Thread: Ball joint / LCA question

Hey gang! My DS wheel bearing is SHOT. I have a new bearing, seals, and a hub to install. However, while I'm in there I'm going to check my ball joint, see if it's in good shape and replace if necessary. I have ES bushings installed in my LCAs - is it possible to just buy a ball joint and have it pressed into the control arm? I see them fs on rockauto cheap, so if it's possible I'll do that. Thoughts? I've always just bought a new LCA when I need a ball joint because it came with it, but now that I have ES bushings I'm not sure that's a possibility...or the best way to do it. Help me out here.

That's what must of us do. But I would advise spending money on a quality ball joint rather than just buying the cheapest. I have read that replacing just the bj can damage or change the shape of the fitting space. I've always just replaced mine.

Mark

I was thinking about the MOOG unit, are they what you would recommend? I can't get an OEM ball joint, can I? Nissan only sells the complete LCA.

Moog should work just fine. You can rent the tool from autozone to press the ball joint out of the controll arm without having to remove it from the car.

Alright, cool. I'll order up that one from Rock Auto if I need it. Thanks. For some reason I thought that the ball joint couldn't be removed and you just had to get a whole new LCA...not sure why.

Be careful that the ball joint is the right size. Sometimes they will send you one with too small a diameter and you will be sitting there looking at an empty control arm and cursing. Moog are good I had them on my last SE-R they have a zirk fitting to grease and keep them in good shape.

I've also used a few aftermarket ball joints and it works fine for a dd. perfect circle was the brand I remember.

The Moog unit is so inexpensive, I think I'll just order it. If the ball joint isn't torn up, I'm liable to booger it up when I'm removing the knuckle from the control arm. Thanks for your advice gang.

Also the tool they rent you at autozone or wherever often won't have the proper size cylinder to fit on the arm and press it back in. You can get clever with a chunk of the right diameter pipe if you have it handy. I usually have a machine shop pop it in there for like $10.

I think I'll just do that. I'm taking my hub and bearing to the machine shop to have them pressed into the knuckle - I'll just remove the control arm as well, it's not that hard to get out. Thanks again!

I rented a press kit from discount auto that had all the appropriate pieces to get the job done. It was a big 23 piece kit. Worked like a charm.