Date:         Sun, 9 Apr 2006 12:57:38 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Replacing Upper Ball Joints - What else?
Comments: To: dusty edwards <dusty.edwards@MAC.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <681291b5fdb8757f9f1a6637b6037971@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Dusty, sorry to disappoint, but it is the control are bushings that
usually cause the squeaking, not the upper and lower  ball joints,
though they may.The control arm bushings  are welded to the frame. The
weld has to be ground off to remove, and when the replacement is
installed it has to be re-welded. You have to be careful about the
bushings because evidently there are bushing and there are bushings.
Some will squeak again soon after replacement, others do not. So study
this carefully.

The upper ball joints are just bolted in. Relatively easy replacement.
The lower one is a different matter. And once removed from the vehicle
you must force the old one out with a press, and install the new one the
same way. While you can go for a while just replacing the upper ball
joint, it is prol'ly a good idea to do the upper and lower together as
many times the lower one fades soon after replacing the upper.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver x2
dusty edwards wrote:

> i've been meaning to get my '90 westy into the shop to have the upper
> ball joints replaced.  i believe this is the repair that my mechanic
> suggested to fix the creaking in the front end, and if i'm
> right..........well, apparently this job isn't as complicated as i
> thought it to be.  i'm no master mechanic, but i try to do what i can
> on my own.  i located this website:
> http://volksweb.relitech.com/uballjnt.htm
>
> is it this simple?  is there no realignment needed
> afterwards???.....which is mostly why i was going to let my mechanic do
> the work.  if so, (my next question) what preventative maintenance is
> recommended while doing this job.  i believe that i've heard somebody
> say that while you're in there you should replace the struts, etc...
> (???)
>
> thanks for the help!
> dusty.
>  |___|_|_|__\
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>  "(o)-----(o)--"
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>