My mechanic says he's unable to get the ball joint out of my front LH lower suspension arm to replace (cracked dust cover has caused it to fail the MOT).

The new part from Jaguar is £200 + VAT. Does anyone know of a more reasonable after-market source for these? Or a source of second-hand ones?

 

He's not much of a mechanic. How did he try to get it out? I can't believe it wouldnt come out on the bench, with a hydraulic press. Even if this was so, he could take it to a machine shop, ask them to do it.

If it's just the dust cover, buy a joint, take the cover off, put it on your joint.

 

The trick is to cut the outer side (parameter) or edge of the ball joint where it meets the arm. I know, it is tricky to replace the ball joint but it can be done. Once the parameter of the ball joint is cut away, you can then place it in a press with an old shell of a wheel bearing or socket to press out and install.

 

Sounds like he's afraid of braking the collar because he either doesn't know what he's doing or doesn't have the equipment.
Here's a thread to review....https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-advice-43759/

 

I changed the lower ball joint on the care with a heavy duty C clamp and a grinder. I spent a while finding the right sleeves to fit over the ball joint. The other side took 1/2 the time.
Changing the ball joint is much less work than changing the entire arm with the new ball joint because of the spring load and the spring pan set-up. If you can find someone who has done once they may be able to offer a good price.

 

I just did the same. The kit I used is this one :



But you also need one extra adapter, this one :


There's one already included with the kit, but you need two to press out the joint. You have to remove the gaiter to fit the adapter over. Also, you need to grind away a chunk of the adapter to fit, above the joint.

What I had to do was relieve some of the stress in the pressed fit, to let the press do its job. I drilled a 1/2" hole right through from above, then used a hacksaw to make some cuts almost to the edge. This was enough to let the press work. Certainly a triumphant moment when it starts moving!