65aircooled

Did my lower ball joints today, aside fom the cheesy Harbor Freight everything went easy thanks to this DIY.
Thank you for posting!!!

Lil754boy

Thanks for the post. I did mine today. 2 hours to do one side under an hour to do the next. Thanks to your post!!

Stuttgarten

I recently had my lower ball joints changed and the INDY ripped me off, charging me $535, total. I'm not capable of doing this job myself. I was desperate to get it done as the noise level had gotten really bad and he was the only shop around who could work on car same day.

Now, I am getting a crackling sound and he tells me the left lower control arm needs changing. He quoted me $225 for a Lamforder plus $120 for labor. I just checked and you could get that lower control arm for $130 thru FC Euro.

I do not plan on returning to this shop again. My question if I buy that lower control arm, does it come with the ball joint or without? I don't want that other shop I'm still trying to find to take off that newly installed ball joint?

Gersh320

If purchased at autohausaz and it will. also husker bmw/mercedes will have originals at a discounted rate.

Crankturner

Awesome thread, thanks again to the OP for the excellent DIY.

I do have 1 question - I need to replace my spindles and hubs (long story), but my ball joints have never given me any issues at all, it drove like a dream before I decided to DIY the front bearings and it turned into a F***ing nightmare. So if my ball joints are good and do not need replacing, is there a way to install an entire spindle/knuckle assembly without swapping in new ball joints? Or damaging the current ball joints?

From what I can see, the spindles I am going to order appear to have a lower ball joint already installed, which obviously needs to be pressed out. So I believe all I need to do is press out mine, press out the used ones on the spindle, and then press mine into the "new" spindle, hope that makes sense. Is this possible with the right tools? Or should I just get new lower ball joints?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

pchuon

I successfully installed new control arms and lower ball joints on my 06 e55. I initially ordered the Moog ball joints but returned them as soon as I got them. Two reasons why I returned them,
1) It came with what looks like a nipple to add lube which I thought would complicate things in the future.
2) The rubber boot goes over the rim of the ball joint which I think was a bad design and I've read other reviews with the same complaint.
I decided to purchase the Lemforder brand from fcpeuro which seemed to be the cheapest location ($32 each). I didn't go for the HD meyle because I've read reviews about them later squeaking For the control arms I purchased the Moog brand from Amazon. The Moog brand control arms actually have a clear boot which looks pretty cool. You can see the grease through the boot. Quality seems fine. I'll give future updates...

For install, this thread is on point. It did take me 8 hours to do them because I had a HUUUUUGE learning curve. About 7 hours on the first side figuring things out and d*cking around. The second side took me about half an hour. You don't need any fancy tools. I got the cheap black ball joint seperator from Harbor Freight for $20 bucks and borrowed the 27023 press from Autozone. There's no way I could have removed or pressed the new ball joint in without replacing the control arm. The control arm was a lot easier than the ball joint so if your in there you should just replace it all anyways. I'm pretty sure I can replace them within 2 hours if I ever have to do them again. I had absolutely no power tools which would have helped a bunch. The hardest part was initially figuring out the press and positioning the brake/knuckle assembly while pressing the new joint in while working the ratchet/cheater combo + the breaker bar for leverage. I used a jack under the tie rod to hold everything in place instead of tying everything to the upper control arm.

My car no longer squeaks at every bump and turn. I am no longer embarrassed with myself while driving...My handling has gotten a lot better. It feels like a new car again and it feels like I've gained 100 hp! Now I gotta go pick up chicks with my BEAST without the embarrassing squeaky noises! Wish be luck!

cbrman747

Thanks buddy

Rican Raymo

I would like to thank the owner of this site. I'm extremely grateful for this post if it wasn't for you MB would have robbed me out of thousands there horrible. But because of you I'm going to buy all the parts needed to repair this noise but since im going to fix it I would like to know what are all the parts needed to repair both sides of the front end.

djempirE55

Excellent DIY! Now we need torque values on all the bolts.

nivram13

Do you have to remove the upper control arm to give you enough clearance to to press out and install the new lower ball joint ? Is there another way to do this?

Gersh320

You do not have to remove upper control arm.

Tschuss_Bill

Agreed you do not need to remove the upper control arm.

I struggled with the approach of using breaker bar with pipe extensions to get the ball joint out, I was afraid something would break and metal would be flying. I eventually removed the entire knuckle and did the ball joint work on the garage floor with my air gun + harbor freight pry tool. Easy.

My right side was the problem child, squeaky etc. I could not use the air gun whilst on jack stands, not enough clearance. Although working with the knuckle off the car was easy, removing it was extra work.

When I was done with the right side, I swore that I would not do the same method for the left. I have a neighbor with a lift in his garage. I'm going to hit him up!!

(further exasperating the right side job was that I replaced the strut control arm or spring arm, whatever it's called. There was difficulty there too with ramps. I could not get the specified torque and extra rotation on the bolt with the clearance that I had. Need a lift!!)

nivram13

How much additional effort is required to remove the complete knuckle?

Tschuss_Bill

The knuckle is connected at the:

1. top to the upper ball joint. That is 3 bolts, so that is easy.
2. front to the front control arm (or torsion arm?) That's a small ball joint connection. air gun plus harbor freight tool, easy.
3. Lastly the lower ball joint in the knuckle connects to the Spring arm or sometimes call front control arm rear position or spring control arm)

I was replacing the front struts and rear shocks at this time too. I can't remember for certain if removing the strut was required to get tools in there to loosen up the ball joint connection: knuckle to the spring arm. I think it was necessary.

None of that work was prohibitive. With room for an air gun to point up underneath the knuckle to get the old ball joint out would be so easy. No can do with jack stands.

It being my first time, the removal the knuckle method probably added a couple hours to the process.

nivram13

Seporator wedged in ball joint





Ball joint seporator snapped!



Any tips on breaking the control arm ball joint loose I managed to snap my joint removal tool leaving one half wedged in the joint that won't move!

I haven't even got to the lower joint yet.

John H

After reading the OP's detailed write-up I decided to take on the job of replacing a squeeking lower ball joint. Since I was 'wheels up and off' I decided to change the upper ball joints and do the rotor/pads too.

Having the rotors and calipers off of the spindle made the ball joint job much easier. For the uppers, I would recommend that you unbolt it first before breaking the joint from the spindle. This way the tool slips in easier and deeper as the joint isn't loaded at an angle.

Also, my rotors were stuck so on the second side I sprayed penetrating oil on it right away so it would have more time to work. First side rotor removal took about 60 whacks with a delrin hammer, the second only 10.

Pressing the ball joints out and then in manually was a chore. Make sure the press tool is aligned!

I went with Meyle uppers, lowers, and rotors. I went with Akebono pads. The ball joints were $170 delivered and the front rotors/pads $160. I paid $80 for generic ball joint install and remover tools. The first side took 2 hours and the second just over an hour. On the amateur mechanic scale, I would rate this job a 4 out of 10 (10 being hardest).

Tschuss_Bill

My left side is starting to squeak. I have the replacement part. Not looking forward to the job. Maybe I'll look into air impact rachet. That was the issue for me. Not enough room for the air gun. Not sure the rachet will have the power to work the ball joint tool.

nivram13

After struggling with this here are some tips you may find useful.


Number one have the right tools for the job essential are lower ball joint press for the W211 you get get them on ebay as discussed in several threads.

Get yourself a good heavy duty ball joint breaker I managed to bend two of these in the end I purchased a better quality ball joint breaker which did the job, for me breaking the joints was toughest part of the job. Took a lot of brut force and a huge breaker bar\steel pipe again this is critical and is needed to break both the joints and when you press the new joint in and out.

Get the car as high as you can safely if you are using jack stands I used a jack in the front centre and and jack stands in each side for safety. The more clearance you have to work especially when you come to use the joint press the better.

You don't need to remove the upper control arm as some posts mention this is not necessary you can lower the knuckle out the way by moving it down and outwards it will take a bit a wrestling and sweat but it is doable. You also don't need to remove the speed sensor plenty of room to work around it.

If you are also replacing the lower control arm(s) do these first then the lower ball joint this will give you more movement to manoeuvre things around.

Yes air tools will help I found it easier not to use them as the clearance just just a little to tight.

These are the worn parts I removed as you can see there are pretty worn.

spotswood47

Looks like neither the Autozone code OEM 27023 ball joint installer/remover kit nor the one from AdvanceAuto will fit my 06 320cdi. The middle ring for both is at least 3/8" larger than the base it must rest on so it will not stay upright and aligned.
Hope the one from eBay fits!

turbo97se

Was wondering if you have any update here? I have an 05 CDI that needs ball joints also. did your Ebay tool work and which one did you get? There are mixed opinions about whether the AutoZone ones can be used .. some say yes but to be more careful, some say no.

Also for others, I am wondering if I should replace other stuff while I am in there? Upper/lower control arms etc ...? I haven't taken a close look at my car yet to see if the other parts are worn, but the squeaking on the drivers side is very apparent.

Gersh320

When I did mine, I simply replaced the entire lower arm (both sides). It came with the joint and bushing. I also replaced the upper control arm. If you have the newer version, you only need to purchase the joint at the end of the upper arm. It's a good idea to replace whatever you can while it's apart.

spotswood47

This part worked perfectly:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252323959120?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITShipping was about $30. It was worth it!

Because of the tight quarters and the force needed to dislodge the ball joint, I was reluctant to use the free tools, which were either slightly too small or too big. Maybe others have methods of dealing with this issue, but the tool I got worked without a hitch.

Also, I found it possible to separate the released ball joint without removing anything beyond the items needed to first get at the ball joint. This worked by moving the steering wheel which changes the angles just enough to get the old joint out and the new one in. I used a breaker bar with a pipe on it followed by a ratchet to take the nut off of the ball joints. If the car had been a few inches higher than my jack and stands would take it, I could have used the air impact wrench. I did the job alone and another person would be very helpful.

Core and upper body strength is necessary to move these front end parts, but Superman is not needed!

turbo97se

Thanks! Yes, this is why I was asking. I need to take a closer look at the car to see if there is anything else also.

Thank you .. I decided to get a W211 specific ball-joint kit. It was ~$50 shipped and looks the same as the one you posted below. I figured I could get this and also borrow the Autozone one if needed. Now I am weighing up whether I want to spend the time pressing out other bushings and replacing those or getting complete parts. Not sure what you meant by "Also, I found it possible to separate the released ball joint without removing anything beyond the items needed to first get at the ball joint. This worked by moving the steering wheel which changes the angles just enough to get the old joint out and the new one in." Maybe it will become clear when I start taking it apart.

spotswood47

It will be! Once the car is on jack stands with wheel removed and speed sensor disconnected, have someone turn the steering wheel and you can see how best to position the wheel to access the ball joint. It is not straight ahead.

And when you remove the speed sensor, note that the flange used to bolt on the sensor needs to go behind, not in front of, the cover on the back of the wheel. This, too, will be evident once you start the work.

nivram13

I found there was no need to remove the speed sensor easy to work around with the right tools.