shawnmm12

my ball joint is bad and i heard it is best to replace whole control arm im curious how hard it is and what tools i will need to do it?

08'MustangDude

Actually, in your case it would be easier to replace the ball joint. There is
a U-Tube video somewhere on that, you need the right press for it. BECAUSE,
taking the lower control arms off, the RACK has to unbolt, and there is
another bolt in the way of the control arm bolts... There is a post about this
already, someone having this same issue with things in the way. IF you are
sure the bushings are good in the arm, then replacing the ball joint with a
press will be easier...

daves2001

Mustang dude is correct, in that the LCA replacement is not an easy task. I do many repairs myself and felt I could not replace the LCA's without the car on a lift and another pair of hands (with experience). I just went through a ball joint failure and was lucky it broke as I was parking. Had the car towed and the broken, plus the other side, ball joint replaced. I used a local shop to me and the total cost was $230 (+ tow). Very fair, I thought, for the work and special tools needed to install the ball joints. Don't delay if you have symptoms of potential failure. I assumed my issues were in the LCA's (bushings) but with the new ball joints the front end is much tighter. For what it's worth. Good luck and be safe out there. Thanks,

Derf00

Curious, how much more difficult than the 05-2010 are they? 05-2010 also have to have the rack bolts loosened.

08'MustangDude

No, the 05-14s are easy. The ball joint post is clamped into the knuckle, not held on
with a nut, so they come right out too. You won't need a ball joint separator, no
special tools. I am hoping to grab a set of MOOGs for $75.00, dude is selling
a pair now, and I want them.. $75.00 for LH and RH lower control arms is a steal.

ekneeland

I just replaced both lower control arms on my 2001 due to the ball joints being bad. While I was under there, I replaced both struts as well, as I felt they were original and the car has just over 230K miles. I also replaced both all four LCA mounting bolts (I was glad I purchased them ahead of time because I destroyed the old ones getting them out). I can tell you it was a beast to do in my driveway with a jack, jack stands, and my son helping me. I would recommend doing it in a garage with a lift, if you have access to that. The front bolts on both control arms did not want to budge, so I had to heat them up to loosen them. We had to move the steering out of the way to get the front bolts out and there is one body bolt behind the rear bolt. during my post removal inspection, both ball joints were about to give and the bushings were dry-rotted. I spent the better part of 5-6 hours on each side. for tools, I used an impact wrench, propane blow torch, numerous sockets (24mm, 21mm, 19mm, 18mm, and 13/16"), jack, jack stands, coil spring compressor (rented from Advance Auto for $50). Next we are off to the alignment shop this weekend. I would rate this task level as moderate to hard. If you are good with tools, mechanically inclined, and have an extreme amount of patience for almost 20 year old bolts, you should be fine to do this job.