P38 Front swivel ball joints

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Irishrover

Irishrover

Well-Known Member
Posts
5,317
Location
La Trimouille, Vienne, France
Hi guys
:confused: :confused: :confused: Have any of you ever replaced the upper and lower ball joints fitted to the front swivel. According to the manual, a special tool, LRT-54-008/4 & 5 is used for removal & refitting. Anyone out there done it without??:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Irishrover said:
Hi guys
:confused: :confused: :confused: Have any of you ever replaced the upper and lower ball joints fitted to the front swivel. According to the manual, a special tool, LRT-54-008/4 & 5 is used for removal & refitting. Anyone out there done it without??:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
Click to expand...

Not got a clue on a Rangie, but imagine that it's the same set up on a Disco.
Just rebuilt both sides on mine (Swivel ball's were knacked) they are bearings not ball joints! Easy but very mucky and drawn out and did'nt need any special tools! Make sure you have all the right joints/gaskets in advance and I would get some new brake pipes between the caliper and flexible hoses as they are usualy goosed!
 
Thanks Jason, but the P38 did away with the old chromed swivel balls and the oil leak problems they caused.
Land Rover in their wisdom went to upper & lower ball joints pressed into yokes on each end of the axle tube. According to Rave, service tools are needed to press them in & out, additionally, an alignment tool is also needed to check that the hub is centralised to the oil seal in the end of the axle.
 
Irishrover said:
Thanks Jason, but the P38 did away with the old chromed swivel balls and the oil leak problems they caused.
Land Rover in their wisdom went to upper & lower ball joints pressed into yokes on each end of the axle tube. According to Rave, service tools are needed to press them in & out, additionally, an alignment tool is also needed to check that the hub is centralised to the oil seal in the end of the axle.
Click to expand...

Sorry about that then Irishrover,got you back up the list though!
I'm sure you could knock somthing up to get them in and out & centralise hub to oil seal in end of axle.
 
I've got some ideas and will take a few measurements over the weekend-after that, it's wait for 2 weeks until I'm on nights then do some "Project work"-I'll update the forum, if they work then I may loan them out to whoever is prepared to pay the postage both ways.
 
Have you managed to replace the ball joints?

Have you manage to make up a tool for pressing them out and back in?
I would be glad to pay the postage for a loan of tool

David
 
The tool is in progress-hope to get it finished sometime whilst I'm on nightshift. If it works o.k. I'll be only too happy to loan it out providing postage is paid both ways.
I will keep the forum posted on progress.
 
Thanks for the reply, but need the tool like yesterday, failed MOT

So this weekend me and my mate are planning to make up a frame in order to push out the old ones and push in the new ones. Fingers crossed it works.

Cheers


David
 
Good luck-let us know how you get on.
If all else fails, you could try grovelling at your local main stealer to see if they will hire theirs out. Problem is-you also need the alignment tool to ensure that the hub is dead concentric with the oil seal in the end of the axle. The bottom ball joint is adjustable for this reason and if the hub is out of line then the oil seal will be damaged and leak like a sieve. Have a look on here for the procedure LAND ROVER MANUALS DOWNLOAD
 
Thanks for the info, I know the parts manager at our local dealer, so a call today came up trumphs, getting the tool, but a couple of bits missing, better than nothing. So I will adapt something to make up for the missing parts.
Fingers crossed they come out, just gave them a good soaking with WD 40, by Sunday they should just fall out!!!

Cheers

Davy
 
Good for you!! Please let us know how you get on and how easy they are to get out. Did you also get the hub aligning tool?? My extractor is coming on well, I will post update when it's done. I am also making the aligning tool at the same time
 
Hope to get the aliigning tool, but if not, how hard is it to line it up?
Will know tomorrow afternoon what patrs are missing, so I will have time before Sunday to adapt something to suit. Have been to the local steel stockist today and ordered a few bits of tubing in various dia, so out of all my bits an pieces surely I can get the job done, also with a little help from my oxy acet kit for a little heat on the job if neccessary.

cheers


David
 
With the tool I would say straightforward. If you don't have the tool, all I would say is, if you remove or turn the adjuster nut, just remember exactly by how many turns. I would think that the ball joints are made to close tolerances so size wise,hopefully shouldn't be that much different (Hopefully). Bear in mind that the holes in the axle yoke are designed to give an interference fit for the ball joints and are only supposed to stand 3 changes,after this they will get sloppy so don't go overboard with the heat as this could cause them to stretch. Follow the steps given in the manual which is available in the link posted previously. Hope you are also changing the oil seals in the end of the axle tube whilst you are at it.
 
Well after much swearing, I have managed to strip it down ready for removing the ball joints, the Hub was so tight it took ages to get it off.
Some bits missing from the removal tool, will have to make some spacers up tomorrow hope they will come out easily!! also got the alignment tool, so everything should go back sweetly.

Cheers

Davy
 
Job done!!! Well it went okay,but after much cursing and swearing I had to resort to the old gas, gave it a little heat and a few hits later they were both out, the top one being easier than the bottom one. The tool from landrover was no use, too many spacers missing, made up a section of pipe but 1/2" flat bar bending under pressure. also had an industrial hydraulic jack with 15 T marked on it, made up a frame to sit over the ball joints then jack them out. wouldn't move. So all is well, job done, passed MOT.

Regards

Davy
 
Well done Davy. I am looking at a M22 fine thread high tensile bolt for the push out and a very tough tool steel body for the frame. How easy were the new ball joints to get in? did you press them in "Cold"?
Did you use the centralising tool when you refitted the hub??
 
Very hard to push them out, not sure if your M22 will do the job, the tool from landrover has a hydraulic centre full of grease, you tighten it up with large threaded section, then you wind in the centre part which in turn pushes out the bal joint, well in theory that is. Any way the new ball joints fell in to the yokes, as they were still warm, I then cooled them down slowly and the now fit like a glove.yes used the centralising tool to some degree, but made the mistake of fitting the new axle oil seal before i realised how the toll worked. Have been running the Range rover for a week now and all is fine.

Regards

Davy
 
Hi Guys (And Gals)
Back in circulation after a ****ty time in Singapore. Decided to have a go at the upper and lower joints on my P38. Have made the alignment tool and tomorrow will have a go at pressing them out with the tool I have made but from previous posts I will probably need some heat to help them out.
I will keep the forum updated as to progress.
If all goes well, I stand by my previous post that the kit will be available to others for just the postage charges.
I see Slob is still in good form!!!!!:) :) :)
 
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