,, I have been holding onto by Balls for two weeks now unsure of exactly how to get them out....

well you start by opening your zipper,,,,,



excellent writeup,,really good advise

[MoparEarthquake]

Originally Posted by mamasboy

well you start by opening your zipper,,,,,

Hooray to you for being the first one to jump on the bump...LOL

[kavisiegel]

If you ground the rivets off the upper ball joints, how'd you attach the new ones? Bolts?

[Jarheadoo7]

How to replace upper and lower ball joints on a '99 4x4 Durango.
Ok, everyone keeps asking how to do this and people try to explain but until now there hasn't been a technical article on it. Now there is

This article covers the removal and installation of;

Upper Ball Joints
Lower Ball Joints
Inner Tie Rod
Outer Tie Rod End
Shock Absorbers

Tools you will need;

Jack / Jackstand
Lug Wrench
Side Cutters/Pliers
1 1/4 Socket
18mm Socket
5/8 Wrench
1/2" Wrench
12" Crescent Wrench
Snap Ring Pliers
Angle Grinder - Grinding Wheel
Large Hammer/Small Mallet
Ball Joint Press
1 Large Washer - 3 Very Large Washers/Bushings


Step 1. - Jack and support vehicle, remove tire. (make sure and jack the vehicle up another few inches further than is required to remove the tire because you'll need that room to operate the press later)



Step 2. - Remove 1 1/4" Castle nut holding rotor/caliper assembly.



Step 3. - Remove the Castle nuts off of the upper and lower ball joints and grind the three (3) rivets off of the top of the upper ball joint. These can be ground down to flush and then beat out with a punch and a hammer.






Step 4. - Remove Castle nut on tie rod end and remove inner tie rod with the crescent wrench.



Step 5. - Remove Shock Absorber with the 5/8" Wrench (bottom bolt) and 1/2" Wrench (top nut).




Step 6. - Remove rotor/caliper assembly (usually by hitting the top of it with a mallet) and set it to the side. Move the axle out of the way and tie it up.

[Jarheadoo7]

Step 7. - Grind the ring off of the lower ball joint until it is completely flush.



Step 8. - Start the lower ball joint on it's way with the hammer and/or punch. (try not to hit the A-arm or it will bend into the hole and make it harder to press the new joint in).



Step 9. - Continue to remove the lower joint with the press.




This is it as far as disassembly goes, now it's time to start installing the new parts.

- Press new lower ball joint into A-arm.



In my experience this was the hardest part until I figured out how to modify the press. I used the O.E.M. press from AutoZone's Loan-A-Tool program. The directions call for you to put all the adapters/rings/new joint and A-arm in the press, but there is not nearly enough room in the press for all of those things. You will see in the following photos that I had to start the press with a small chisel on top because it was thin enough to fit, but strong enough not to get bent by the press. Also, if you use this press or another like it, this is where the washers come in.


Use the silver washer to put in between the ring from the press kit and the rubber boot on the new joint or else THE PRESS WILL CUT A RING ALL THE WAY AROUND AND THROUGH YOUR SHINY NEW RUBBER BOOT. And trust me, no one can get you a replacement

So start the press with the chisel (or flat piece of metal) until the joint is almost flush.



Turn the press with the crescent wrench until it gets harder to turn (it will be hard in the first place, but after a few turn it will get even harder) when this happens give the outside of the A-arm a healthy whack with the hammer, this will help guide the joint in straight and make the press easy to turn again. Once the joint reaches almost flush you can insert the adapter that goes with the press.

Ok, so here comes the next problem, while the old joint had a built in ring that we had to grind off, the new joint has to be pressed up further in order to accommodate a snap ring. This is where the three very large washers come in. I found mine at a hardware store labeled "Bushings." Depending on the thickness you might have to use more than one, in my case three (3). Use these to space the top of the press above the top of the A-arm. Unfortunately, in my case I had to use these spacers progressively one at a time. In other words, press it, release the press and insert a spacer, press it again, release the press and insert another spacer and so on until all three spacers have been pressed and the joint is high enough to accommodate the snap ring.

After that you're almost done, just install the new shock absorber, install the upper ball joint, bolt up the rotor/caliper assembly, re-install the axle, bolt up the new tie rod end (making sure that it is adjusted to be the approximate length of the one you removed) re-install the brake line, put the tire back on and drive it to a tire shop to get an alignment. You're done!



The first side took me a few days just to think up the washer idea to modify the press, but once I figured it out I timed the driver's side, not including getting the tools out/putting them away it took a hair over 3 hours for one side.

Another handy tip is even though AutoZone's Loan-A-Tool program is (in the end) totally free. The press costs $150 to rent while you have it and (of course) the money comes right out when you rent it, but takes a day or two to get back into your account once you return it.

TiresPlus quoted me $1,200.00 for this job not including shocks. I did it for $75. That's right, all these parts were $75 including shipping off of eBay

Good Luck and Happy Wrenching
- Joe -

[Jarheadoo7]

Originally Posted by kavisiegel

If you ground the rivets off the upper ball joints, how'd you attach the new ones? Bolts?

yes the new BJs are bolt in....

and x2 this is a great write up I have never seen it before.. i added the pictures to the thread so you dont have to jump back and forth..


stickey this bastard!!!

[dadditruck]

Ivin4JC,
Thanks for taking the huge about of time to document this and write this up! Also Jarhead, thanks to you for going back and attaching the pics to this article so you don't have to scroll back and forth. Rep to both of you

[Jarheadoo7]

bump to stickey

[lvin4jc]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I couldn't find a good writeup on this when I needed it and it seemed like a lot of people were looking for it so I thought I could help some people out. Good luck with the projects, it's not as hard as it seems (plus you have my writeup, which I didn't have when I did it).

[RJ_Hythloday]

The link was old, but here's two on ebay Why the price difference?

one for $300 +$20 S&H

This one offers a one year warranty, I got lifetime w/ the parts I just bought.

and one for $69.99 + $24.99 S&H

This is kinda funny ''are quarantied to fit.'' Doesn't actually give a warranty time frame.

full listing

I just did the passenger tie rod end, and driver upper ball joint. The other upper needs to be replaced soon.

[brad81987]

At that price, they are probably cheap Chinese pieces. I'd question how long they are going to last in the long run. Moog stuff is about $50/joint from RockAuto. Is it the cheapest, no, there are others out there for about $30/joint but a full set for $30-40 just seems hokey to me.......

[Rebel13]

You all got jipped! I paid about $80 out the door for uppers, lowers, inner and outer tie rods! All BJ's are greaseable too!

[Venumb]

Originally Posted by lvin4jc

Thanks for the compliments guys. I couldn't find a good writeup on this when I needed it and it seemed like a lot of people were looking for it so I thought I could help some people out. Good luck with the projects, it's not as hard as it seems (plus you have my writeup, which I didn't have when I did it).

Great write up! Repped!

[lvin4jc]

Originally Posted by RJ_Hythloday

The link was old, but here's two on ebay Why the price difference?

one for $300 +$20 S&H

This one offers a one year warranty, I got lifetime w/ the parts I just bought.

and one for $69.99 + $24.99 S&H

This is kinda funny ''are quarantied to fit.'' Doesn't actually give a warranty time frame.

full listing

I just did the passenger tie rod end, and driver upper ball joint. The other upper needs to be replaced soon.

I don't know what the diff. is there, but the inner rods on the bottom pic look goofy, where are the bolts? What are those goofy bell end lookin' things? Maybe that's a stock photo for a slightly diff. vehicle. I paid $90 for inner/outer rods and upper/lower joints on eBay, one year and 25k miles later, no problems

[Mt.Hoodlum]

Wow its sweet to see this thread finally got stickied..........o wait......Ordering my parts today off ebay for $74.99, thanks for the write up op!