Well said Quill!
I do think that there's a subtle difference between trying to be as positive as possible and " sugar coating" issues.
Jeez, If you were to speak to my former MD or Sales Director and asked if I sugar coated things, they'd look at you real funny...lol
Having said that, some of our meetings were decidely dodgy. There were times when certain issues had to be brought up and were considered " negative" by the powers that be. I argued that in certain cases negativity = realism...........They didn't like that too much
PMA is a state of mind although it can be hard to maintain at times...lol

Jim

 

Thats what I was saying...plus if you sugar coated everything we guys on here would be allover you making fun of you...

 

You mean I'm not and you don't???...
Its all in good fun mate....Its what helps to make your day go by a little easier

Jim

 

Help please! I can't seem to get the lower ball joint apart. I lowered the subframe and tried the adjustable wrench no go. Tried a pry bar and bent it. What do I do now? Please help wife is getting sick of not having her car. Thanks in advance

 

The lower ball joint has 1 bolt on the rear of the pinch, which I am sure you have found and removed. Once that is out, there is nothing else holding it in. It just pulls out - but not easily. You can go to the auto store and get a ball joint separator if you want to do it the easy way. It is basically a pry-bar, but it is shaped perfectly to pry the ball joint out. Otherwise, the alternative is to go at it with a large screwdriver or prybar. That way works, but it is tough to get it. Putting it back in is just as much fun when you get to that point. What I usually do is line it up and place a floor jack under it, then jack it up until it pops into place. Just a little trick to make things easier when it comes to that time.

Good luck!

 

Got it all fixed and the wife is happy again. Thanks for all the help and tips.

 

That's great to hear! I'm glad you got it all worked out!

 

Where are some pics for the future?

 

problem with the joint was it was just stuck. Nothing more than that. Then when I was putting everything back together I snapped the tie rod end bolt. Always something. Other than the ball joint it was not too bad of a job. Sorry didn't take any pics.

 

Did you have noise, uneven tire wear or steering vibration? What was the cost for the part you have to buy the whole control arm don't you and that has the ball joint attached right?

 

You don't have to replace the entire control arm... It is a bit more of a pain to do it individually, but it will save you a bunch of money. From what I remember, replacing the control arm is around $250 for the part, but individually the ball joint is about $50 and the wheel bearing is about another $50.

If you replace the whole control arm, its pretty straight forward... Just remove the old one and install the new one. For doing it individually, you have to remove the control arm and then take it to a shop to have the bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in (unless you own a press, but not many do-it-yourselfers do). The shop should do it for about $20 if you find a nice guy that wants a quick tip, and the bearing itself will run around $50. The ball joint can be replaced too... The factory installs them with rivets, but all you do is drill those out and remove the old one and then the replacement ball joint has bolts for installation. The new ball joint is about $50. It's really not a hard process at all, and well worth it to save the money!

 

I replaced the whole knuckle. Got it off e-bay for a used one with 20k miles on it. Came with everything. Paid 85 bucks

 

Sorry forgot to say, I replaced it because of a bad noise comming from the bearing

 

Hmmm...can anyone tell me whats wrong with it if I take it into any shop or are they all going to be like its a jag we have no idea? I have a good mechanic but don't know if he'd be able to do it...I usually have someone figure the problem out and than have him do the work as his shop is a little further away...can I get the wheel bearing or I mean ball joint anywhere online? Place I checked (s-g imported car parts) said they could only get the whole control arm...I'll give them a call and see what they have to say...because they told me like 200 for the entire control arm which also houses the ball joint...I'll have to look further into detail on it....

Just gave them a call and he called me back after he called somebody...he can't get a separate ball joint only the control arm with ball joint mounted to it...the price on that is 189! Where else can I get it? He said he knows for certain the s-type he can get and they've had that before but no x-type...

 

I priced checked some parts for my car and the jag dealer was just a little higher priced then the online places. Might want to call them

 

I'll have to give that a shot...wonder if they'd sell a ball joint independently from the rest though...I'll give them a call...

 

I don't know if you are located in the US, but if you are, Autozone sells the wheel bearing. www.autozone.com. Just pick the "Parts" category, then "suspension", then choose your car and pick "wheel bearing hub assembly." If you are not in the US, maybe they ship - or otherwise I would just try your local parts store.

 

I did two quick searches on local parts store sites and both said that the lower and upper ball joints are not available.