When you disconnect a balljoint from the wheel, check your
Control Arm balljoints for looseness by turning the ballstud with your hand inside its socket; if it wiggles, replace the balljoint. Before testing, lift the front end of the vehicle and put jackstands below the frame rails to hold the weight. Look at the rubber dust boot around the balljoint, both for broken or cracked parts and any leaking grease. If you find damage, replace the balljoint. Press a large wooden stick underneath the balljoint, resting on the wheel, while looking for movement signals between the
Steering Knuckle and balljoint at the top. For the bottom, stroke between the control arm and knuckle to check if they shift. When you feel any movement while prodding, it means your balljoint has lost its effectiveness. Have a helper wiggle the tire from top to bottom, touching the balljoint nut; if you feel any looseness, check for a worn balljoint stud or middle hole in the steering knuckle that has widened, requiring new steering knuckle and balljoint parts. Before you take the wheel off, loosen the nuts, lift up the front of the car, and make sure it's on strong jackstands. Take off the nuts between the balljoint and control arm, then remove the balljoint from that connection. For 4WD models, remove the driveaxle. Gently use a two-jaw tool to break the balljoint free from the steering knuckle, but leave the nut on; remove the cotter pin first. An alternative tool that splits the balljoint from the knuckle works too, but may damage the boot covering the balljoint. Put the new balljoint into place, the same way you took the old one out. Make sure you snug the balljoint-to-control arm nuts and the balljoint-to-steering knuckle nut to the standard torque requirements. When putting the balljoint and steering knuckle together, advance the steering knuckle nut until the slots in the nut and the hole in ballstud line up. Use a new cotter pin to hold it in place. Seal the wheel up and drive carefully with adjustments needed.