Ball Joints and Tie rods

[jmontgom]

I am driving a 1999 Mercury Villager that my father gave me and i am nearing 200000 miles. I am going to be switching job sites soon and it will require me to do longer drives and I am concerned with the ball joints and tie rods. Can anyone suggest where I can go online to learn how to check and change them if needed. Or if any of the wise have some information it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jon

[Beercan31]

I looked all over and I can not find a "How To`s" for ball joints.
I know Money`s a issue with all of us but if you don`t have the right tools to do Ball Joints Don`t Do The Job, Send it out.

If Ball Joints were meant to be beat out with a hammer it would say so in the Chiltons and Motor`s manual...They are Pressed in with a hand press.

Tire wear guide at the lower portion of the page.
http://www.shorelandr.com/pages/o_tirewear.html

The photo`s are Extreme, any type of wear that may resemble the photo`s in any way shape or form should be looked at by a professional. (and I don`t mean a Detailer.)

Remember It`s not only your life behind the wheel.

Good Luck
Rich

[The Pit]

If you don`t mind paying a fee, you can purchase an annual subscription to an online service manual for your vehicle. That will cover ball joints, tie rods, and anything else you might want to fix. To subscribe, you will need your VIN number.

Alldata offers online access to professional repair manuals (they also provide these services for repair shops, but this service is targeted at do-it-yourselfers).

www.alldatadiy.com

If you don`t want to pay for the online convenience, just go to your local public library. Most of them have service manuals in the reference section.

[The Pit]

As mentioned above, ball joints are often pressed in place with a ball-joint press. Looks like a big C-clamp on steroids.

On some vehicles, the ball joints are riveted in at the factory. To replace them, you need to remove the lower control arm and grind the factory rivets off. The replacement ball joints are then put in with bolts instead of rivets.

You can do it if you have the proper tools, time, and patience.

It`s unlikely that you need to replace the tie-rods, just the tie-rod ends. This is straightforward, unless there is a lot of rust on the tie-rod end jam nut. You will need a small puller to separate the tie-rod end from the steering knuckle (it`s a taper fit).