Lower Ball Joint Replacement

Lower Ball Joint Replacement

Special Tools Required
^ Ball joint remover, 32 mm 07MAC-SL0A102
^ Ball joint thread protector, 14 mm 071AF-S3VA000

1. Remove the front wheel.
2. Remove the flange bolt and the self-locking nuts from the lower arm (A).





3. Disconnect the lower ball joint (E) from the lower arm.
4. Remove the spindle nut, and remove the outboard joint (A) from the knuckle (B) by tapping the driveshaft end (C) with a soft face hammer while drawing the hub outward.





5. Remove the lock pin (A) from the lower ball joint, then remove the castle nut (B).





6. Disconnect the lower ball joint from the knuckle using the ball joint thread protector and the ball joint remover, then remove the lower ball joint.
7. Install the lower ball joint in the reverse order of removal, and note these items:

^ First install all the components, and lightly tighten the bolts and nuts, then raise the suspension to load it with the vehicle's weight before fully tightening to the specified torque values.
^ Be careful not to damage the ball joint boot when connecting the knuckle.
^ Before connecting the lower ball joint to the knuckle, degrease the threaded section and tapered portion of the ball joint pin, the ball joint connecting hole, the threaded section and mating surfaces of the castle nut.
^ Torque the castle nut to the lower torque specification, then tighten it only far enough to align the slot with the ball joint pin hole. Do not align the castle nut by loosening it.
^ Use a new spindle nut during reassembly.
^ Before installing the wheel, clean the mating surfaces of the brake disc and the inside of the wheel.
^ Check the wheel alignment, and adjust it if necessary.