Just pay the mechanic!

[Rastoff]

Impact wrench is your friend! Ball joints can be stubborn,you earn everything you save.

I have an impact wrench. I'm not sure how it would have helped. All the bolts/nuts came off with ease. It was pressing out the old ball joints that was hard. Pressing in the new ones was only a little easier.

 

[Golddollar]

Back in the 1960s and 1970's when cars were a lot simpler I was able to do my own oil changes and a lot of my own tune-up work. For someone who was not overly mechanically inclined I learned a lot from reading the shop manuals. That's about as far as I would go, but I think it was a good confidence builder and got me out of a couple scrapes over time. Anybody got a 1971 Chrysler Newport that needs the plugs changed?

 

[Salty RI]

We had a Newport, I think it was. 78.

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[sureshotbob]

Yes I now pay someone to do my auto work also when I was young I'd think nothing of swapping a engine or tranny but cars were more simple to work on.
When I buy new cars I do get the extended warranty and they even change the oil.

 

[tlawler]

You saved more than enough to buy a nice used S&W...

Funny how we all think of money saved in terms of how many S&W’s we can buy.

I’ve got to put a new fuel pump in my Expedition and have been putting it off for weeks. The fuel tank has to be dropped and a job that I would have done in a few hours on a Saturday morning in my younger years, I’m dreading.

 

[soFlaNative]

Car on the jackstands, lying on my back on cardboard in the driveway I'm the guy who drops the 5/8ths open end on his upper lip then bounces his head on the driveway with the flinch. I'll get the job done once the tears stop and the stars clear...

 

[snowman]

It could well be that your Jeep's ball joint assemblies are designed differently than the ones I'm used to. I've always been able to break my worn out ones loose simply by giving the casting a good solid lateral rap with a sizable hammer. The vibrations created by the blow, coupled with some pressure/weight applied away from the tapered hole in the casting, did the trick.

Nevertheless am glad you were able to finish the job -I'm sure you're relieved.

Regards,
Andy

 

[Bkreutz]

I retired from being a Auto Technician 8 years ago. I have a shop at my house (with a hoist) and ~ 80K worth of Snap On tools. I change the oil in my Subaru Forester twice a year, I change the oil in my wife's FJ Cruiser twice a year. Both vehicles have less than 50 K miles on them. If stuff starts breaking, I'll trade them in for a new one. My time fixing cars is past. I spend my time shooting USPSA competition, handloading, and building guns. The tools sit in the box and the only car I even get close to working on is my '47 Willys (and nothing breaks on it either). People still ask me about repairing their cars but I've spent my time and deserve a retirement.

 

[LVSteve]

I'm the guy that thought it was a smart idea to change the plugs on a 96 Firebird myself. I should have known to call the mechanic when the first instruction was "remove the front wheels". Remove wheels to change the plugs??? Oh, and having the EXACT length of extension and universal joint is essential. I got lucky with my toolkit, but there were loud cries of "Never again" when the last lugnut was tight.

 

[Rastoff]

The vibrations created by the blow, coupled with some pressure/weight applied away from the tapered hole in the casting, did the trick.

Not "could be", they're definitely different. These don't have a tapered hole to be pressed into. The steering knuckle that's attached to the ball joints has tapered holes and I got those off with a solid rap of the hammer along with diligent application of a fork. However, the ball joints themselves are in a straight hole.

This is not my Jeep, but here's a pic of what installing a lower ball joint looks like:

If you look closely, you can see what the ball joint looks like.

 

[STCM(SW)]

At 77, I'm not going to do any more work on car's or truck's unless it's the 1953 Chevy 3/4 ton truck we use to have!

 

[Kiwi cop]

I have rebuilt a blown engine in a weekend in my younger days. But no more.

When you need a computer qualification simply to lift the bonnet (hood) it is time to call in the professionals.

My 2006 Ford Modeo has been back in the shop for a month after having the fuel pump replaced, again! (I run it mostly on LPG and the pump just circulates the fuel in the tank when running on the gas. If the petrol tank is too low (like it was for a few weeks) the muck in the bottom just gets circulated and jams up everything). For some reason the computer is shutting down the system when the temperature gets above cold.

Usually this would not be a problem but I just had the LPG tank removed and tested. It is empty an I need to drive 20 minutes to get LPG put into it. I nee dit to run on petrol for that 20 minutes. It has reached the point that the mechanic is advising we tow it to an LPG filling station so I can at least use the car until the matter can be sorted out.

 

[snowman]

Not "could be", they're definitely different. These don't have a tapered hole to be pressed into. The steering knuckle that's attached to the ball joints has tapered holes and I got those off with a solid rap of the hammer along with diligent application of a fork. However, the ball joints themselves are in a straight hole.

This is not my Jeep, but here's a pic of what installing a lower ball joint looks like:

If you look closely, you can see what the ball joint looks like.

Yes, sir; that's a different animal. I thought that might be the case. I just watched a YouTube video of the procedure you performed(endured?). So glad I've had a much simpler & easier task. I'm sure you're glad it's over with.

Regards,
Andy

 

[Eagle 477]

I found that the fastest way to change the spark plugs on my 1988 Mustang GT with headers.... Was thru the holes I drilled in the wheel wells.

Rob

 

[Vulcan Bob]

After being a fleet mechanic for the Pa State Police for thirty three years I haven't touched a wrench to a vehicle since I retired Jan 25th 2008. Some of the above is why!

 

[Salty RI]

Sunbeam Tiger, I forgot wich back plug but a friend of mine had one and we cut a hole in the firewall to get the plug out.

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[A-37]

Spring Loaded

It was 1985 and my 1968 Lincoln Continental needed new front coil springs. A friend was in the wholesale parts business and got me a pair of Moog springs.

I didn't have a spring compressor so I took the car and springs to a local mechanic. He phoned me when the job was done. When I got there, he said, "Let me show you something," and walked me over to the concrete block wall near my car. There was a chunk of material knocked out of a block.

The mechanic was compressing the spring (big as a truck spring) and the compressor failed, ejecting the spring across the building and hitting the wall.

As the man said, "Let the mechanic do it!"

(Two golf bags and two bodies will fit in that trunk.)

 

[Tom S.]

Rastoff - don't forget to get it re-aligned. Also, though you won't want to hear this, if I'm replacing ball joints, I do everything. Wheel bearings, tie rod ends and steering ends. My philosophy is, if the ball joints are that worn, chances are the rest of the front end is too, and steering components aren't something I want to have let go while I'm driving down the road. I'd even seriously consider doing control arm bushings if the vehicle has them.

Like many here though, I'm reaching the age where turning wrenches is getting more laborious and I foresee a day rapidly approaching when I'll have to stop. My dad quit early - when he was around 58. I'm 10 years past that point.

 

[CustomChevyGuy]

I work at a dealership, and weekly see even the simplest jobs for techs turn into nightmares at the fall of chance.
To me every job always boils down to
1. Can I do it, without the frustration reaching the level of me not wanting to do the job any more?
2. Can I pay a tech to get it done right the first time and without having to figure out alternate transportation?

 

[Ethang]

I am debating if I want to do the front wheel bearing on my commuter Civic with 312K miles on it or just let the dealership do it... you have helped make up my mind.