And then people who install them by hitting them in with a three pound sledge hammer leave reviews that the ball joint only lasted for 6 months. You have to clean out the old holding area with fine sand paper and or at least spread out the arms so the new joint goes with smoothly. If you whack at it with a hammer, you remove 6 months to a year of life with each hit. Ball joints are not intended to get that kind of impact so you are destroying the socket the ball is suppose to smoothly rotate within. Just saying. 45 years of mechanical work and this kind of destruction to new parts never ceases to amaze me.
Use a pry bar to seperate ball joint, not a hammer. You also don't need to remove the lower sway bar end link bolt, just undo the bolts on the ball joint and pry down on the control arm against the ball joint cup with a pry bar to seperate and reinstall a new one. A full size, thick crowbar works well (thicker to cover the gap requiring less lever angle). I'd use a ball joint seperator to get the old joint out, but you can hammer it out at this point if you are replacing it, just be careful with the control arm. Make sure to clean surfaces to make sure new part goes in evenly.
I am sure someone already commented that at 6:00 you were meant to clean out the cup where the ball joint sits, and even consider lubing it a bit with anti-seize for future service ease. Ditto all the other rusted surfaces and bolts. Also, what do you have against torque wrenches?? 🙂
Yes! Doing that job doesn't always work out out that easy when you live In cold climate where they use salt on the roads. The ball joint gets so seized up you need that suburu ball joint puller.
It can all be for looks but there are certainly benefits and tradeoffs. Lowering the car lowers the center of gravity which is beneficial for handling (as long as the suspension geometry hasn't been all thrown off with mismatching parts). The tradeoff is more risk of bottoming out on obstacles like speed bumps or large potholes, and if you are a tall boi then your knees might start to pop lol. Typically lowered vehicles have a rougher, less soft ride so they can be less pleasant to daily but for most people that want to lower their cars that is perfectly acceptable. Also, even if your car was originally meant for snowy conditions like a Subaru Forester, when lowered it pretty much just becomes a snow plow. Lowered cars generally do poorly in snow. And raised is usually for offroading or accomodating larger wheels/tires. The tradeoff there is usually things like lower fuel economy due to the extra work needed to rotate larger wheels, less on-street handling and more body roll with the higher center of gravity (and a potentially higher risk of rollover), and harder parking/access to certain areas.
I put shorter struts on my forester from a wrx, when hard cornering it now doesnt feel like it will roll. Mind you this is driving in a way most would not.
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And then people who install them by hitting them in with a three pound sledge hammer leave reviews that the ball joint only lasted for 6 months.
You have to clean out the old holding area with fine sand paper and or at least spread out the arms so the new joint goes with smoothly.
If you whack at it with a hammer, you remove 6 months to a year of life with each hit. Ball joints are not intended to get that kind of impact so you are destroying the socket the ball is suppose to smoothly rotate within.
Just saying. 45 years of mechanical work and this kind of destruction to new parts never ceases to amaze me.
Good job, just what I needed to do my own. Thanks.
Use a pry bar to seperate ball joint, not a hammer. You also don't need to remove the lower sway bar end link bolt, just undo the bolts on the ball joint and pry down on the control arm against the ball joint cup with a pry bar to seperate and reinstall a new one. A full size, thick crowbar works well (thicker to cover the gap requiring less lever angle). I'd use a ball joint seperator to get the old joint out, but you can hammer it out at this point if you are replacing it, just be careful with the control arm. Make sure to clean surfaces to make sure new part goes in evenly.
cool vid and thanks for the heads up, first time changing ball joints on my 05 SFX
Dont know how u had threads left on the new ball joint after hammering it so much, you should have put nut onto tap it in to avoid damaging threads.
I am sure someone already commented that at 6:00 you were meant to clean out the cup where the ball joint sits, and even consider lubing it a bit with anti-seize for future service ease. Ditto all the other rusted surfaces and bolts. Also, what do you have against torque wrenches?? 🙂
that is so clean u can eat off it.......try this repair in the rust belt state lol
Like PITTSBURGH? 🤣
Yes! Doing that job doesn't always work out out that easy when you live In cold climate where they use salt on the roads. The ball joint gets so seized up you need that suburu ball joint puller.
Lmao , try that in new england
Ohh she going in crooked. Well if you clean out where that ball joint sits and put some never seize up there itll go it a hell of alot easier.
Why do people lower and/or lift their vehicles? Is the stock height not sufficient?
It can all be for looks but there are certainly benefits and tradeoffs.
Lowering the car lowers the center of gravity which is beneficial for handling (as long as the suspension geometry hasn't been all thrown off with mismatching parts). The tradeoff is more risk of bottoming out on obstacles like speed bumps or large potholes, and if you are a tall boi then your knees might start to pop lol. Typically lowered vehicles have a rougher, less soft ride so they can be less pleasant to daily but for most people that want to lower their cars that is perfectly acceptable. Also, even if your car was originally meant for snowy conditions like a Subaru Forester, when lowered it pretty much just becomes a snow plow. Lowered cars generally do poorly in snow.
And raised is usually for offroading or accomodating larger wheels/tires. The tradeoff there is usually things like lower fuel economy due to the extra work needed to rotate larger wheels, less on-street handling and more body roll with the higher center of gravity (and a potentially higher risk of rollover), and harder parking/access to certain areas.
I put shorter struts on my forester from a wrx, when hard cornering it now doesnt feel like it will roll. Mind you this is driving in a way most would not.
Amateur hour