Ball Joint: Service and Repair

Front Ball Joint

REMOVAL
1. Set vehicle on a lift.
2. Disconnect ground cable from battery.
3. Lift-up the vehicle and remove the wheel.
4. Pull out the cotter pin from the ball stud, remove the castle nut, and extract the ball stud from the transverse link.







5. Remove the bolt securing the ball joint to the housing.
6. Extract the ball joint from the housing.


INSTALLATION
1. Install ball joint onto housing.
Tightening torque (Bolt): 50 Nm (5.1 kgf-m, 37 ft. lbs.)

CAUTION: Do not apply grease to tapered portion of ball stud.

2. Connect ball joint to transverse link.

Tightening torque (Castle nut):
39 Nm (4.0 kgf-m, 29 ft. lbs.)

3. Retighten castle nut further within 60° until a slot in castle nut is aligned with the hole in ball stud end, then insert new cotter pin and bend it around castle nut.
4. Install front wheel.


INSPECTION
1. Measure free play of ball joint by the following procedures. Replace with a new one when the free play exceeds the specified value.







1. With 686 N (70 kgf, 154 lb) loaded in the direction shown in the figure, measure dimension l1.







2. With 686 N (70 kgf, 154 lb) loaded in the opposite direction shown in the figure, measure dimension l2.
3. Calculate free play from the following formula. S= l2 - l1
4. When free play is larger than the following value, replace with a new one.

FRONT BALL JOINT
Specified play for replacement:
S Less than 0.3 mm (0.012 inch)

2. When free play is smaller than the specified value, visually inspect the dust cover.
3. The ball joint and cover that have been removed must be checked for wear, damage or cracks, and any defective part must be replaced.
4. If the dust cover is damaged, replace with the new ball joint.