How to Replace the Ball Joints on a Chevy Suburban

The Chevy Suburban uses two ball joints on each front wheel--one for the upper control arm and one for the lower arm. You need to remove the correct control arm to replace a ball joint in both cases, but you can only personally replace the joint for a lower arm; an upper joint's arm must be done at a professional machine shop. The exact procedure can vary depending not only on the year of the Suburban, but whether it has two- or four-wheel drive.

Instructions

Upper Ball Joint/Control Arm

1

Raise the truck's front end with a floor jack, then lower it onto jack stands. Remove the wheel with the tire iron. Raise the floor jack under the lower control arm so there is no pressure on the upper arm.

2

Paint marks on the arm's two cylinder-like adjusting cams and their frame brackets to mark the relationship between the brackets and cams.

3

Unbolt and remove the brake hose and its bracket from the control arm with a wrench, then unclip the speed sensor wiring from the arm's other branch.

4

Loosen the nut securing the upper ball joint to the steering knuckle by a few turns of the wrench, then separate the joint and knuckle using a ball joint removal tool.

5

Unscrew the pivot bolts and nuts from the control arm, taking note of which bolts/nuts went where, then remove the arm. Take the arm to a machine shop to have the ball joint changed.

6

Place the control arm within its frame brackets, lining up your painted marks, and connect the arm with its nuts and bolts. Connect the replacement ball joint to the steering knuckle and tighten its stud nut.

7

Reconnect the speed sensor wiring and brake hose bracket to the control arm with the clips and bolt.

8

Connect the wheel back to the hub, remove the floor jack from the lower arm and lower the truck off the jack stands.

Lower Ball Joint

9

Raise the truck with the floor jack and lower it onto the jack stands place underneath the frame rails. Remove the wheel with your lug wrench/tire iron.

10

Disconnect the stabilizer bar link from the control arm, removing its nuts and bolts with the wrench.

11

Loosen the ball joint's nuts by a few turns without removing it and separate the joint from the steering knuckle with the removal tool, much like you would do with the upper control arm.

12

Remove the pivot bolts and nuts from the arm, taking note of which way the bolts point, and separate the arm from the frame brackets.

13

Drill a hole in the center of the ball joint rivets that are 1/4-inch deep using a 1/8-inch drill bit. Use a 1/2-inch bit to drill the rest of the way until the rivet comes off, then knock out the rivets with a punch.

14

Connect the ball joint onto the control arm and fasten it using its included nuts and bolts.

15

Install the control arm onto its frame brackets and install the nuts and bolts, making sure they face the same direction as before. Connect the ball joint to the knuckle and secure with its stud nut.

16

Reconnect the stabilizer bar link with its bolts and nuts.

17

Reconnect the wheel and lower the truck.