eurocars
04-18-2009, 07:01 AM
Has anyone tried replacing the ball joints on a 96-98 Grand Caravan? Just wondering what all is involved.
FWDtransbuilder
04-19-2009, 12:30 PM
loosen lug nuts, jack up van,remove lug nuts & wheel,remove cotter pin, remove axle nut (1-1/4") I believe, may need to remove one end of the stablizer link (18 mm), remove pinch bolt through ball joint(13/16") socket & wrench, wrap chain around lower A-arm put a pry bar between chain & A-arm with pry bar extending out and push down 9may take quick jar to seperate, pull strut toward you while pulling axle out of hub,push axle and strut off to the side or chin it out of the way,borrow ball joint removeal tool from auto part store. remove ball joint & reverse process, hope that helps you decide if you want to tackle this. Air tools will be a big help.
eurocars
04-19-2009, 01:53 PM
So basically, the whole first part of the process is to remove the outer end of the axle from the hub, right? so that the ball joint can be accessed.
I have done that axle part before because I replaced both axles.
I was wondering, is the BJ attached to the spindle? and if so, can the spindle be easily removed. I'd rather bring the assembly to a machine shop and have the BJ pressed out and the new one pressed in. Using the portable BJ press is a PITA.
