Note: If the ball joint is worn out, you can replace the entire lower control arm assembly or just the ball joint. When the vehicle is manufactured, the ball joint is secured with rivets; when replacing it, it must be secured with bolts. The procedure for replacing a rivet-secured joint is described here.
1. Remove the front suspension lower arm (paragraph 7). It is not recommended to replace the ball joint when the lower control arm is installed in the vehicle, as it is not possible to accurately drill the holes in the control arm.
2. With the lever mounted on the bench, drill a pilot hole (3mm diameter) into each of the three rivets, then drill 9mm diameter, 12mm deep holes into the rivets. Then knock the rivets out of the lever with a 7mm or 8mm punch (see Fig. 8.2).
3. Clean any dirt or rust from the rivet holes.
4. The new ball joint comes with a protective plastic cap installed over the rubber boot and stud. It is not recommended to remove this cap prematurely. Remove it immediately before connecting the ball joint to the steering knuckle.
5. Install the new ball joint onto the lower control arm and secure it with three new bolts. Insert the bolts from the top of the control arm. Tighten the nuts to the specified torque. The locating pin on the ball joint assembly should fit into the hole in the lower control arm.
6. Install the front suspension lower arm (paragraph 7).
The text of the article was copied from the website Fordbook.ru