Replace a WJ rear upper control arm ball joint (BONUS: installing DIY a-arm spacer part 2)
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2017
- In this video I install the $20 DIY a-arm spacer i made on the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ. I also replace the ball joint in the a-arm (a.k.a. the rear upper control arm)
Here is the link for the "How To" to make your own a-arm spacer for $20
• Jeep WJ A-Arm Spacer -...
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We hope you enjoyed this video and will keep in mind that all information included is intended to be purely academic and in fact is only the opinion of D&E. We are not professionals, nor are we qualified to knight you a professional. D&E want to ensure that anyone modify or fixing their own vehicle does so in a safe manner which leaves the vehicle in a legal, roadworthy state. In short, DON'T BE A MONKEY WITH A TOOL BOX! If you don't know what you are doing, leave it the professionals! - Auta a dopravní prostředky
The bolts on both ends of the arm to frame are 74FT-LBS torque spec, Ball Joint nut to arm is 105FT-LBS & plate to differential bolts are 100FT-LBS, Torque specs are important to maintain proper wear life...
GR8888 for your information Master.
Thanks.
For a DIY video, this kicked a##. Many thanks.
All I can say is good luck. This mightve been the hardest job I've ever worked on on any vehicle. Im sure im forgetting a few but this was no picnic.
First it was tough loosening the ball joint nut. Finally broke that loose, removed it n then tried to beat the arm like most say to do but it would not pop loose.
So I moved on to the uca bushing.
I used a 13/16th box wrench ( couple thousands less than 21mm wrench ) to break the 3 bushing plate bolts loose but oh yeah it also took a 3" 4ft long steel pipe n all my strength n im not a weakling I'm also 6-4 240 lbs. Im surprised the wrench didn't break and after it broke loose it still barely moved. I fought them all the way out. But I did make it easier. I bought a flex 21mm combo ratchet wrench from Amazon. The brand was Morabel. A real nice wrench. $26 n worth every penny. But still fought me. I hope yours goes easier. I was doing a lotta this 🤬🤬🤬🤬
Solid vid. This is one thing I have not yet done on my WJ
Was a little difficult to find this part 2, you should link it on part 1 :) THANKS
Thanks! I will do that now
Thank You.
Good video brot, how inches the spacer is?
How do you press the ball joint bolt into the upper control arm so that the bolt doesn't turn when you screw the nut on?
Hey Friend! What Loctite threadlocker are you using? 242 or 243? Thanks or any info!
What truss is that?
Watched because have to rellace mkne. 2 years ago replaced the A and ball joint. Froze in so actually sawall the a frame off jjst to get the bolts out. Still, A off, could not pop the ball out with a sledge. Unbelievable. So worked well for a year. Heard a lot of clanking usually after going from 4 to 2 again. Constantly, turnkng bumls, reverse. Clunk. Got under it and found the ball nut loose. That sucker will not tighten noe loosen. Possibly threads shot from play. Have an idea about sawzall the ball bolt whick will free up the A to make easier, more room, to get the 3 bolts out. Now, the top nut was torqued properly but came loose. Wondering if this time I should add a lock nut or split washer. Maybe a better nut like a grade 8 M14 1/2" nut. Just looking for ideas because the last time was a bitch to replace. Mainly the aligning and those 3 bolts are tough. In or out very hard to turn, possibly replace the bolts as well?
Does a 2.5 lift need a spacer?
Do you have the exact size and length of the ball joint mounting bolts? All 3 snapped off, just bought a replacement axle. HELP lol
Did that take care of your looseness?
If I'm replacing the Arm with the the ball and plate on it, wouldn't it be easier to just take the plate bolts out from the differental??
Lower the differental and replace the arm and raise back up the differental and ball stud back in the hole without realigning???
You can try anyway you want to to make this job easier but good luck. Its just one of those jobs that is a BB no matter what you do. Im sure its easier on a lift but even then im sure its still a b***h.
How is it holding up? How much lift were you running? Great idea BTW.
This WJ has 3.5" of lift in the rear and this spacer has held up great. I check it often for signs that is has compressed (which would result in the bolts coming loose) or cracking and have not been able to see any signs that the cutting board material was a bad idea. The results are so impressive (in my humble opinion) that I am planning to make a throttle body spacer for my daily XJ soon using the same method. Thanks for the positive feedback!
Thats good to hear. My main concern was that lateral movement because its not a "solid" spacer. Just thinking the individual layers might want to move sideways putting pressure on the bolts. I suppose under normal driving conditions that probably isn't a factor. Did you ever find a source for a solid chunk of that material?
Lateral movement has yet to be an issue. I had the jeep on a 600 mile road trip and a few trips offroad. The cutting board was slightly textured (as cutting boards usually are). I think that the texture combined with the torque of the bolts is holding everything together quite nicely. I admit that i never continued my search for a solid piece of ABS plastic to remake the spacer because I have had no issue with the layered one. You could probably find some kind of adhesive which would actually melt the layers together (regular Krazy Glue might even work) to create the same effect.
Why did you create the spacers? Was it necessary or was it need for any aftermarket modifications
Yes. When you lift these Jeeps, the a-arm angle becomes too extreme if you do no add a spacer and/or replace the a-arm with something longer
Would it be okay to use a Pickle Fork to separate the control arm and ball joint ? ✌👀
Yea, no reason that would not work. I was not saving this one, so a hammer was fine for me
All I can say is good luck. This mightve been the hardest job I've ever worked on on any vehicle. Im sure im forgetting a few but this was no picnic.
First it was tough loosening the ball joint nut. Finally broke that loose, removed it n then tried to beat the arm like most say to do but it would not pop loose.
So I moved on to the uca bushing.
I used a 13/16th box wrench ( couple thousands less than 21mm wrench ) to break the 3 bushing plate bolts loose but oh yeah it also took a 3" 4ft long steel pipe n all my strength n im not a weakling I'm also 6-4 240 lbs. Im surprised the wrench didn't break and after it broke loose it still barely moved. I fought them all the way out. But I did make it easier. I bought a flex 21mm combo ratchet wrench from Amazon. The brand was Morabel. A real nice wrench. $26 n worth every penny. But still fought me. I hope yours goes easier. I was doing a lotta this 🤬🤬🤬🤬
My ball joint snapped in half this morning.
SNAPPED.
IN.
HALF.
Seriously?! You didnt crash, did you?
@@DEInTheGarage thankfully, it was while I was backing out of the driveway! I've been working on cars longer than I've been driving them and I've never seen something like this before.
The back end has been clunky since I bought it. The moral here is... with cars, and with life: never ignore a clunky rear.
@@DEInTheGarage I've started the extraction of the old ball joint, am getting you pictures. A ratcheting wrench is helping a lot but I'm seriously considering dropping the cash on a right angle impact.
Did you use the white spacer because you had an overall lift on the car, or did you do it with the standard setup on the car?
I am planning to shift the two "outer/frontal" bushings on that arm also.
I did this to make up for a 3.5" lift in the rear
Hey I see your still replying to comments
Mine is banking a clunking noise every time I shift from drive to reverse or other way around and also when I’m coming to a stop or about to accelerate is the problem? And also where are you supporting the car from when you let it stop back down thanks
That sound could be a lot of things, but I would check all your rear control arm bushings. The metal ring around the rubber rots away and the bushing is able to clang around inside the bore. I support it from the body right behind the control arm mounts.
D&E In The Garage thing is it doesn’t make the noise anymore once it’s wet so I thought it’s not the bushings
It could just be the lash in your differential. Especially with the D35, but true of all differentials is that over time they wear the gears and the tolerances get larger. D35's all seem to start to break down badly after 180k miles. They will still drive well about 300k, but they get really loose
how thick is it??
Mine came to a bit over 2" which worked for the 3.5" of lift i have in the back. I probably could have gone a bit more
Hello dear, mine is 2 inch lifted, Should I have to add a spacer like that one?
Can somebody answer this? I have same lift BB.
@@goJohnHenry Thanks
Where'd you get the truss
It is from Iron Rock Offroad. I highly suggest getting one if you are going to wheel on a D44a. It is a good axle, but the center section is made of aluminum and needs some support
#CrappyAluminum44!
LoL 😂. In reality, it is every bit as good as a normal steel D44, minus the housing strength, but it's a lot lighter, so there's that. Easy enough to upgrade with said truss, I'd try to find one that incorporates a diff skid plate into the design and you'll be just as strong as any D44, but still lighter and running cooler, as aluminum transfers heat better than steel. Also, if memory serves me, the Aluminum Dana 44 in the Grand Cherokee is actually a bit stronger than your average D44 when it comes to torque load, but don't quote me on that.
so I really got to know , how was the life of your spacer is it holding up still ?
It is. no cracs, just a little bit of compression. maybe 1/16"
@@DEInTheGarage really , well thats not bad , even if it gets me to the point where i can replace it with a fab spacer . how are the roads you drive on with her ?
Pleaseeeee respond! I have all new rear control arms AND bushings aswell as this ball joint. I have a 2.5" leveling kit and cannot seem to stop my rear end clunk. I looked under it and I have pretty bad axle wrap. Would this help at all?
It will help correct your geometry for sure and prevent getting a clunk in the future. It is likely that running it out of soec (the lift with no spacer) caused something else to become worn. just having bad geometry will not cause a noise by itels. I would check your lower shock mounts as the sometime become ovalled out on the WJ and create a clunk. Additionally, swap bar mounts and links are sometimes a culprit when diagnosing WJ rear end noises. Hope this helps
What do you mean by, "Axle wrap"? The term, as I have always known it, refers to the tendency of a leaf-sprung axle to twist the leaf spring into an "S" shape under high load, high torque scenarios, and then when the tire loses traction, WHAM: the spring unloads back into its normal shape. I guess we are all assuming you have a WJ, and since that vehicle has coil springs at all four corners (meaning it has no leaf springs) we are a bit confuzzled.
I could help zero in on your problem better if you respond and help clarify your particular issue.
BAD A-ARM BALLJOINT.
@@BLAZEPSI actually it wasn't. A arm ball joint was brand new. Putting a spacer in it fixed the problem
@@evanjeffries1398 how big of a spacer did you used?
Ball joint fork...?
Didn't have one at the time, so I went with the bang bang method
I'm poor 😅
Pickle fork
Torque spec is 105 for the ones who asked
Thanks bud