I am wandering,what tool can I use to press in the LCA ball joints and the tie rod ball joints. I want to know what tool can I use to tie down the tierod into the knuckle,because I don't want to ruin the ball joints on the tie rods.
Thanks.

 

autozone loans out a tool to press in balljoints. As far as the outer tie rods go, youre far better off replacing the whole outer arm.

 

Does anyone have a pic that presses the ball joint in to the LCA? Is It possible to press the ball joint on the driveway with the LCA still intacked?

 

Sure but you need a ton of patience. I did it on my maxima and it was not fun, the hardest part is getting the c-clip extracted from the old joint and getting the new c-clip after pressing in the joint to the LCA.

If you are mechanically savy, it is doable but then rent the tools from Autozone, keep the new joints in the freezer all night, it helps in the pressing of the joint onto the LCA.

There is a special kind of plier for the c-clip that you will have to buy.

 

How does the c-clip look like and what kind of pliers will I need for this Job?

 

You will need snap ring pliers.

I used an autozone c-clamp ball joint press and it worked fine.

 

Buy the complete control arm off ebay, you can get both sides for under 100 bucks. That gives you all new bushings as well, plus makes the job very easy.
15 - 20 minutes each side if you have the right tools. Then it's all new.

 

better off hitting up sno_max and purchasing his lower control arms, versus those cheap ebay ones. they wear out too fast. my 2 cents

 

i have lower control arms from e-bay and i've never had a problem. i got them from world suspension for about 125.00 shipped. some people complained that they did wear out, but i guess it all depends on how you drive and if they were properly installed.

 

Honestly if you can get the entire LCA of OEM quality that should be investigated first. I don't shop for important suspension parts (like LCA) other than OEM and when I went to the stealership they were determined to rappppe me with astronomical prices.

That is why I went the hard way of replacing the joints (they don't come cheap, $40/piece) preserving the LCA. Really sucks these press type joints, I have see other vehicles have much simpler kinds like 3 bolts on a joint frame that gets bolted to the LCA. That would take a hr to get done on both sides, but then we have maximas and we have to deal with the stupid design.

 

I forgot to ask,How do I pop out the LCA ball joints. What tools will I need to pop it out. Thanks.

 

The Autozone press comes with all the documentation to do exactly that. In short there is a cylinder into which the old joint is pressed into... That is the easy part in the whole process, if I do remember right, I just hammered it out of the LCA with a large hammer.

BTW, the snap ring has to be removed before doing this, the damnnn snap-ring must be made with space age steel, it is a tiny ring but it is super strong to hold the weight of the suspension to keep the joint firmly tugged into the LCA.

 

Do I have to buy a new snap ring or It will come with the purchase of the ball joint.

 

first of all, i have to replace both ball joints on 01 maxima and i have the haynes book and it says i have to replace with control arms? secondly, i work at autozone and we sell the ball joints separately but then i look up info and everywhere i look it says i have to replace control arms as well and im about to buy the ball joint with control arm as 1 piece.

 

bump...need info

 

You don't need the control arm If your just doing the ball joints,If the control arm that you have on there has bushings that are wearing out or worn out than you can get the control arm,but since your getting the arm you are not going to need the ball joints since the control arm comes with the ball joints.

 

How Do I take out the snap ring and How do I install the snap ring with the snap ring plyers.

 

The snap ring plier has two blunt needle ends which fit into the snap ring holes. When you press the plier it kind of stretches the holes farther apart making just enough room to take them off the joint slot. Same applies for installation.

 

When I did mine last week I pressed in the ball joint and once it was inserted properly I took some needle nose pliers I had laying around and installed it over the ball jointed. Connected the wheel hub or w/e its called to it and put the new nut and pin.

Cheers!

 

When your saying installed It over the ball joint,It was installed over the ball joint Itself and you just pulled it closed. In other words you don't put the snap ring under the part of the LCA where the ball joints head Is seated.

 

Its really common sense man. Look at the other side. You will see what I mean.

When you install the ball joint on the LCA you install it up right. Once thats been pressed in put the snap ring over the ball joint down wards. Only way you can install it.

 

I have installed the tie rod ends on both sides but I had trouble with damn ball joints and I just wacked It out,It took about an 1hr an a half and I am installing the ball joint back in but I am wacking It in there and I am sure that I will have to press it in but I dont have the damn tool to press it in because non of the stores had any to rent .Is there any other method to install it in and If I have to wack It in I will.

 

sounds to me like you should just buy oem control arms that come with the ball joints installed.

other option is using the correct tools.

half a** methods usually yield half a** results, and half an a** isn't enough when you're talking critical suspension.

 

vqmaxman: U cannot wack a new joint in, you will destroy it. Get the right tools and do the job, don't take short cuts. You will destroy the vehicle once you do an incomplete job and take it out for a test drive. You will be looking at thousands of dollars as repair bill if you do half hearted jobs when it comes to suspension...

Could you tell me how old you are becoz your immature posts gives me an indication you are less than 15 yrs old?

 

Yes, you NEED to get a ball joint press in tool otherwise you might damage it. I strongly suggest you tow your car to a local repair shop so they can finish it off for you. This might save you lots of money in the near future if you were to semi finish the installation.

Tip: If there's something you don't know about why try to do it yourself? Only if you have had some experience and enough confidence should you do it yourself.

 

 

I somewhat disagree with that one though. You gotta learn somewhere. I didn't even know diddley squat about taking the transmission out of my car. Much less completely rebuilding it in my garage.

But I tried it, did it, and now I know the innards of the Maxima transmission like the back of my hand.

 

My posting cannot sound immiture If I am asking for some critical help when I am financial stuck and I am deperatly trying to finish up the mess I have here and I am critically working an 8-9 hours and I am having having problems finding the right tool because non of the store I have went to had the tool I was looking for. I am going to have to make a special order with Snap-on or Matco tools or Napa. The pricing of this damn thing Is almost half my pay check so until then I will go and borrow one or rent one If there's any avalible. I can always wait and get the check and buy one to feel safe about the job I just did instead of wacking the joint in there.

 

I just finished installing the damn ball joints and I had a friend that was nice enough to let me borrow his ball joint press and It was no charge for the useage,the best part Is that It was free. I had to wack the sucker out with the hammer,I had to PBblast the joints to get it out quick,It took me about an 1hr to 1 1/2 half to pop it out. I had put everything back In place and now the car feels great and It handles much better and I will get an alignment.

 

sounds good just got my 2 control arms with ball joints because i heard u cant just change the ball joints u need whole control arm changed as well ....but waiting for the temperature to go up to install them because its cold here in chicago

 

I know what you mean and I agree. You do gatta start somewhere to learn, but if your asking questions on how to do it step by step you shouldn't attempt. Know what I mean? Hell, I installed a skyline motor in my 240 and been doing it since I was 17. I'm 21 now.

You could of done it an easier way by removing the ball joint. Here are the 2 tools you need:


Thats to remove it and press it in.


and...


This is a fork as you can see. This goes between the control arm and ball joint itself. All you do is get a hammer and keep hammering. The fork will become thicker and thicker causing it to separate once it gets closer to the right. This can be rented at Autozone for $10.

Thats false and a waste of money imo. I too thought that, but soon discovered that why should all of it be replaced? It should only be replace if your control arm is damaged and bent. They sell ball joints for a reason and thats for you to save money and replace it. You can save around $150 on average.

 

That is correct. You don't need to replace the whole LCA. Just the bushings and the balljoint is all you need to replace. The LCA is just a arm. And if it is not bend or rusted to **** or in bad condition there is no need to replace it.

 

thats what i thought as well until i went to autozone and the checked out the haynes repair manual and they both said replace with control arm..and im thinking the book is stating that for a reason