Started this today. OMG!! This is a p.i.t.a.!!!!!
Only thing that's going well so far is when I replaced these 5 years ago (& about 30,000 miles) is member Motorcarman said to install the bolt towards the rear of the car from the bottom up, with the nut on top. "It makes it easier if it needs to be removed in the future, and who knows it may be YOU!"
WELL it is me and glad for the advice. Other than that, 6 1/2 hours in and still not done, smfh. Every bolt and nut that could give me problems has. If I could have crawled into my house I would have I'm in so much pain. Did I mention f u c k cancer?
Attached the pics so far, yup it's definitely bad.




I tried to upload a little video of moving the ball joint, but this site won't let me. It wiggles with thumb and forefinger REALLY easily = not good.

 

I've got nothing specific for you Dell but big hammers, big pickle forks, lots of penetrating oil, cheater bars, etc have made suspension problems easier for me than a lot of little stuff that gets rusted and breaks off here in the northeast where we put salt on the roads 3 months a year. I replaced suspension arms with ball joints already attached rather than try and replace ball joints individually because it seemed easier and not much more expensive. Check Rock Auto. I know they are cheap aftermarket and won't last 100k miles but neither will we.

You have been a great resource here an I am pulling for you. **** cancer, especially yours.

 

Yup, I bought a new arm as well. Removing (my current p.i.t.a.) the arm, then drilling out the rivets to replace with a ball joint only kit seemed to me counterintuitive for the little cost difference of the entire arm. Just 30,000 miles seems remarkably short a time for the last one to fail (again 5 years but only 30,000 miles). I'll attach a Pic of the finally removed arm and there is pretty significant deterioration in that time. I guess, as with your area, the damn salt they use here in Utah is horribly corrosive.




I just for the life of me I can't get the new part back in. It's just being a right pig about it.

 

Forgive my ignorance but is the salt there in Utah from treating the roads for snow and ice? Or salt from the salt flats and Salt Lake?

I bought a beautiful car once from a guy who lived under a mile from the Atlantic ocean but far enough south that it was warm and they never treated the roads with sand or salt. I was shocked to find out how just the salt in the air had turned the whole frame, suspension, etc to rust. Learned that lesson after I bought the car of course.

 

Salt on the roads and 2022 I moved to Logan Utah after diagnosis to spend whatever time I have left in this beautiful mountain valley. Driving South to Doctor's appointments, etc. In the winter I have to go through Sardine Canyon which they salt the hell out of because of the altitude and the weather patterns that go through that canyon (think blizzard). The Great Salt Lake doesn't really put much salt in the air but does for some reason send a ton of pollution in the air.Lots of concern the past few years about Lake level decline and this pollution =
The Great Salt Lake has sediments at the bottom that contain arsenic and heavy metals. If the lake level decreases, it will expose those particles on the lake bed to the winds. If these dust particles are picked up by winds coming across the Bonneville salt flats, they can be carried into Salt Lake City. These dust particles can cause respiratory illnesses if breathed in by people and animals.

The evaporation from the lake also increases the snowpack in the mountains. That snowpack refills our reservoirs and provides clean drinking water for agriculture and the growing population. If dust is blown into the snowpack, it melts faster and decreases the water supply in the late summer. As the surface area of the lake decreases, the contributions it makes to the snowpack also decreases.

 

So every combination known to man to get this back in. Watched autodoc's video at least 10 times. He makes it look so easy = NOT!!
I finally got both back in (yes I know supposed to do 1 at a time but the car is not cooperating, smfh). 7 more hours today, and fighting through intense pain. Finally gave up. Attached where I'm at thus far and my kitty has been biting and scratching me, not including the 5 times the arm snapped under tension and crushed my fingers and finger tips. As the guy in England that did this and his videos are always some of the best documented and instructive = this job is a 10 out of 10 in difficulty.

 

So after 4 days got this S.O.B. installed! This is seriously one of the hardest replacements I've experience. Took it for a drive this afternoon and nothing came apart so I think I got it right and am safe. Have an appointment at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow for an alignment.
I look like I fought a bobcat instead of my "Kitty". Cuts, bruises, horrendous pain. I'm weak as a "kitten" now. 🤣
Also the "jerk" sideways at high acceleration from a stop from 1st to 2nd is no longer there.

 

So the saga continues:

So took Jag to get an alignment and the passenger side ball joint is shot as well. His machine wouldn't even let him align the front end because it moved too much, ****! So.....I'm having them replace it because no way I can or would do it again! More $$$ *sigh*

 

You are due some luck, go buy a lottery ticket.

 

No kidding! Got it back just now, drives like a dream, straight and true.

 

BTW, they marked my mileage on my receipt (163,971) & I replaced both of them at 132,800! Doesn't seem right they should fail that quickly(?). Anyway, hopefully it's the last time they need replacement.

 

30k miles does seem early for those to fail. Do you recall what brand they were? I bought Beck/Arnleys from Rock Auto. My usual tactic when they have multiple brands is to not buy the cheapest one but get the 2nd cheapest.

 

Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand. I'm pretty sure I got them from Amazon (E-Bay?) as a set with the stabilizer bars also. Although 30,000 miles, it was 5-6 years ago I replaced them.

The new one the mechanic put on the passenger side has bolted in ball joints instead of riveted ones. IF I ever need it done again, easier 🤞

 

Yours was the most recent post on the control arms, and one I read before replacing mine.
Unfortunately I agree, PITA.
Sadly whoever, or if ever, installed new control arms didn't think to install the bolt from the bottom.
Seems like common sense to me, another of many times working on this car I'd like to smack an engineer.

Another bit of advice to help the next guy.
Spray the rear subframe bolts with penetrating oil everytime you have a front wheel off.
There is a hole in the body to access and spray these. Sadly because of the location they also get sprayed with water, road salt, ect.
Another smack an engineer moment...
General advice when working on any car is antiseize is your friend, you may be the next guy removing!

So maybe your like me and the last guy didn't install bolt from the bottom and never heard of antiseize
And your subframe nutserts (yep, both) broke and spins in the body.
Good news, you can remove the rear bolt without dropping the subframe.
It requires a lot of patience, swearing, long thin pry bar (or tire iron) and a big hammer.
And after all that I guarantee you put the bolt in upside-down!!! Rant over

 

In the last few month I had the subframe with the control arms removed several times, as this is only the smallest off all the obstacles when having to remove the transmission.
And without reading it anywhere, it was obvious to me that the factory default of inserting the bolts the wrong way 'round is ridiculous and I turned it around (Nuts on top).
I also re-sprayed the subframe and the control arms, while they were off.

OBVIOUSLY you want to tighten those bolts with the correct and very high torque as required: 142Nm! That is massive! Cause if you don't, you might loose the whole bolt and not just the nut while driving (this would be quite dangerous), which is obviously why Jaguar mounted the bolts from the top, giving a sh** about problems caused for future repairs and thinking only about their potential liability...