Control Arm Replacement
Safety Tip:Always wear safety glasses when working on your vehicle. Wear other personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, for example latex gloves or closed toe shoes.
1
Park the vehicle on a solid, level surface and set the parking brake. Using a tire iron or breaker bar, break loose the front wheel lug nuts but do not remove.
2
Using a floor jack, lift up the front of the vehicle.
3
Secure the vehicle with jack stands on both sides for safety before starting any work. The pinch welds and the frame are the two best locations. Do not rely on the jack to hold the vehicle up while working.
4
Remove the front wheel lug nuts. Remove the front wheels.
5
If the vehicle has a coil spring with a SLA (short / long arm) suspension, support the lower control arm with a floor jack close to the ball joint. The coil spring must be contained before removing the lower control arm. If the vehicle has a torsion bar suspension, the tension on the bar must be removed.
6
If equipped, remove the cotter pin from the ball joint nut. Loosen the nut but do not remove. If the ball joint has a pinch bolt, remove the bolt.
7
Separate the ball joint from the knuckle by using a ball joint separator. Remove the nut and secure the knuckle out of the way.
8
Unbolt any components still connected to the lower control arm.
9
Remove the control arm mounting bolts. Remove the control arm assembly.
10
Install the new control arm on the vehicle and snug down the mounting bolts. Do not torque the bolts until the vehicle is at normal riding height.
11
Install the steering knuckle back on the control arm/ball joint assembly.
12
Torque the castle nut to manufacturer's specifications. Install a new cotter pin. Re-install all components to the control arm.
13
Re-install the front wheels and snug down the lug nuts. Lower the vehicle to the ground. Torque the lug nuts (in a star pattern) and the control arm mounting bolts to the manufacturer's specifications.
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