http://www.fl-thirdgen.org/balljointreplacement.html

here's how i do it.

 

long as it works for you, but i've seen several people not able to get the greese fitting in after trying it without a press. considering you can get free loaner tool lots of places any more or buy one reasonably i'll stick with a press. not to mention nothing is supporting the car after you lift it with the bottle jack. i worry too much about dropping cars and more especially dropping a car on me.

 

i should have clarified the placement of the bottle jack clearer. do not put it where the grease fitting goes. place it on the edge of the ball joint. good point there.

as far as the supporting of the car after jacking up on the control arm. come up off the original support jack or other support device you had under the control arm. about 1-2 inches. there are 2 jacks being used here. as you hammer on the control arm, the car lowers back onto the original support jack or other support device. so no problem with the car falling off anything.

 

MMR, the boot has a direction on it because it has a notch in it. The notch is so the grease leaks out towards the spring and not towards the brake rotor.

not that the grease ozes out in any 1 direction anyway, but that is the design.

BTW, I think I will stay with pressing them in. I can picture you damaging the LCA with the BFH. but pressing them ain't no picnik either.

Larry

 

well show me the picture on how i would damage the control arm.

 

i've saw lot of people beat the hell out of the control arm and or ball joint and only the ball joint was damaged. mostly the greese fitting didn't go in.

 

another way to do it would be to put a socket about the same diameter as the ball joint so as not to damage the area where the zerk fitting goes.