Replacing Gaiters on Front Suspension Ball Joints

[JC]

The MOT-man liked the refurbed brake calipers - thanks once more for your advice encouragement. However, damaged ball joint gaiters are now apparently a fail for the MOT - and the MOT-man pointed out that the gaiters on my front suspension ball joints are all shot - top and bottom, both sides!!

Before I embark on this, perhaps one or two of you might offer some advice on how much dismantling that I'll need to do. The nuts and ball-joints are clearly going to be awkward to get at - but I'm not sure if I'm going to need to disconnect the brake pipes and remove the axle carrier (incl. caliper & disc)

Cheers

JC

[christopher storey]

This is one of those much-feared jobs that in fact usually turn out to be much less difficult than one anticipates. The key is to buy ( if you don't already have one) a ball joint splitter of the type where the fork goes into the ball joint and the taper is then forced apart by tightening progressively a bolt on the outer end of the fork until the joint parts with a sudden bang . These work a good deal better than the simple "pickle fork" type of splitter which depend purely on leverage and tend to slip out of the joint . 2 other tips : Don't completely disconnect the stub axle carrier from both wishbones simultaneously, but do one ball joint at a time - if you are careful this saves having to discoonect pipework etc ; also, get the modern clear plastic gaiters rather than the old style rubber gaiters , because they last for years whereas the rubber deteriorates very rapidly

[rfs1957]

Can anyone offer advice about the ball-joints themselves please ?

I recently ordered C43216* from SNGB which is the clear-plastic type, and C43216BLK which is the black type, and was surprised to see that they are not the same shape or construction.

I tried to fit the clear type because it is apparently a more elaborate and evolved version, but could not get it to fit, wheras the black version went on easily and stayed on even in the extended ride-height-adjustment-tool position, which is a bit tough on the seal compliance and which the clear version failed to cope with, falling out of the groove the whole time.

Is that plausible ?

I'd like to now change both top ball-joints -

Q1 : is the parts-ordering procedure a question of listing pins/sockets/springs/shims/circlips, or is there an 'assembly' reference that one should use, and is there any choice in the market ? Does one get a pile of shims like a Mini and shim to zero ? Or should I read the manual before asking daft questions ?

Q2 : is the lip that the seal engages with actually the protruding edge of the sleeve, or a separate part ?

Q3 : do new ball-joints mean I can automatically fit the clear-type seals ?

Many thanks.

[christopher storey]

Rory : first, I suggest you abandon the original style bottom ball joints and fit XJ40 ones . The only alteration needed is to drive out of the upright the ring which retains the gaiter. The ring is not needed with the XJ40 style joint and prevents it going in . Without the ring, the sealed for life XJ40 type just bolts straight in . It is often also necessary to shorten the 4 bolts , or replace them with shorter versions ( IIRC they are 1/4" UNF) . For the top ball joints you need the original type . Do not be tempted to overshim them to take up wear in the socket. Again from memory, no more than about 26 thou of shims should be fitted. If you fit more to compensate for worn sockets , you run the risk of the ball popping out under full deflection ! If the sockets are excessively worn, then it is a case preferably of sourcing new wishbones, or as a last resort getting them metal sprayed/welded and re-machined . Neither is a cheap exercise, and the last time I bought new ones about 4 years ago it was about Euros 200 a side

[rfs1957]

Thanks Christopher ; I already have the late-type 4-bolt lowers in fact. I was puzzled by the quite different types of upper gaiter sold as the same thing, different colour.

[abowie]

I was puzzled by the quite different types of upper gaiter sold as the same thing, different colour.

Yeah the black ones split and crack in a couple of months and the clear ones don't actually fit properly.

[christopher storey]

I have used the clear gaiters without any real trouble. I put a tie-wrap round them to keep them on the lip and this has worked on both my Es and also on my Mark 2 . I got mine from Hutson's however, and they may be different from the SNGB ones which were much cheaper at the time I bought mine

[rfs1957]

Will look into the different types of clear one, then, when I do these.

FWIIW and in relation to the ball-joint taper splitting tool, scissor-type, I use a spare nut standing just proud of the thread so that the finger doesn't damage the end - I keep meaning to make some of these in Jag and Mini sizes, sort of blind-ended-nuts rather like flat-ended domed nuts so that the effort goes onto the threaded end rather than via the threads themselves.

Do such parts/tools exist already ? You'd only need them one time in 50 but it would be one step further towards fewer-surprises-in-the-workshop.[/u]