Ball joint problem

[alex_cristocea]

Hi all,
I have a problem with the control arm on the driver side of the car.The ball joint has a big play and it needs to be changed.The problem is that a new control arm is pretty expensive and I want to ask if anyone knows if this control arm can be serviced and where.I have a 87 951.

[Lawrence Coppari]

Best thing to do is remove the ball joint and look inside to see whether the ball has ruined the aluminum socket. If not, you can buy a rebuild kit from Rennbay.

[alex_cristocea]

That's what I was thinking.Do you know where can I find some pics or schematics to remve the ball joint?

[Lawrence Coppari]

What I did was remove the entire a-arm, then remove the circlip on the underside of it that holds ball joint. Ball joint should slide out from bottom.

[Tedro]

www.rennbay.com has the kits and the instructions with photos. I had a previously "bored" control arm, so I needed a donor. Rennbay sold me a good used one for $35. Good guys

[alex_cristocea]

Thx. I already ordered the kit (super deluxe) but i'm not removing the control arm now I will remove the joint later when the kit arrives.If is damaged maybe the will sell me one.
Tedro what was the feeling of your "bored" control arm on the road before you removed?Made any sound or had exce large play?

[Tedro]

I almost hate to confess that when I bought the car I decided to replace almost all of the "wear" items in the suspension. No obvious problems. The "bored" arms were a result of a previous BJ installation that was designed as an interference fit. If you remove the clips and the joints come out fairly easy, you probably don't have the "bored" repair problem. I am glad I did all the work...with the konis the front feels very smooth and planted. Now to do something about the KYBs in the rear....

[alex_cristocea]

I had this problem about two weeks ago and I need an urgent fix for it because I need the car to go on vacantion(I left home last week Monday and came back today).Since I live in Romania(Europe) and the shipping was more than 2 weeks time I removed the ball joint.Inside I found a lot of dirt and the conical upper bush of the ball joint was totally missing.I inspected the control arm - ok, I went to a specialized shop, made one and mounted it back.I had about 1k KM wit it and runs perfect .

[nize]

wow, do you have photos of the one you made? how much did it cost?

[alex_cristocea]

The bush is made from a special material(I wanted made from teflon but he advised me to use teflon-grafit witch is al lot more durable and strong).I'm sorry I don't have pics it was a real rush that day.The cost for one bush was 4$

[alex_cristocea]

The bush was great.It lasted for two weeks

[nize]

sux.

[alex_cristocea]

I replaced the bush with a new one made from bronze-aluminum alloy. I've noticed some wear inside the ball housing in the control arm.

[legion]

If you still have the aluminum control arms, you are supposed to replace them completely when the ball joints wear.

If you don't have any wear on the housing, you can use a rebuild kit (like RennBay sells), but if your housing is worn, the control arms should be replaced.