How to Reach a Ball Joint on a Car

Repairing your car yourself saves you time, money and the hassle of taking the vehicle to a professional mechanic. Replacing the ball joints in your car may be a tedious task, but it can be done in your own garage with a couple of specialty tools from the local auto parts store.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Secure the car on a set of jack stands using a floor jack. Make sure the vehicle is completely secure by performing a little shake or bump test. If it is not secure, move the jack stands to a more secure location on the car's frame or body.

2. Remove the wheel and braking system. This requires the removal of the lug nuts, wheel, brake caliper and brake caliper bridge, and breaking loose the bolts on the spindle. Inspect all of the these parts as you remove them, and replace any that are damaged or have excessive corrosion. Place all the bolts on a magnetic tray to avoid losing them.

3. Disassemble the ball joint, allowing it to drop into the spindle. Then push down on the spindle and move it aside to access the ball joint. You will likely see what has caused the damage; it is often a broken seal that allows water to enter the joint, causing problems.

4. Decide on your best course of action and set about removing the ball joint from the car using a ball joint press to press it out of the control arm. It is easier to work with these parts if you remove the control arm first.