How to: Dodge Ram 1500 Upper Ball Joint Replacement

hello viewers for dia wires here with another video for everyone in this particular video here I'll be showing you how to replace the upper ball joint on a third-generation Dodge Ram this truck I am working with here today is a 2006 1500 4x4 model and it has eight preston version depending on the severity of the ball joint you may notice clunking when driving wandering a regular tire where and in this case I can use a pry bar to demonstrate the play in the joint while the truck is still on the ground first is elevating the vehicle and use a jack stand as a safety then remove the wheel considering I use a control arm to jack up the truck I took the weight off the suspension the steering knuckle is free this can be done without removing the control arm you may or may not have a cotter pin to remove this will depend on the style of ball joint which is currently in your vehicle using a 21 millimeter socket and a half inch drive ratchet remove a nut a Johnson bar can also be used for added leverage considering this is an aluminum steering knuckle do not hit it with a hammer you can crack the casting and it would require a replacement I tried a pickle fork but wasn't able to get a good bite on the joint so instead I used a ball joint separator due to the rubber boot it can be a bit tough to push it into place here I'm using my om tools deadblow hammer model number 255 1:7 these come in a three piece set and this is one of the many examples where they can be used forcing the tool into place with a rubber exterior and a steel shot weight inside they can provide great force without damaging the surface they're coming in contact with a length of the set will be included in the video description once in place make sure the lever on the bottom is in contact with the stud then tighten the forcing bolt when the joint breaks free you'll notice it right away just make sure you're working in a safe position so you won't get hurt by the disconnection safety glasses are certainly recommended too even when the joint is broken free you can see there is successive play a new joint will move but the movements will be very firm using snap ring pliers remove a snap ring that holds the joint into place I won't be removing the control arm as mentioned earlier the replacement will be done just as is if you decide to remove a control arm keep in mind that you'll have to preload the rubber bushings on the frame mounting points with my ball joint press the fender liner doesn't cut back some of my work space as there isn't enough room for the jackscrew unfortunately my ball joint press doesn't have the required adaptors to position the jackscrew under the ball joint removing eight millimeter bolts holding on the liner push the liner in towards the engine it'll drop down and then remove the ball joint needs to be pushed up out of the top of the control arm to be removed and this can be seen by the flange the topside you'll most likely need to remove the rubber boot on the ball joint so you have a properly seated spot for the adapter pick the correct size adapters I'll show you in a moment what my setup wise for reinstalling the ball joint at the top the sleeve needs to be larger so the ball joint flange has a free space to move I'd recommend using safety glasses as a safety precaution apply oil to the jack screw threads I typically use a gear oil for this so it's able to move freely with no binding tighten the drag screw and you'll know right away when that ball joint is broken free remove the ball joint press and finally remove the old ball joint clean up around the mounting surface and hole with the wire brush this will remove any debris which may cause installation issues here's a new ball joint and as you can see the dust boot is removable this will get installed after as for the sleeves and adapters the ball joint now needs to be pushed into place therefore it needs an installation sleeve or adapter which can push on the rear on the opposite side the ball joint needs clear space to move freely into position this sleeve will only have contact on the control arm I have one custom sleeve which I made from thick wall stainless steel tubing as I had clearance issues in a previous project and this can be used here to make sure any dirt around the area is cleaned away the grease on the ball joint is exposed without the boo so you don't want any contaminants getting in there put the ball joint into place considering the press can't open up wide enough the ball joint will need to be started into the control arm so I used an adapter on the top side for now to get it partially started once in place then finish up with a sleeve and adapter tighten the jackscrew pushing the joint fully into place no lubrication is needed on the control arm the flange and the top of the ball joint assembly needs to be tight against the control arm once in place remove the press this isn't a serviceable ball joint meaning there's no grease fitting I found the grease to be a bit on the limited side so I did apply a little more before installing the boot using the correct sized sleeve I push the boot into place it has a metal ring that sits tightly around the base again using a dead blow hammer so I don't damage the sleeve next is installing the supplied snap ring using snap ring pliers this may be a bit harder with the boot installed ensure it is seated all the way around on the groove of the ball joint angle the ball joint into the control arm then jack up the steering knuckle to push everything into place you'll most likely need to pull the control arm down then start the castle nut now is tightening the castle nut the new nut requires a 22 millimeter socket the torque specification for the castle nut is 44 pounds or 54 Newton meters align the slots of the castle nut with the hole then insert the cotter pin and bend over the ends using pliers reinstall the wheel the torque specifications for the 22 millimeter lug nuts is 135 foot pounds or 183 Newton metres new videos are released every week on my channel be sure to that thumbs up button it's a huge help to me and leave a comment below if you found Satara helpful don't forget follow my social media pages such as Facebook Instagram and Twitter to keep up in date with my latest projects and if you're not a subscriber be sure to hit that subscribe button thank you for watching

Channel: 4DIYers

Views: 102,179

Keywords: 4DIYers, dodge ram, dodge, ram, dodge ram 1500, dodge ram 2500, dodge ram 3500, dodge ram ball joint, ball joint, ball joint replacement, replace ball joint, ball joint press, upper ball joint, upper control arm, control arm, dodge ram control arm, replace control arm, control arm replacement, how to replace a ball joint, how to replace a control arm, how to replace the ball joint on a dodge ram, how to replace a control arm on a dodge ram, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Id: L3lzjYEIZp8

Length: 6min 35sec (395 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 03 2020