Itinerant Air-Cooled

chitwnvw wrote:How does one extract the ball joint from it's socket if it needs to be replaced?

One does not extract the ball joint from its socket unless the last pothole did it. The entire balljoint assembly is press-fit into the trailing arm with about 10,000 lbs of pressure. There are oversize ball joint assemblies to fit loose holes in worn trailing arms, I wonder if I got oversize ball joints crammed in standard holes. My steering is stil intolerably tight after 65,000 miles + and it gets worse as temperatures climb.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:

chitwnvw wrote:How does one extract the ball joint from it's socket if it needs to be replaced?

One does not extract the ball joint from its socket unless the last pothole did it. The entire balljoint assembly is press-fit into the trailing arm with about 10,000 lbs of pressure. There are oversize ball joint assemblies to fit loose holes in worn trailing arms, I wonder if I got oversize ball joints crammed in standard holes. My steering is stil intolerably tight after 65,000 miles + and it gets worse as temperatures climb.
Colin

So replacing the boot and injecting with grease is all that is done to a ball joint?

What did you replace that is causing you so much grief?

chitwnvw wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:

chitwnvw wrote:How does one extract the ball joint from it's socket if it needs to be replaced?

One does not extract the ball joint from its socket unless the last pothole did it. The entire balljoint assembly is press-fit into the trailing arm with about 10,000 lbs of pressure. There are oversize ball joint assemblies to fit loose holes in worn trailing arms, I wonder if I got oversize ball joints crammed in standard holes. My steering is stil intolerably tight after 65,000 miles + and it gets worse as temperatures climb.
Colin

So replacing the boot and injecting with grease is all that is done to a ball joint?

What did you replace that is causing you so much grief?

I got replacement torsion arms from Bus Boys with ball joints already installed in them. I think they're bent too. I can't get the caster/camber to adjust correctly. Exchange parts run that risk.

You have an option of rustling up new boots and doing a little grease packing, or you can pack your old boots (mine were torn for 26 years but I kept a messy little grease dam at the rip for a dust barrier) or you too, can gamble with exchange torsion arms.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:You have an option of rustling up new boots and doing a little grease packing, or you can pack your old boots (mine were torn for 26 years but I kept a messy little grease dam at the rip for a dust barrier) or you too, can gamble with exchange torsion arms.
Colin

Is there any metric to apply when deciding how much needs to be done? If you are looking at bootless ball joints that haven't had much grease in their diet for years, is it time for new ones? I really don't want to be slapping on suspect replacements if the originals can be kept.

What is the best way to tell if your ball joints are bad?

Usually the boots are shredded and there is a lot of play when you wiggle the wheel (jacked up). Crawl under there and pushpull the wheel around, look for movement.

My boots are shredded but my steering is real nice. I will have to do the push pull method.

Pack some grease in there and see if you can seal it off from the outside environment.

RZAR wrote:What is the best way to tell if your ball joints are bad?

My bus suspension gave me some consistent clunking over things like railroad crossings and washboard gravel roads to let me know the ball joints were loose. Steering was fine and no problem or noises noted over bigger bumps.

If your joints are not clunking, fill up whatever you have left of your ball joint boots with some boat trailer axle grease (I guess it is designed to keep water out of boat trailer wheel bearings), then wrap them with a little saran wrap or something. Recheck them frequently. The joints can last a long time with torn boots as long as you keep water and grit out of them.

Tim

Thanks. I will have to try the grease method. Can you buy new boots for the ball joints?

RZAR wrote:Thanks. I will have to try the grease method. Can you buy new boots for the ball joints?

You can. It's a decent sized project to replace them, though.

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... -498-001-4

Ok well I popped off the spindles today to get ready to put new boots on my ball joints (which I havent ordered yet). All 4 ball joints are original I think because they have the VW stamping on them. My ball joints are bone dry from the boots being ripped for I dont know how long. Also I have some very slight up and down movement, meaning that I can push and pull the ball joint in and out of the socket slightly. Does this mean they are worn?

The amount of "Slightly" is the question.....A little is normal, yes they are worn some, too much is worn out, needs to be replaced....Not sure how to formally measure the slop......

Isn't the handling or the lack thereof the tell for these suspension components.

I'm just torn between replacing just the boots and keep my OG ballboints or just replace the balljoints. I have heard that the replacements out there are not as good as the originals