rear upper control arm/ball joint

almostfinished · 05-09-2010, 03:25 PM

Hey guys, I've got a knock in the rear over small bumps, sounds like a bad strut sound. I've since replaced the shocks along with the sleeves (for no upper shock mount play), along with the sway bar links and mount bushings. Sound is still there so my next step is to pull the upper control arm out and replace the ball joint. My question is, is there any harm in removing the upper control arm and still driving the jeep? Cautiously of course. To me it seems as if the upper control arm is over kill. I have worked on many vehicles with just control arm/springs attaching the rear to the vehicle. Thanks for the info!

nick

**WiCkeDuDe** · 05-09-2010, 08:26 PM

If your talking about the rear A coming out and driving the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! You CANNOT drive without it. There is nothing to center the axle from side to side without the a arm on a WJ.

Did I happen to say no???

**StrokedWJ** · 05-09-2010, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiCkeDuDe

If your talking about the rear A coming out and driving the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! You CANNOT drive without it. There is nothing to center the axle from side to side without the a arm on a WJ.

Did I happen to say no???

x2, my answer was very similar on JU. First thought was: "Yeah dude, that upper control arm, WTF's that for? Totally unnecessary...get that **** outta here." Make sure you have a friend with a camera filming when you go for the test drive.

nick62087 · 05-10-2010, 10:37 AM

I doubt it'd even move. Actually, just putting the weight of the vehicle on the ground might be funny.

Under any acceleration, I'd imainge the rear would roll, and promptly break something. Might be interesting to watch though.

almostfinished · 05-10-2010, 03:33 PM

I kind of figured that much with the centering remark. Been working on vehicles for 9 yrs (ase master tech for 7 of the 9) I have seen plenty of link set ups. This is the oddest set up to be honest. I'll have to get under there and pull out the upper control arm and replace the ball joint. Anyone know of a company or where I can get a loaded upper control arm (with ball joint installed)? I'll be replacing the front upper and lowers along with the rear lowers also. Thanks for the info fellas.

Nick

**WiCkeDuDe** · 05-10-2010, 05:03 PM

It just bolts into the axle housing using 3 bolts. The control arm takes the tapered ball joint end. Take another look at it. Or several.

almostfinished · 05-10-2010, 05:35 PM

I'm going to replace all the control arms with new ones including bushings. Jeeps got 110k on it and they are pretty dry rotted along with a bit of a wobble after hitting some bumps at highway speed. A friend of mine broke my press to get the ball joint out so i figured I would just replace the upper control arm/bushings and ball joint all in one.

nick62087 · 05-10-2010, 08:07 PM

I've heard of people buying the a-arm with the ball joint and bushings already installed, can't remember where though.

Planning on going taller with the lift? IRO is having a group buy - you could always consider getting all adjustable aftermarket arms.

patrick983 · 05-10-2010, 08:37 PM

dealership is the only place to get the actual arm i believe. if you want just the bushing in its mount (so you dont have to press it in), rockauto.com sells one for ~20 bucks or so.

**the88thpianoman** · 05-10-2010, 09:38 PM

Someone on here (no memory of who) mentioned getting the arm with ball joint already installed on ebay a while back. Don't know how it worked out for them, but might be worth checking around.

almostfinished · 05-12-2010, 08:53 AM

I had thought about lifting the jeep at one point or another but its more of a 2nd vehicle (spare) now. I'm really just looking to replace the arms and bushings now. I cannot stand any rattles/knocks, I'm a clean freak too so any little thing bugs me lol. I'll keep an eye out on ebay and other websites. thanks for the help fellas

Nick

ppiya123 · 02-07-2012, 01:20 PM

i have a little knock on the rear. i thought it was the sway/stabilizer bar and bushings. i replaced them all along with all four shock absorbers. i still have the knock. Could it be the upper control arm ball joint? if so, how hard is it to replace? my jeep is pretty badly rusted underneath. here's a picture of the upper side of the ball joint. can i replace just the ball joint plate without removing the control arm?

allenrotstein · 02-07-2012, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppiya123

i have a little knock on the rear. i thought it was the sway/stabilizer bar and bushings. i replaced them all along with all four shock absorbers. i still have the knock. Could it be the upper control arm ball joint? if so, how hard is it to replace? my jeep is pretty badly rusted underneath. here's a picture of the upper side of the ball joint. can i replace just the ball joint plate without removing the control arm?

Yes, you can replace the ball joint without removing the c-arm, it will be a lot harder without the proper tools tho.

Clean up all that rust with a wire brush first... The more prep work you do to remove all that rust, the faster you can set the ball joint free.

A mix of "Acetone + ATF fluid" (1 to 1 mix) will work 100x better than any PB Blaster

ppiya123 · 02-07-2012, 01:50 PM

can i ask what kind of tools i need? i'm planning on replacing the ball joint plate altogether. can i lift the car, after removing the ball joint bolt, to set it free from the c-arm?

ppiya123 · 02-07-2012, 01:53 PM

and thanks for the tip about acetone+ATF. i read about it and tried AeroKroil which is pretty good compared to most penetrating oil in the market but kinda expensive. i'm going to keep a spay bottle with ATF and acetone mix.