Upper Bal Joint Replacement?

[EddieC]

How hard is it to replace upper ball joint in '08 Tahoe?
I am seeing that it is generally sold with and installed on a new control ar,
Hardware is looking a bit rustly which might complicate the job.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

It might be best to change both the control arm and ball joint together.

 

[EddieC]

It might be best to change both the control arm and ball joint together.

That seems to be how the parts I see are found.

 

[swathdiver]

How hard is it to replace upper ball joint in '08 Tahoe?
I am seeing that it is generally sold with and installed on a new control ar,
Hardware is looking a bit rustly which might complicate the job.

You replace the whole upper control arm, the ball joints are not replaceable. If you live up north, be prepared to cut the bolts, otherwise, PB Blaster a couple times a few days before you get started should get the bolts out. When we did ours back in May, the upper ball joints popped out of the knuckle, but the lowers required force to remove. Not a hard job, my teenage daughters helped me.

 

[OR VietVet]

IMO, if I am going to tear down that far, I would do the upper and lower complete arms on both sides. Align and post a pic of the before and after alignment readings.

 

[EddieC]

You replace the whole upper control arm, the ball joints are not replaceable. If you live up north, be prepared to cut the bolts, otherwise, PB Blaster a couple times a few days before you get started should get the bolts out. When we did ours back in May, the upper ball joints popped out of the knuckle, but the lowers required force to remove. Not a hard job, my teenage daughters helped me.

Yes, from the condition of the rusty bolts I suspected some difficulty.

 

[EddieC]

Should I expect the second one to be coming up next, so replace both uppers now?
We're at 98,000 miles and the other feels ok but do they generally have a general set lifespan?

 

[swathdiver]

Should I expect the second one to be coming up next, so replace both uppers now?
We're at 98,000 miles and the other feels ok but do they generally have a general set lifespan?

I put up a post about this very question some years ago and the general consensus is that they are worn out by about 150K miles. My right upper started going bad at around 122K, or rather, that's when I noticed it going bad!

Yes, you could do just what needs doing and not replace everything at once, did my hubs that way, about 20K miles apart. With a dial indicator you can test all four with a jack stand and floor jack, movement should be no more than 1 millimeter.

If this truck is a long time keeper, use GM OE parts. ACDelco Professional or Moog CK series are good for at least 50K miles and likely double that. If you're going to sell it tomorrow, Moog's RK series will save you quite a bit of money. Of course, if you're going to be running baja races with Ford Raptors, I doubt even the best will last that long!

 

[Tonyv__]

Should I expect the second one to be coming up next, so replace both uppers now?
We're at 98,000 miles and the other feels ok but do they generally have a general set lifespan?

I’m at 59k on my 15 Yukon and the mechanic has told me more than once that my ball joints are still “within spec” but should be replaced in the near future.

 

[EddieC]

I’m at 59k on my 15 Yukon and the mechanic has told me more than once that my ball joints are still “within spec” but should be replaced in the near future.

Geeze, I remember my '57 Chevy seemed to have a million miles and were ok but I guess it weighed a lot less.