I'm tackling my first ball joint project. Stuck on the lock ring that keeps me from removing the spindle. Issue #2 is removing the rotor and back panel (?). Anyone tell how the trick is done?
Is it 4X4 or 4X2 ? I've done the ball joints on the 4X4 what lock ring are you talking about? I do know there is a split ring that I had to take out to also get to the wheel bearing nut. Is that the one you are talking about? You could take two screwdrivers to try to pop it out of the groove and then use the other one to bring it forward and out. The best thing would be a split ring pliers. I don't know about 4X2 setups. On a 4X4 once you have the rotor pulled you will just have the spindle and the 8 nuts to get it off. After I took off the 8 nuts i used a tool called a spindle removal tool (I think that was what it was called or a puller not sure) and a slide hammer to pop it off. You can't beat on it with a hard hammer cause you will screw up the bearing surface. Now if you are trying to get a 4X4 setup out without removing everything which I had wondered if was possible myself. You could just try the first cover off the hub get the snap ring holding the axle from sliding in and out of the hub. Then knock the ball joints loose and pop the whole spindle out. I do not know if you can even get something to loosen the bottom ball joint nut to do it this way. I can't remember everything at the moment. I'd look it up but I am at work till tomorrow morning. Rich HTH
I'm unaware of a "lock ring" that's on ANY dana axle to get the spindle off? take of the hub, spindle nuts, caliper if it's disk brakes, then on to the six or eight spindle nuts and remove the spindle, it's probobly rusted into the knuckle, remove the axle shaft, you wont get the knuckle off of the "C" yolk withthe axle installed without a torch!, remove the ball joint nuts and remove the knuckle with a BMFH, hit the top balljoint stud, you're going to replace it any way! and then pound out the balljoints, you'll need a LONG LARGE diameter punch to remove the upper balljoint, if you're using a "C" clamp installer tool put the upper balljoint in first, the guy that wrote the instalation instructions was smoking crack when he wrote to install the lower one first! I do several sets of balljoints a month at work!
If you are replacing the ball joints with the moog ones (at least on a dana 44) that is the recommended ones from what I have heard (went with them myself) make sure to orient the zerk fitting in a position you can get to when it is installed. I can't remember what it was at the moment but I think I had it aimed towards the back of the truck. Rich
I don't know WHY MOOG says to point them into the caliper?????, and you have to go to the other side of the axle to get to the zerk!, you're already at the front to grease the tie rod and drag link! and the axle Ujoints if yours are serviceable. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67081&highlight=MOOG See post #7
Yes, 4X4. What I needed was a spindle Nut wrench. Interestingly enough, the parts people didn't know about axles. There happened to be one in the store and I was EDUCATED. Right now I'm struggling with removing a stuck spindle and knuckle. I'm planning to add bearings and seals. Any advice as to what you've seen go wrong?
Check out part # WMR-W83009 on summit racing it threads onto the spindle and the other end onto a slide hammer a few quick straight taps with the slide hammer and mine came right off. I used the one at our base hobby shop so I can't be certain that particular one is the proper one but the tool is the same kind that I used. Just make sure you stay straight. Also some pentrating lube around the outer edge to cut the rust seal can't hurt. Once that is out you can pull your axle shaft out (make sure it stays clean when you put it back in) Then you loosen up the ball joint nuts and just wack them downward with a BFH. They should both come loose pretty easily. Once that happens you can just pull the steering knuckle out and using a ball joint press you can press out the old ones and press in the new ones. Of course the first new one to go in is the top not the bottom. HTH Rich
