sharpy Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 Hiya all, I have trawled through the tech archive and a few people have touched upon the subject but not explained? So my question, after being under the landy most of the weekend I noticed that my A-frame ball joint is very loose, there is 4mm of slack in the nut and bolt assembly which I cant tighten as the whole thing spins when I try, is there a method for tightening? other that the obvious? if I decide to replace the ball joint how is the upper retained in its housing? looking at new parts they seem to have a thread or roughness on them which suggests that it is just pushed in? Would this be hard to remove as I dont have specialist tools, presse's etc. would I be better to replace the assembly that holds the ball joint to? as I do have spanners and a grinder and it looks as like if I completely remove the two bolts it should come away as one unit? Sorry its a 1987 "90" Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedsmart Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 Hi Paul, This is a fairley easy job, if you don't have a press to get the ball joint out it may be easier to get the whole unit, but while at it I'd change the bushes at the other end of the arms, which may require a press/ or drill out the rubber and then cut out the sleeve! being carful not to damage the arm itself! Hope this helps ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 Removing the joint is doable with a big hammer but it is not easy- putting one in without a press I would say must be near on impossible without damaging the joint. I ended up taking the casting which the ball joint sits in down to Dunsfold where they kindly pressed a new joint in for me. My suggestion would be to seek out some local engineering firm/ machinists and see if they could do it for you. If they don't then they will surely know of someone with a press big enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 I did as above, beat it out with a big hammer, then took the replacement and the arm to a local garage who pushed it in for nowt. If you want to stop it spinning, you need to force the taper into the axle, a big ratchet strap round the a-frame and axle would probably do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outdoor_ian Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 Gwen Lewis now sells a new greaseable joint already pressed into a new housing, its a little bit spendy but will save alot of time and hassel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharpy Posted August 16, 2010 Author Share Posted August 16, 2010 Gwen Lewis now sells a new greaseable joint already pressed into a new housing, its a little bit spendy but will save alot of time and hassel. Hi I took the plunge and ordered the gwen lewis parts, should be here in the morning. If anyone has seen my previous posts im suffering from a clunk and a jolt when changing gear and im hoping this will cure it? my concern is that today i replaced the wheel bearings on the rear passenger side and other bits that come with this job, i got rid of the side to side wobble on the wheel but there was just short of a quarter of a turn in the rear wheel before before the gear stopped the wheel? is this normal? the wheel was jacked up and in reverse with diff lock in neutral and the hand brake on? I have replaced the rear prop as the old one was seized and also serviced and replaced the transmission brake assembly, is this leading to something in the rear diff? Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmetbolt Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I had the same problem with a rear end thud when changing gear. I replaced the A-Frame ball joint and all is now good. I found this on the net, which helped me through the process. http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f41/frame-balljoint-renewal-110342.html Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 the quarter turn of the wheel sounds a lot, if the handbrake was on then it indicates quite a bit of play in either the drive flanges/shafts, or the diff itself (or both). Its not uncommon in older landrovers though, you may be able to dial some of it out by inspecting the drive flanges and shafts for wear and replacing them if they're knackered. Theres quite a few things that can cause driveline shunt, from the Balljoint and all the other suspension bushes, to wear in the diffs, flanges, transfer case, gearbox etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 That does sound a lot. Are you positive when you get that quarter turn movement your diff flange is not moving at all - a little bit there can be magnified (by the FD ratio in fact, and plus all the play). If it is, maybe your propshaft could bear a look in the u/j areas. (I know you replaced it but you never know) Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 That does sound a lot. Are you positive when you get that quarter turn movement your diff flange is not moving at all - a little bit there can be magnified (by the FD ratio in fact, and plus all the play). If it is, maybe your propshaft could bear a look in the u/j areas. (I know you replaced it but you never know) Nigel Just realised that's rubbish. If you are getting a quarter turn at the hub, it implies much more movement at the flange, so that would be huge. It's got to be in the axle or hub. Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazelle Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 If I am just wanting to replace the A frame ball joint to get rid of my clunk, there is an OME one (oh and B******t of course not considered! ), one from Gwyn Lewis, and one from X-Eng. Is there any advantage to any one of these if greater articulation is not a requirement? Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off Road Toad Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Keep it simple and stay with Genuine. There is nothing wrong with them and they are about as strong and reliable as you can get. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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