Thank you SO much for making this video! I did this job last year with a breaker bar on a G35 coupe, and it was agony! When my 350z had the problem, after seeing how you did this, I went out and bought an impact driver. Took me about an hour from lift-up to part-off! Thanks, man!!
Dood. Nice job on this video. Seriously. You were detailed and gave good advice. You showed the size of sockets you used to remove parts. Even show what parts of the ball joint press you used. You call bolts bolts and nuts nuts. And correct yourself when you make a mistake. Most importantly to me is you actually used a torque wrench!!! Thank you for being a good mechanic making a video!!!
Hey Charlie, great video. What a wonderful help this is. Several days ago, I went to the dealership getting a quote....man they wanted $200 plus dollars for the entire (lower arm assembly/ball-joint) one side only! Ridiculous amount...the guy told me I needed to buy the entire lower arm. "Word to NISSAN"..... you can learn the Old adage PR campaign from HONDA. "We Keep It Simple" !!! Your a big HELP...."Thanks again Charlie" 👍😁😎
You only need to remove the 22 mm bolt on the ball joint… the knuckle will fall down enough so that you can remove the ball joint, even with the those cups and everything… I am not disagreeing with full throttle. I think Charlie does an awesome job here, but I only removed one bolt and was able to remove and reinstall the entire ball joint without having to takeoff all the other three bolts. Don’t mean to burst anybody’s bubble.
This is true! We no longer take everything apart when doing ball joints, don't put too much downward force on the knuckle though, it can cause damage to the bushings on the upper control arm. Thanks for the input though!
Jack up car, look at ball joint. If boot is bad and there is a lot of play it's bad. If not put wheel back on a continue to be the Drift King of your neighborhood
Nice video. Good detail. You forgot to preload the suspension before tightening up all the suspension hardware. You'll have lots of flex on all the bushings once you lower the car back onto the ground
Must've missed this comment a while ago. This is true, however the bushings on these arms were SPL spherical bushings so loading the suspension wasn't necessary
My ball joints are beat, replacing them soon, wanted to watch a vid to make sure I had the right idea, helpful vid man, oh and +1 on picking oreillys, I work there and even if a different auto parts store has a better price then we do, we'll price match it lol
I went to Auto zone an orilley an used there ball joint tool kits, an nither of them wrk😲😰! The sleeves were either too small or too big for the ball joint WTF 🤔! Where did u get ur ball joint tools frm!?
@@fullthrottleperformance oh ok. Well I ended up goin to harbor freight tools store, an they had the kit I needed! An I finally got the job done, both Ball joints r n !! Yaaaa 👌👍😉
So I got the same exact ball joints that you got but the stock shims don’t fit them because the threads on them are too big. The shims that came with the new ball joints doesn’t seat properly in my lower control arm. What should I do or what could you recommend?
I think the easiest thing to do would be to drill a larger center hole in the tapered bushing. Find a local machine shop and take the ball joint with you too... they won't charge that much.
I think Nissan recommends the wheels be on the ground and the suspension loaded when you torque down the ball joint and anything else with rubber bushings. Probably not a big deal though
@@staydown4bo total pain in the ass. proper way or not, next time im just tightening them in the air lol. the nissan fsm for my car says "for rubber parts, final tightening must be carried out under unladen condition with tires on the ground" but like u said easier said than done lol
@@Moon___man yeah i dont see it being possible to get underneath wothout needing to remove the bumper and fenders. im in an 04 G35 stock and theres maybe like 5 inches of clearance from the floor. definitely not enough to do what nissan recommends. maybe turning the wheel outwards will help but idk
Frank I remember this job. I did my right wheel back in 2015. It is now time to do my left. The boot is just ripped and I remember saying I am paying someone next time. This video half way motivated me to do it on my own again, but nope. The problem is the ball joint sits at an angle in that hole. Non of the cups fit and the one that fits, it keeps sliding off putting groves in the lip of the ball joint. Although putting a nut on top and using that cup at the end was a new technique I've never seen to overcome what I am talking about. For $120 shops have this tool that hammers it out quickly and installs quickly. Usually, I always turn my own wrenches, but not on this one.
@@fullthrottleperformance ..I also used the ball joint kit press from autozone. Back then, Oriley's didn't sell ball joints so I used duralast with the lifetime warranty from autozone. I actually prefer Orileys over autozone. Anyway, I picked up a ball joint from Autozone and it looks like they redesigned it with a bigger lip than before. I compared both the one from import direct and duralast, even though duralast is cheaper. It has this new double boot on it, I've never seen before. I like the duralast design better and I've had not had any issues with my other duralast ball joint. I was going to pay someone, let me see. I'm going to see if the sleeve kit on this new ball joint it actually fits. If it does, that would make this install way easier. The cup sliding off, I remember being such a pain.
@@fullthrottleperformance ...You are right, it will not be bad at all. I was looking at pictures from when I did it, dates are in 2013, not 2015. The ball joint kit from autozone was in a red case with less pieces. The new rental kit has 23 pieces and comes in a black box, like the one you have. I rented it and it matches up with the ball joint, it will work. Great upload, I wouldn't have re-attempted unless I saw this video.
Good stuff man - getting ready to do the same bushing replacements so I will be following your installs / parts from Oreilly's. Will you be doing a vid on the compression arm bushings as well?
When I took my son's G35's front left LCA off the ball joint, a little tapered ring fell out but I didn't exactly see where it came from and what orientation it was? I'm replacing both the ball joint and the whole LCA with new ones. Should I put the ring/shim back in with the new LCA or not?
Sorry for the late response. The tapered ring is a cone designed to sit into the bottom of the control arm to ensure the ball joint doesn't have excessive play. If the cone that came with the existing ball joint doesn't fit properly use the old one if it fits on the new ball joint. Some modification is sometimes necessary
Did the new ball joints come with the cone already pressed on, or do you put it on? I need new ball joints without the cones for my angle kit as the new LCA isn't tapered for them.
I have some aftermarket ball joints and the shaft is thicker than oem but it come with it's own cone but I've heard that sometimes those aftermarket cones don't work right, do you have experience with aftermarket cones working
Could be alignment, sounds like camber wear but z's don't have stock camber adjustability. So you'll just have to get under there and take a look, make sure your upper arms are OEM
I noticed something with the lower control arm. did you use the spl inner bushings but kept the outer bushings rubber? I was thinking of going that route since the inner bushings are notorious for wearing out so i would use the metal spherical bearing. but i also want the ride to be somewhat soft enough for street so i would leave the outer bushings rubber
@@fullthrottleperformance I just watched the vid of the install from a year prior . good tutorial! I think im going to order a set and prepare for a whole front end refresh now. Thank you !
i just replaced my lower control arms the other day but i cant seem to get the ball joint to fit properly?? i cant get the nut tightened down all the way.. the lower ball joint nut is actually covering/hiding the hole for the cotter pin....help i dont know what i did wrong
Hello, I saw on video you were going through mevotech lower suspension please tell me name or any evidence this lower suspension. I have a problem, anywhere in manual there is no evidence on this, I would really appreciate it.
I think you deliver awesome informative videos! This one though you spoken of taking off a nut to not tear something in the compression arm! I just wish you woulda just shown you doing that, only for those of us who have never worked on this type of front end and do not know what a compression arm is, or what it does, or what exactly it is that would rip! Maybe my screen wasn't able to see it well, but I really couldn't see what it was that you were trying to show a rip in! Or basically, I didn't know what I was looking at from the angle you were taking to see or recognize a rip , even if I did see it! I know you fast forward for time, but if there is a foot note that you make because you found it important,, then us know nothings need to actually see the process to be sure we are completing the process you describe correctly, as well as know what to look for while doing it! Sorry for the long reply,, but I come across many videos that say, "It is important to remember to do this." ,, then don't show it leaving me with my jaw dropped saying,, "DOA!"
my ball joint Nut keeps spinning when i try to tighten it down but it keeps spinning even if i put a jack under for the weight to created pressure and it still just doesn't want to tighten properly , any idea?
It is super clean, but I also need to make money. I need to get licenses, and more parts cars to part out. This time of year is usually slow, but this year I'm taking a big hit with sales. And I'm posting a vid tomorrow explaining what's going on with the Akebono setup
Having trouble finding a cup the correct size to push the ball joint out. Anyone know the size of the receiver cup thing? Kit I got seems to be just a little too small
Generally, we see Delphi ball joints last the longest, and are the easiest to install. I was on a time crunch to get this car sold. So, I no longer know current day. However, they did last up until last year when the person that bought it brought it in for a power steering line replacement. And they were still good
Riiight? And I still feel that I got gypped 😂 I coulda gotten the pair from RockAuto for the same price as 1 ball joint from Oreilly's 😂 I was doing my lca bushings at the time and couldnt wait for balljoints from RockAuto so Oreillys was the last resort lol
That's the exact situation I was in hahaha. Was doing the ball joints didn't have time to wait for shipping. And yeah for reallll, that's why I love using RockAuto lol
great vid. having some front suspension squeak in my g35. just put some new swaybar bushings, but sqeak is still there. Any idea what that could be? Where next should i check? thanks in advance.
It could be a lot of different reasons, just try to move things with your hands, and see if the noise occurs. Some things are easier and cheaper than others to change. I'd start with those first
@@fullthrottleperformance ok sounds good. My350z forums has several threads on which kit actually works but I'll try the same one you used. I just got my mevotech balljoints, so I'm excited to getting them installed.
Thank you SO much for making this video! I did this job last year with a breaker bar on a G35 coupe, and it was agony! When my 350z had the problem, after seeing how you did this, I went out and bought an impact driver. Took me about an hour from lift-up to part-off! Thanks, man!!
Awesome, I'm glad to hear it helped you out:)
Dood. Nice job on this video. Seriously. You were detailed and gave good advice. You showed the size of sockets you used to remove parts. Even show what parts of the ball joint press you used. You call bolts bolts and nuts nuts. And correct yourself when you make a mistake. Most importantly to me is you actually used a torque wrench!!! Thank you for being a good mechanic making a video!!!
Thanks bro! I really appreciate the support! I love getting comments like this :)
Hey Charlie, great video. What a wonderful help this is. Several days ago, I went to the dealership getting a quote....man they wanted $200 plus dollars for the entire (lower arm assembly/ball-joint) one side only! Ridiculous amount...the guy told me I needed to buy the entire lower arm. "Word to NISSAN"..... you can learn the Old adage PR campaign from HONDA. "We Keep It Simple" !!! Your a big HELP...."Thanks again Charlie" 👍😁😎
Sorry for the super late response. Thanks for the support man!
7:09 seconds... You just saved my day, lol, no come was supplied, thumbs up, this is the same issue on the Infiniti G37x!!
Great channel, probably the best for working on a G or Z. Thanks for the info!
The trick I have for thy cone is to heat it with a torch and it just pops off just keep heating it until it does
You only need to remove the 22 mm bolt on the ball joint… the knuckle will fall down enough so that you can remove the ball joint, even with the those cups and everything… I am not disagreeing with full throttle. I think Charlie does an awesome job here, but I only removed one bolt and was able to remove and reinstall the entire ball joint without having to takeoff all the other three bolts. Don’t mean to burst anybody’s bubble.
This is true! We no longer take everything apart when doing ball joints, don't put too much downward force on the knuckle though, it can cause damage to the bushings on the upper control arm. Thanks for the input though!
It'd be great if you talk about how you diagnosed the bad ball joints and why they needed to be replaced. Solid video!
Thanks man, and for sure maybe I'll make a short vid on diagnosing both the compression arms, and the ball joints.
Jack up car, look at ball joint. If boot is bad and there is a lot of play it's bad. If not put wheel back on a continue to be the Drift King of your neighborhood
Just made a video on it:)
@@fullthrottleperformance and Tie Rod!
Nice video. Good detail. You forgot to preload the suspension before tightening up all the suspension hardware. You'll have lots of flex on all the bushings once you lower the car back onto the ground
Must've missed this comment a while ago. This is true, however the bushings on these arms were SPL spherical bushings so loading the suspension wasn't necessary
Need to replace mine this spring. Now I know how to do it 💪🏼 thanks bro. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too bro!
My ball joints are beat, replacing them soon, wanted to watch a vid to make sure I had the right idea, helpful vid man, oh and +1 on picking oreillys, I work there and even if a different auto parts store has a better price then we do, we'll price match it lol
Hahahah, shout out for reppin your store! Lol, yeah, O'Reily had it the cheapest around me, but good lookin, nice to know they price match.
Excellent, great vid and channel man!
Thanks bro! Appreciate the support!
I went to Auto zone an orilley an used there ball joint tool kits, an nither of them wrk😲😰! The sleeves were either too small or too big for the ball joint WTF 🤔! Where did u get ur ball joint tools frm!?
Mine was from autozone
@@fullthrottleperformance oh ok. Well I ended up goin to harbor freight tools store, an they had the kit I needed! An I finally got the job done, both Ball joints r n !! Yaaaa 👌👍😉
Thanks for the vid man good work.
just checked under mine! Oh boy...
Nice video bro. Keep up the good work.
Thanks bro! I appreciate it:)
So I got the same exact ball joints that you got but the stock shims don’t fit them because the threads on them are too big. The shims that came with the new ball joints doesn’t seat properly in my lower control arm. What should I do or what could you recommend?
I have the exact same problem?!?!
Sorry for the super delayed response. You get it done?
I think the easiest thing to do would be to drill a larger center hole in the tapered bushing. Find a local machine shop and take the ball joint with you too... they won't charge that much.
Gonna do this later on a buddies car, I have all the tools just need that clamp 🗜 and the puller.
I think Nissan recommends the wheels be on the ground and the suspension loaded when you torque down the ball joint and anything else with rubber bushings. Probably not a big deal though
how would one fit underneath with the wheels on the floor
@@staydown4bo total pain in the ass. proper way or not, next time im just tightening them in the air lol. the nissan fsm for my car says "for rubber parts, final tightening must be carried out under unladen condition with tires on the ground" but like u said easier said than done lol
@@Moon___man yeah i dont see it being possible to get underneath wothout needing to remove the bumper and fenders. im in an 04 G35 stock and theres maybe like 5 inches of clearance from the floor. definitely not enough to do what nissan recommends. maybe turning the wheel outwards will help but idk
how does it feel driving daily with spherical bearings on a lower control arms? is it a bit rough?
Nice!!! Thanks man I am about to get this as well
It's really not as difficult as I always thought lol
Frank I remember this job. I did my right wheel back in 2015. It is now time to do my left. The boot is just ripped and I remember saying I am paying someone next time. This video half way motivated me to do it on my own again, but nope. The problem is the ball joint sits at an angle in that hole. Non of the cups fit and the one that fits, it keeps sliding off putting groves in the lip of the ball joint. Although putting a nut on top and using that cup at the end was a new technique I've never seen to overcome what I am talking about. For $120 shops have this tool that hammers it out quickly and installs quickly. Usually, I always turn my own wrenches, but not on this one.
@@MotordyneG35 It wasn't that bad with the ball joint press kit from AutoZone. Came out nice, and went back in pretty nice as well.
@@fullthrottleperformance ..I also used the ball joint kit press from autozone. Back then, Oriley's didn't sell ball joints so I used duralast with the lifetime warranty from autozone. I actually prefer Orileys over autozone. Anyway, I picked up a ball joint from Autozone and it looks like they redesigned it with a bigger lip than before. I compared both the one from import direct and duralast, even though duralast is cheaper. It has this new double boot on it, I've never seen before. I like the duralast design better and I've had not had any issues with my other duralast ball joint. I was going to pay someone, let me see. I'm going to see if the sleeve kit on this new ball joint it actually fits. If it does, that would make this install way easier. The cup sliding off, I remember being such a pain.
@@fullthrottleperformance ...You are right, it will not be bad at all. I was looking at pictures from when I did it, dates are in 2013, not 2015. The ball joint kit from autozone was in a red case with less pieces. The new rental kit has 23 pieces and comes in a black box, like the one you have. I rented it and it matches up with the ball joint, it will work. Great upload, I wouldn't have re-attempted unless I saw this video.
Keep up the good work
Thanks bro!
Well done 👍🏻
I subscribed 💪🏼
Great video - thank you
Where did you get the kit to press im the ball joint? I rented both from oriellys and autozone and they didnt have the right sized cups
This kit was from AutoZone, I actually bought the same kit online for only 20 more than it costs to rent, but it should have the correct size cup
Good stuff man - getting ready to do the same bushing replacements so I will be following your installs / parts from Oreilly's. Will you be doing a vid on the compression arm bushings as well?
Yes, I'll be doing that vid within the next few days. And thanks man, much appreciated:)
When I took my son's G35's front left LCA off the ball joint, a little tapered ring fell out but I didn't exactly see where it came from and what orientation it was? I'm replacing both the ball joint and the whole LCA with new ones. Should I put the ring/shim back in with the new LCA or not?
Sorry for the late response. The tapered ring is a cone designed to sit into the bottom of the control arm to ensure the ball joint doesn't have excessive play. If the cone that came with the existing ball joint doesn't fit properly use the old one if it fits on the new ball joint. Some modification is sometimes necessary
Did the new ball joints come with the cone already pressed on, or do you put it on? I need new ball joints without the cones for my angle kit as the new LCA isn't tapered for them.
The ball joints came in the package with the cones separate.
Some of the ball joints them selves have different sizes, I'd definitely check the sizing when your buying to make sure it fits.
@@fullthrottleperformance Awesome, thank you. I just ordered them!
I have some aftermarket ball joints and the shaft is thicker than oem but it come with it's own cone but I've heard that sometimes those aftermarket cones don't work right, do you have experience with aftermarket cones working
Can I do the same thing to all-wheel drive car?
Yes, but you are probably gonna have to remove the axle
Awsome video! Thank you ! May I ask what's the product number on the correct ball joint tool removal?
This is the kit number, I just bought the entire kit online
648617 powerbuilt
@@fullthrottleperformance thank you very much!! 🤘
I like your video I have a 350z convertible touring my tires on the front keep wear out from the inside can u tell me what I need to get check
Could be alignment, sounds like camber wear but z's don't have stock camber adjustability. So you'll just have to get under there and take a look, make sure your upper arms are OEM
I noticed something with the lower control arm. did you use the spl inner bushings but kept the outer bushings rubber? I was thinking of going that route since the inner bushings are notorious for wearing out so i would use the metal spherical bearing. but i also want the ride to be somewhat soft enough for street so i would leave the outer bushings rubber
Yeah I left the outer strut bushings oem and replaced the inner ones with the SPL ones. Since those are the ones that actually go bad
@@fullthrottleperformance I just watched the vid of the install from a year prior . good tutorial! I think im going to order a set and prepare for a whole front end refresh now. Thank you !
i just replaced my lower control arms the other day but i cant seem to get the ball joint to fit properly?? i cant get the nut tightened down all the way.. the lower ball joint nut is actually covering/hiding the hole for the cotter pin....help i dont know what i did wrong
Thanks for sharing!!!
No problem, enjoy :)
Hello, I saw on video you were going through mevotech lower suspension please tell me name or any evidence this lower suspension. I have a problem, anywhere in manual there is no evidence on this, I would really appreciate it.
I think you deliver awesome informative videos! This one though you spoken of taking off a nut to not tear something in the compression arm! I just wish you woulda just shown you doing that, only for those of us who have never worked on this type of front end and do not know what a compression arm is, or what it does, or what exactly it is that would rip! Maybe my screen wasn't able to see it well, but I really couldn't see what it was that you were trying to show a rip in! Or basically, I didn't know what I was looking at from the angle you were taking to see or recognize a rip , even if I did see it! I know you fast forward for time, but if there is a foot note that you make because you found it important,, then us know nothings need to actually see the process to be sure we are completing the process you describe correctly, as well as know what to look for while doing it! Sorry for the long reply,, but I come across many videos that say, "It is important to remember to do this." ,, then don't show it leaving me with my jaw dropped saying,, "DOA!"
Ditto
Sorry man, I try to explain myself well, but sometimes it's hard to explain everything. Especially if I know the video is gonna be longg
Many thanks
my ball joint Nut keeps spinning when i try to tighten it down but it keeps spinning even if i put a jack under for the weight to created pressure and it still just doesn't want to tighten properly , any idea?
Fun video. But why sell the Z? It's so clean, how much are you asking for it if you don't mind me asking. Also what's up with the akebono calipers?
It is super clean, but I also need to make money. I need to get licenses, and more parts cars to part out. This time of year is usually slow, but this year I'm taking a big hit with sales. And I'm posting a vid tomorrow explaining what's going on with the Akebono setup
@@fullthrottleperformance have you tried selling parts on different forms. My350z, zilvia, g35driver?
I haven't, but I will definitely look more into it. Always looking for a way to increase sales. Thanks for the tip!
Same procedure on a 2006 Infiniti G35 Automatic Sedan 2WD?
What is the part number of the press kit?
I had trouble with the nut that would keep spinning on the bolt from the ball joint.
Yeahhh, that happens sometimes. Best to use a wire brush to clean the threads, and then hit with PB blaster, or liquid wrench first
Having trouble finding a cup the correct size to push the ball joint out. Anyone know the size of the receiver cup thing? Kit I got seems to be just a little too small
Can someone tell me what’s the knuckle ? I need to replace my ball joints but I might just replace the whole thing.
What is the size of that ball joint coupling 9:03
how are these Chinese ball joints holding up after 5 years?
Generally, we see Delphi ball joints last the longest, and are the easiest to install. I was on a time crunch to get this car sold. So, I no longer know current day. However, they did last up until last year when the person that bought it brought it in for a power steering line replacement. And they were still good
@@fullthrottleperformance hell yeah good to know. Thanks for the reply. Great vid
That's my store right there! The Oreilly's off Mather 🤣 I also bought my lower ball joints there haha, what are the odds 😂
😂😂😂 They're the cheapest in Rancho lol
Riiight? And I still feel that I got gypped 😂 I coulda gotten the pair from RockAuto for the same price as 1 ball joint from Oreilly's 😂
I was doing my lca bushings at the time and couldnt wait for balljoints from RockAuto so Oreillys was the last resort lol
That's the exact situation I was in hahaha. Was doing the ball joints didn't have time to wait for shipping. And yeah for reallll, that's why I love using RockAuto lol
Can I get ball joint part number?
great vid. having some front suspension squeak in my g35. just put some new swaybar bushings, but sqeak is still there. Any idea what that could be? Where next should i check? thanks in advance.
It could be a lot of different reasons, just try to move things with your hands, and see if the noise occurs. Some things are easier and cheaper than others to change. I'd start with those first
How do I get the cap to put on bottom?
Is this the same thing for an 08 g37?
Does anyone know if the ball joints are serviceable on a 2004 Infiniti G35X? As of right now it looks like I might have to replace the whole knuckle.
They are replaceable.
@@fullthrottleperformance thank you for responding 🙌
What brand name ball joint did u use
Depending on year, 03-04 we currently use Moog, 05+ we use Delphi
I have a G35 and I'm smelling Gas Burning or oil. What do u think wrong
Could be a bunch of stuff. Common oil burning smell is the valve covers leaking oil down onto the headers, and it being burned off
What ball joint press / kit did you end up using?
It was just the one they rent at AutoZone, not much of the pieces work on the z tho, only a few
@@fullthrottleperformance ok sounds good. My350z forums has several threads on which kit actually works but I'll try the same one you used. I just got my mevotech balljoints, so I'm excited to getting them installed.
@@Z33Garage haha, rockauto FTW? Lol I'm gonna be buying some mevotech ones too. I'm gonna completely rebuild my front and rear hubs
What’s the size cuplink
How come my oreilly’s dont sell that balljoint!
Sorry man, I have a few. Hit me up on IG or FB and I can ship them out to you if you're interested
What years does this work for on a g35?
03-06 sedan / 03-07 coupe
He makes it very simple until every bolt gets stuck in a different dimension😒
Just need some aderol
Just get to the point but thanks for the vid
You could take off the boot