I replaced the ball joints recently due to torn rubber boot and thought I'll post the method I used. Its very straight forward and doesn't need much tools. I'm pretty sure most ppl here have done this but for those who haven't this might be a guide and you'll save $$$ if you do it your self!!.

1. Jack the car up (which ever the side you are going to replace) and secure using jack stands. Never trust a hydraulic jack it can fail without a warning and it has happened to me once!:mad:



2. remove the wheel

3. Remove the nut on the top side of the arm as shown in pic (17mm socket), expect this to be very tight!



4. Remove the nut on the bottom side as shown in pic (17mm socket), again this will be very tight.



5. remove the nut and pull the bolt out completely to release the pin of the ball joint. Tap it lightly or pry open using a screwdriver if it doesn't fall off easily.



After removing the ball joint


The new part


Comparison (there was sand, water, dirt etc mixed with grease inside the damaged boot and it was making a noise when cornering/breaking)



6. Place the new ball joint (installation is reverse order of removal).

You may need to use the jack to lift the lower arm up to assist with alignment.(if you don't have an assistant to help)



All done!!


Repeat this process for other side as well!

Its better to do a wheel alignment afterwards.

Good luck!!

Good guide, I did this a couple weeks ago but didn't take any pictures because I was battling the snow

cheers bud,
Hopefully I'll never have the need to do this, but having read your guide I now feel confident that I could do it if I had to. Thanks for taking the time to write it up

no worries mate.....I juts took some pics while doing it and though it may help someone if I post a guide....atleast we dont have snow here....just heat waves!!..

yes i can see that there is no rust under the car.

Want to ask that i got problem that when my car stat moving, got sound come out from front wheel like "klock", is it because of this lower arm?

A top guide there with brill photos, excellent work
I did mine last month but also forgot to take pics! The condition of the underside of your car is amazing, compared to my muddy, rusty, filthy UK car.

Rob

Can anyone tell me which size ball pin is the right one for 1996 model BA.
Fordprobestore is stating a 16mm pin and also a 18mm pin.

Pretty sure it will be the 16mm one, but just to be safe.

hi. i'm on step 5 of this guide, and now i'm stuck! that bolt/pin just wont come out! i'v tried screwing it, hitting it with a hammer - everything, but it just wont come out!

what should i do! :O Can provide quick pictures if you need! Will check this thread every 5 minutes or so!

Edit, got it out by hitting it with an even bigger hammer and using more %¤&/( force.

However, now i cant get the darn balljoin out - it's just as helplessly stuck as every other nut or bolt have been.

How are you suppose to get it out? Does it have to be in the correct alignment so slide out?

You should be able to pry open the bit of the hub carrier holding the ball joint in - which bit won't come out? I assume you've got the two bolts off, but its the other end you're having problems with?

Two bolts are off, the pin is out, only thing left is the balljoint itself - and it <just wont come out!>

Tomorrow i'm gonna get a big wrench thing

http://static.beta.pixgallery.com/image ... 2XK5HQ.jpg

and try and get it out. Cincerely hope it comes off =(

I had exactly the same problem with one of mine. Took ages to get the pin out, it was rusted in.
As Hughie says, prise the hub part open. I hammered a short chisel into the gap to open up the jaws. I then used a forked ball joint remover and brute force to get the ball joint out.

Guess someone should make a non australian version of this guide perhaps? :P

I'll try that chisel tomorrow, along with the thing, aka the plumber tool, that i dont have any name for, i hope to get it out!

Allright, so i got the old balljoint out, and got the new one in.

The pin is secured, but now comes the next problem - how to get it all aligned. I tried with the help of a jackstand, but it dont really seem to help much, as it just pushes everything outwards instead of upwards.

Anyone got any tips on this part?

The jack stand is to help push the wishbone up to line the balljoint up with the hub carrier. If you've already fitted the balljoint, you don't need to do that. Now that it's fitted, put the rest of the car back together, then take it to a place that can do 4-wheel alignment and get everything checked.

hm, i think i'm gonna take a picture of my problem instead, so better illustrate what my problem is I feel i cant describe it well enough! Moment!


Here!

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee17 ... daedit.jpg

That thing that says " This " i can move up and down, but the thing with the brake disc on is very hard to move Somehow i suspect that this have fallen down, and that some of you, if not everyone, never had this problem, but :P

So you need the wishbone lower so you can line up the 2 bolts on the ball joint?
Try the scissors jack under another part of the hub, rather than the movable ball joint to raise the strut, might be less likely to push outwards rather than upwards.
Also a long bar to lever the wishbone down.
Have you jacked up just one side of the car? With the car leaning the anti-roll bar will be lifting that wishbone. A jack under the front crossmember lifting the whole front allows both suspension struts to drop.

Keep trying, you'll get it!

Rob

Rob is spot on - if the right side of the car is on the ground still, the anti roll bar will be pulling the wishbone upwards. You won't be able to lift the hub carrier as the suspension spring will be pushing it downwards. Either jack up the entire front of the car to allow the wishbone to drop, or put the jack under the brake disc or another part of the hub carrier.

I think Jason and I unbolted the 2 17mm strut nuts to allow things to move more freely. It was a pain in the a**e right enough.

Hm, i'm all done now.

I had only raised the left side of the car - guess then next time i will raise both sides.

However, if you have 4 hands, or an assistant, you can actually bruteforce it into place. Not something i would recommend, but it would be well worth adding in a how to guide for further readers! Oh well, i guess if someone else checks this guide out, they will read the comments and become a bit wiser than i was

Now i only hope the inspection man thinks my work is good enough :O

Good work carazide.
I spent years using a jack to just lift one wheel at a time, but when I discovered using trolley jack to lift one end at a time its soooo much easier and quicker. The great thing about this forum is we can save each other all the hassle of working it out the hard way!

Cheers,
Rob

Yes, and in fact, that is one of the main reasons why i decided on getting a 323f instead of a Fiat Coupé!

Love this forum and everyone posting here, and i'm thrilled about the number of people thats actively online here, posting questions, answering questions, helping out, writing guides, showing the world what they have done to their f - well, it's just amazing! Makes you love your car even more!