Tutorial: How to change a lower ball joint in a 1995 Honda Accord

[InfidelSS]

Great tip using the 1/2" ratchet to break that lower ball joint loose. You got me out of bind today while I was performing a routine CV axle change. The job kicked my ball joint separater's ass but your way worked like a charm.

[Josesitohf]

do you neede to take out the axle nut in order to take the whole wheel out because my wheel does not comesw off andi have a honda accord 96

[DuBNeTiX]

accord uses 36mm socket, and civic and acura uses 32mm socket..to add to my last comment..hit it with medium force or to remove it faster you would have to hit it really hard, the harder you hit the faster it will come out...vise versa with putting the new one in, when you put the new one in you just use the hammer without the socket.

[DuBNeTiX]

all you guys need to do to change the ball joint is just get a sledge hammer or any hammer that is heavy, to remove the old balljoint, simply remove the old boot, use a 32mm socket put the open end over the balljoint and hit it with the hammer, then to put the new one on just hit it in with the hammer. Try not to hit the center part of top of the ball joint, just hit arount the edge on the left, right and bottom on the top of the ball joint. did mine in less then 30 min both side. very simple

[mrbennyjets]

this is explicative brilliant!!! thank you thank you thank you!!! what a life saver. and so simple.

[DuBNeTiX]

so on the accord, the ball joint does not have a c-clip to lock in the ball joint in place? cause you did not show how to remove the clip before knocking the ball joint out. I'm just being curious cause i thought all honda have those clip to lock in the ball joint.

[nukem384]

@DuBNeTiX maybe for the aftermarket ones? mine didnt have one on it and it was still the stock one from the factory.

[1992josephf]

what size is the socket?

[nukem384]

@1992josephf for the axle nut? 36mm on the accord

[bwilliamson236]

perfect bro, i am a hydraulic mechanic so just needed to quick tutorial with the auto and you nailed it, car is quiet as a kitten

[davidlemus213]

Very good man....nice job...i myself didnt know that...i support ur effort keep posting videos....

[SpoonPrelude]

What happens if you DONT replace the lower ball joint? Will the whole suspension fall apart?

[pcngo1]

What would determine replacement of the lower ball joint versus the upper ball joint? The steering wheel of my 2001 Honda Accord EX 4 cylinder shakes when breaking and at 60+ miles per hour. I've read that it is the upper ball joint when there is play as you pull on the top of the wheel towards you. How could you tell when the lower ball joint is going bad?

Thanks for the vid! Very informative!

[nukem384]

@pcngo1 if your car is shaking while youre braking, its most likely you have warped rotors, time for some new ones. to check upper ball joint, grab the control arm and shake it back and forth, if theres movement, replace upper ball joint. for lower ball joint, lift the wheel off the ground and grab from the top and bottom and move, if theres movement, replace lower ball joint.

[psluver]

@nukem384 I have had severe shaking after purchasing this same car off of someone.(95 Accord) EXTREME VIOLENT shaking. Then I finally got to replacing the rotors, and on this car, they are a pain in the ass to remove! But that is what fixed my shaking problem!

[cupnoodles2]

Hello, im trying to change my lower ball joint but whenever i try to take the tie rod end the nut spins with the ball.... and it wont come off do you have any tricks on this? thanks

[nukem384]

@cupnoodles2 impact gun will do it. honestly thats the only way i know how to get it off if you have this problem.

[cupnoodles2]

@nukem384 thats so sad to hear :(

[MrSlasher80]

@cupnoodles2 Compress the tie rod joint and the steering knuckle together with a long pry bar. Trying by compressing the two back together causing the taper of the bolt to grab hold and stop the tie rod joint from turning . This usually does the trick.

[carlfrancisbowles]

Freeze the ball joint and heat up the hole and then just tap it in seconds!

[kosmosleha]

how did you get the upper ball joint to come off so easy?

[muchogoocho]

wow props for not cleaning anything! i guess you're beater is truly a beater

[shagarri1589]

would this work for a 2004 Acura TL? If not is there a way you could help me find a video to help me.......Went to express oil and they want $600 include parts.....PLEASE HELP thanks!

[nukem384]

@shagarri1589 im not sure if itd be the exact same, but itd probably be similar? what id do if you want find a vid on yt is to check the forums, honda-tech is a really good one for honda/acura

[85bigred250]

excellent instructional vid, thanks!

[mikeyswood]

Thanks a bunch!

[Sorman26]

Nice video. However, the wheel bearing may or may not come off that easily as you've demonstrated with the rubber mallet. If the wheel bearing is stuck tight due to rust being built over time. Take off the four bolts, which hold the wheel bearing and replace them with longer ones. They are 10X1.25 bolts, you can get them just about anywhere. Hammer the bolts away to push the wheel bearings out. It's the only way to not damage your wheel bearing(s).

[pfleeger2010]

So this is basically a how to if you don't have all the correct tools.

[ledamianded]

Or it might have been the control arm you were supposed to use the jack stand on ?

[ledamianded]

@nukem384 I was wondering about replacing a rear wheel drive cars ball joints like say my 64 thunde bird? I read somewhere that you have to use a jackstand and place it under the lower tie rod so that the spring doesnt come flying out when you remove the ball joint and KILL or SEVERELY HURT the mechanic? I've seen it done ONCE a long time ago but do not remember the teacher using anything but a big fork and a hammer? So I'm not really sure how to do it and about the spring KILLING YOU thing lol!

[wasdare32]

I didn't realize my ball joints needed replacement until it failed as I was about to leave my house and the car collapsed onto the front tire. Had it happened at 55 mph, I might not be here.

[kosmosleha]

Do you have to re-align the car after you change ball joints?

[nukem384]

@kosmosleha any time you mess around with any suspension part its not a bad idea

[kosmosleha]

wait ... your lower ball joint is not on the lower arm? My 99 acura rl has it inserted in the lower arm and no dealership wants to sell me a balljoint separately from the lower arm. Do you think they're bullshitting me? Is it actually possible to take it out or I have to buy the whole thing? btw acura is honda

[MBlover99]

The ball joints were so stuck on my 560SL that it broke the ball joint press. I had to take the whole control arm off and take it to Les Schwab to have them push it out..I guess that's what i get for buying Harbor Freight tools...MBlover99

[kosmosleha]

@MBlover99 I HATE HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS!!! Every tool I got from them broke ... besides the sludge hummer. Hate the Hate them Hate them! Just imagine taking your rotor apart and then your ratchet breaks. FUUUUCK!

[ilovehonda909]

@kosmosleha yah but they have life time warnty

[MBlover99]

Nice clear video but why didn't you use a ball joint press instead of pounding it in with a ball~peen hammer?

[nukem384]

@MBlover99 haha i wouldve if i had one. i do these installs in my garage, i dont have a fancy shop or anything.

[kosmosleha]

@nukem384 won't it break the "balls" in inside? :)

[SimplyThinkDreams]

@nukem384 You can borrow ball joint presses from most auto parts stores for free. You just have to put down a deposit which they give you back when you bring the tool back. I use a two arm gear puller to push the ball joint out because the presses don't really fit in the knuckle properly. I actually made a video showing me pressing one out on a Civic and another pressing one in.

[ilovehonda909]

tahah i do this every day ama pro

[kosmosleha]

@ilovehonda909 can you please give me a hit here. My 99 acura rl has lower ball joint inserted in the lower arm and no dealership wants to sell me a balljoint separately from the lower arm. Do you think they're bullshitting me? Is it actually possible to take it out or I have to buy the whole thing? btw acura is honda

[ilovehonda909]

@kosmosleha did you lower your car or some thing

[kosmosleha]

@ilovehonda909 no, why? To tell you the truth those inspection mechanics are idiots. They told me to replace the whole arm, but my problem with the wheel is ... I forgot to lubricated the caliper when changed break pads :) that's like 3 dollar job man.

[ilovehonda909]

@kosmosleha then why dont u do that

[kosmosleha]

@ilovehonda909 well ... I just did ... and ... the mechanics were right unfortunately. It is the ball joint. Anyways, I think I'll buy the whole arm because it comes with all the new parts and the joint is pressed into it. As I can see on your video, its kinda hard to take out.

[ilovehonda909]

@kosmosleha yah a bunch of mechanics try to rip you off when u go to thir shops thats why people do it this selfs

[weelgunny]

Smearing some lube around the new ball joint may have helped it to drive in faster.

[timnorthern]

I can't find a video on how to do the rear ball joints. Is there a chance that you will do one?

[505alicious]

Notes 0:43 1:21

[505alicious]

Notes 0:43 1:23

[mwngw]

thanks for the tip on seperating the ball joint from the control arm. I'd been working at it for 2 hrs with no luck, looked up your vid, and within 2 tries it sepreated real cool. Thanks for your effort in making this vid.

[honda300877]

WOW, i`m have tried this on a honda civic EK, but i can`t get the bolt (from the lower bolt joint) loose. Maybe the wrench trick wil do it! i already broken 2 spanners on it! :(

[emittz93]

Would this work the same for a 1997 civic ex ? Thanks

[nukem384]

@emittz93 i dont think its exactly the same, but similar

[robertW2471]

I thought this was really a good demonstration of how to do it yourself. But aren't there specific torque specifications for each bolt you removed and later finally installed?

[nukem384]

@robertW2471 technically every bolt on the car has a specific torque spec, i think most ppl feel it's too tedious to use a torque wrench on every single bolt in the car, including me. but feel free to torque down every bolt to spec if you want.

[hom2fu]

@robertW2471 specific torque is only deal with engine and it's (head) gasket. Otherwise, you don't need to or it's good to have to a right spec but not necessary. close enough

[Tony1584]

very nice video, good work

[AiseaZ]

Hey guys I wanted to service my vw golf, I have changed my oil, and I just wanted to change all the main things to keep it running for road trips, like clutch and motor parts etc

[hectorcriss]

Thanks man , I didn't think of that ,that's a good point,thanks again .

[sept0988]

Did anyone else have a lot of difficulty removing the bearing from the rotor?

[thepenny1986]

i never tried the 1/2 inch wrench in between the control arm and ball joint to separate them before. i usually just hammered the side of it. ill try that next time. great vid!

[Fuki417]

Do you need to do alignment after replacing them? Thanks

[nukem384]

@Fuki417 any time you play around with suspension parts, you should

[Dumbpimpstaz]

awesome vid my cousin lower ball joint just stripped and the bolt came out and had to call the tow truck so now its time to fix

[hectorcriss]

nice video , very clear , can anybody tell me what could be the cause of the

noise of my car , I have a 1999 honda crv , I have replaced shocks, tie rod ends,

lower ball joints and the freaking noise is still there , any suggestions ?

I will really appreciate it . thanks .

[drawsnay5]

@hectorcriss CHECK THE WHEEL BEARING AND CV AXLE.

[flathead3288]

@hectorcriss

i dont know if any body already responded to you but check you control arms they have bushing that go out use a pry bar to move them

[willwong1234]

Thanks for the thoroughness in every step of this video. However, this video just convinces me that I reeeeeally need my mechanic to do this job, not by a home-mechanic like myself! LOL!

[freakshowkustomz]

i just rented a press from my local auto zone and used my impact on it

[boringone]

great tutorial!  A+++++

[vietkid20062007]

Air tools makes your life easier.

[Gplayerz]

if only it went that fast and easy. LOL Good tutorial though thanks.