2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Truck 4 Wheel Drive with Tapered Hole Mounted Steering Damper Front 13 Piece Steering & Suspension Kit DIY Solutions SUS01159

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In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the lower ball joints in this Dodge Ram. This one is a 2008, but the procedure is pretty much the same for 2006 to 2008 1500 Dodge Rams. We do this on the passenger side, but the driver's side is the same procedure.

You'll need new ball joints from 1AAuto.com, 8 to 35 millimeter sockets with a ratchet and extensions, a breaker bar, hooked picked, bungee cords or mechanics wire, pry bar, hammer, flat blade screwdriver, needle nose pliers, snap ring pliers, ball joint press, torque wrench, and jack and jack stands.

With the vehicle on the ground, using the 22 millimeter socket and breaker bar, break the lug nuts for your wheel loose. These chrome lug nuts tend to be swollen, so make sure your socket's on there good. Using the small pick, remove the center cap from the wheel. Using a 35 millimeter socket and a breaker bar crack the axle nut loose. Raise and support your vehicle. Finish removing the lug nuts. Remove the wheel and tire from the hub.

Remove the two 21 millimeter bolts securing the caliper bracket to the spindle. Be sure to crack both of these loose before removing them. If they are removed fully one at a time, the caliper can twist and cause the flex hose on the brake line to tear. Be sure to support the assembly while you remove the last bolt. Remove the entire caliper and carrier assembly. Using a bungee cord secure it out of the way by hanging it off of the frame. Remove the rotor from the hub.

Brace the hub with a pry bar and finish removing your axle nut. Using a hammer, tap the end of the axle to push it out of the hub. Remove the nut for the tire rod. Take a 21 millimeter socket and ratchet. You want to leave the nut on a few threads so that it's flush with the bottom of the stud. Carefully tap up with a hammer. Remove the nut. Remove the tie rod from the control arm. Remove the 22 millimeter nut connecting the upper ball joint to the spindle.

Tap the front of the knuckle right where the ball joint comes through with a hammer to release it, careful not to hit it too hard because this is aluminum and it could crack. Once it's loosened up, you may have to hit the bottom of the control arm to release the joint from the knuckle. Using a flat blade screwdriver, release the tab on the connector for the ABS sensor. Push down and release the connector. Release it from the clamps under the control arm.

Pull down on the spindle or push up on the upper control arm to separate them and remove the axle shaft from the wheel bearing.

With a pair of needle nose pliers, straighten out the legs on the cotter pin. You want to get them as tight as you can, and as free of kinks as possible. This may mean pinching them together, and working them back and forth a little. Keep them together. Stick one of the legs from your pliers through the eyelet of the cotter pin. Clamp down, and twist it out. Regardless of whether or not the cotter pin comes out in one piece, you will want to replace these after they've been removed.

Using a 22 millimeter socket and breaker bar, remove the nut on the lower ball joint. Ensure that your axle nut is partially installed so the hub—once released from the ball joint—does not fall. Put some weight onto the top of the spindle, either by pulling down with your hand or a pry bar, and hit the bottom of the spindle here with a hammer to release the ball joint from the spindle. Once the ball joint is separated from the spindle, remove your axle nut the rest of the way.

Release the axle from the hub and the spindle from the ball joint. Using a bungee cord, zip ties, or mechanics wire, secure your CV axle up and out of the way of your lower ball joint. Using a pair of normally closed snap ring pliers, release the snap ring on the top of the ball joint. Place the receiving tube onto the bottom of the lower ball joint. Set it onto your press. Install a cup onto the top of the press to protect the grease fitting and to keep the press centered.

Using a 22 millimeter socket and breaker bar, tighten down on the press until the ball joint is released from the control arm. We're going to use an 8 millimeter socket to remove the grease fitting in order to get the added clearance to finish pressing the joint out.

Now you'll put your tube back onto the bottom of the ball joint. Reinstall your press, and without a cup on the top, put the threaded end of the press directly onto the top center of the ball joint. Press it the rest of the way out. When the joint is close to coming out, hold the press if it's safe to do so. Remove the assembly from the control arm.

Here we have our old ball joint, which we removed from our truck, and our new ball joint from 1A Auto. As you can see, there are some minor aesthetic differences, but the taper and the diameter of the joint are exactly the same. Same spline, they have a nice new boot, this one on our vehicle had actually collapsed in some, which obviously isn't going to hold grease very well. It's all dried out and rusted inside—I can barely get this thing to move.

Our new ball joint comes with a new snap ring that will sit on top of the control arm, to keep from the vehicle moving up and down and from working the ball joint out of its seat; A 90 degree zerk fitting, which is actually going to be a lot easier to access inside the vehicle; A new castle nut; And a new cotter pin to secure it and keep it from turning out. When it comes time to remove this ball joint in the future, you'll see that we have a slot in there, which allows you to keep the ball joint in place with a flat blade screwdriver, while undoing this castle nut, making it easier to remove a stubborn old ball joint, whereas this one has no provision to keep it from spinning.

Install the ball joint into an installation cup that fits the rim of the joint as best you can. Install the joint into the spindle with the cup on top, which will allow the joint to come through until it bottoms out. Make sure it's in there nice and straight. Using a 22 millimeter socket and ratchet, tighten it down until the joint seats fully into the lower control arm. Once you can see that the ball joint is seated fully, all the way around the control arm, remove your ball joint press.

Use your snap ring pliers to spread the new snap ring. Install it into the groove of the ball joint. Be sure that it's fully seated in there. Install your zerk/grease fitting. Using a 10 millimeter socket, tighten down your grease/zerk fitting. Be sure to face it in a direction that won't be interfered with by the spindle, such as backwards or forwards, as long as you can do so without stripping it.

Install the ball joint as well as the CV axle into the spindle, making sure that both line up properly. Start the washer and castle nut onto the threads of the ball joint. Line up and install the spines of your axle into the hub. Start your axle nut on as far as it'll go. Lift up on the upper control arm, slide the upper ball joint into the spindle. Pull down until you're able to get the nut started onto the threads. Tighten it down with a 22 millimeter socket and ratchet. Torque the upper ball joint to 40 foot-pounds. Add an additional 90 degrees.

Reinstall the tie rod into the spindle. Start the nut. Tighten it with a 21 millimeter socket and ratchet. Torque the tie rod to 45 foot-pounds. Reinstall the harness into the keepers and the bottom of the control arm. Reinstall the connector.

Push down on the safety tab. Reinstall the rotor onto the hub. Make sure that you don't twist the line on your brake hose. Reinstall the caliper carrier assembly onto the rotor. Start the bolts on the back side. Tighten the bolts down with a 21 millimeter socket and ratchet. Torque the caliper bolts to 130 foot-pounds.

Reinstall your wheel and tire onto the vehicle. Start the lug nuts with a 22 millimeter socket. Get all the lug nuts as tight as you can in the air and lower the vehicle. After tightening your axle nut torque it to 185 foot-pounds. Pop the center cap back into place. Torque your lug nuts to 135 foot-pounds in a cross pattern.

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