Lower ball joint removal

[tjeick]

Hey all, I came to add a little to the communal knowledge. I got both my ball joints out last night and it actually wasn’t too bad. If I understand correctly, they are the same for all GMT800 and GMT900 4x4 trucks aka 1999-2013 Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Escalade.

 

First thing I did was spray penetrant in there and leave it sit for a day or two. In my experience, it really doesn’t do too much unless it’s had several hours to chooch, but a full day is usually best.

 

I took a grinder to the drivers side because my hammer methods weren’t working. I decided to try a different way on the passenger side because the grinder was hurting my poor desk job wrists.

 

I think a huge factor is that I put a little bit of the truck’s weight on the control arm via a jack stand. I jacked it up a couple inches. My meter was whatever height I could fit the jack stand with the truck as it was, I would get 2 more clicks out of my giant harbor freight jack stand, then put it down. I also put the jack stand as close as I could to the ball joint, which I think allowed the impact to shock the ball joint better, instead of the control arm acting like a spring and absorbing the hammer blows. There is small part sticking out of the casting on the front side of each control arm, I stuck that in the jack stand.

 

The actual hammering was maybe a little easier for me since i’m 24, 6’3” and 220lb. This was one of those jobs that I wonder if I could do in 15 years. But anyway I found that if I started my swing with my body leaned back and transferred my weight forward as I swung, I could just barely clear the top of the wheel well and not hit my fender. Obviously I took some practice swings and worked into it, but once I got up to full axe-man swing, the ball joint started popping loose. And I mean FULL swing. I started by my head and went as hard as I could, leaning into the last bit. Once I got going it was kind of fun to get a little crazy swinging as hard as I could.

 

Basic keys to my success:

-Hold the end of the control arm as firmly as possible by

—putting a little vehicle weight on it

—putting the jack stand very close to the ball joint

-swing my body from back to front to allow a long swing but still dodge the fender

-going hard as a mofo with that hammer.

 

I hope this helps someone who just can’t get those ball joints out!

[Mikebtte]

That does sound like a lot of work. I guess if you don't have access to the proper tooling that is an option. 

Using the press it only took a few minutes to get my ball joints out and back in.

 

[tjeick]

My understanding is that since GM ball joints have a lip on the bottom, you can’t use a press. Honestly I didn't even try to get them out with a ball joint press because I didn’t see a lot of real estate around the bottom of it to push the press against, and I read in a few places online that a regular ball joint press won’t work for that reason. Maybe I should have checked myself? Because I rented one from autozone to press the new ones in.

[HoosierZ]

I couldn’t get the press to work to remove the ball joints on my ‘08. I had to use the 4 lb BFH and jack stand method as well. The joint has 3 crimped tabs on top that need to be knocked inward to make the joint easier to remove. An air chisel makes quick work of the tabs.