Ball Joint Stuff

Don't go buying new ball joints, just remove a shim or 2 at the bottom of the ball holder IF the ball joint and sliding surfaces are not pitted/worn.

[Ed: If you can buy them, always renew the ball joints at least every 2 years, you don't want one breaking!]

Ball joints (swivel), replacing

• Get a ball joint splitter fork thingy, scissors preferable, wedge type if you want to capture all the atmosphere of launching the Queen Mary.

• Undo and split top and bottom swivel tapers and track rod end

• NEVER hammer or rest the splitter on the threaded end of the ball joint in an attempt to release it, undo the nut BEFORE you start leaving the locknut level with the top of the shaft, this provides a nice area for the splitter to rest on AND stops the hub dropping out when the joint splits

• Undo, remove and support calliper (saves fluid loss)

• If you have trouble removing a locknut from the swivel after the joint splits, just lower the car down so the taper in the arm engages just enough with the threaded bit to stop the shaft turning (or use mole grips)

• Pull off complete hub assembly and pull driveshaft out of inner diff cup

• You can then stick the whole thing in a vice on the bench and life is easy-peasy

• Don't shim TOO tight, and make sure the lock tab is bent over ALL the way round, else the MoT will fail it and you risk a nasty crash!

• I have used feeler guages, a outside micrometer and a torque wrench to calculate the shims needed: torque the nut up, measure the gap the shims have to take up them play around with combinations of shims until you get slightly less than you needs... a good starting point
  

• Grease up and reassemble

An hour per wheel max.

Ball joints (swivel), Metro type

All metros had different ball joints to the mini, they were complete units which can't be disassembled.

However pre-84 metros used the same taper as a mini so metro hubs will fit a mini if you use pre-84 metro ball joints.

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NEW Ball joints (from Peter Kay 28 12 02)

"My experience with new ball joints is that many of them have 'high spots' on the ball, cap or both.

This shows up as requiring differing pressures, at different points, as the ball is moved around when trying to check for the required free movement without play.

This is normally the reason that a joint becomes 'loose' after a very short time, requiring the removal of shims, when the high spots wear off.

The solution is to lap the joint:

• Remove the spring
• Fit the seat
• Smear the ball with valve grinding paste
• Move the taper stub on the ball around to full travel in all directions whilst tightening the top cup nut frequently until resistance is equal throughout the limits of movement of the ball
• Clean internals thoroughly with turps or petrol, then assemble as normal.

With a joint that has been lapped in, they will last for years IMExperience."

07 June 2003