Park Your Silverado On Level Ground And Set The Parking Brake
The ball joint on your Chevy Silverado connect the control arms of the front suspension to the steering knuckle
. Their design allows for side-to-side movement of the steering knuckle, allowing the truck to be steered, as well as small lateral movements of the control arms in relation to the steering knuckle. When the ball joint wears out, you may notice some play in the steering and see some irregular wear on the front tires. You can change a lower ball joint on your Chevy Silverado in about two hours.
Park your Silverado on level ground and set the parking brake. Loosen the lug nuts on the left front wheel by turning them counterclockwise with the lug wrench.
Put on your safety glasses. Place the jack under the frame just behind the left front wheel. Place wheels chocks in front of and behind the right rear wheel. Lift the truck until the left front wheel clears the ground. Place the jack stand under the frame behind the jack and lower the truck onto it. Remove the left front wheel.
Straighten the cotter pin in the ball joint nut and remove it with the wire cutters. Remove the nut by turning it counterclockwise with a wrench or socket and ratchet.
Insert the pickle fork between the lower control arm and the steering knuckle and strike sharply with the hammer until the stud separates from the knuckle.
Reinstall the wheel. Thread the lug nuts onto the studs by turning them clockwise by hand. Raise the jack and lift the truck off the jack stand and pull the stand out from under the truck. Lower the truck until the front wheel contacts the ground. Torque the lug nuts to 140 foot-pounds in a star pattern. Lower the truck and remove the jack and wheel chocks.
Turn the ball joint press tool around and insert the new ball joint into the hole in the control arm. Press the new ball joint in from the top until it is fully seated. Make sure the small vent opening is pointed towards the inside of the vehicle. Turn the ball stud so that the hole it is in faces front and rear.
Insert the ball stud through the opening in the steering knuckle. Thread the new nut onto the stud clockwise by hand. Torque the nut to 90 foot-pounds with a wrench. Insert the cotter pin through the holes in the nut and the stud and bend it over the nut to secure it. If the holes don't line up, tighten the nut incrementally until they do line up. Install the grease fitting by turning it clockwise by hand. Tighten it with a wrench until it bottoms out. Grease the ball joint until grease comes out of the vent hole.