SWIVEL HUB BALL JOINTS

The swivel hub upper and lower ball joints are incorporated in the swivel hub assembly and each comprises mainly of a hardened steel ball pin, ball pin seat and pin retainer. Wear in these joints is normally due to lack of regular lubrication and it is very important that these joints be greased frequently to keep them adequately lubricated and prevent the ingress of dirt and water. A grease nipple for this purpose is provided at each joint. Only dismantling will show the extent of wear of the components. If the main components mentioned above are in good condition, it may be possible to re-shim the joint, but if wear is present, all the components of the joint should be renewed. These are normally available either as complete joint assembly, or as a kit of four. All the new components in the kit should be used when reassembling. The swivel joints can be overhauled without completely removing the swivel hub assembly from the car, but this operation is made for easier if the assembly is removed and the work carried out under the more ideal conditions of a workshop. In the former case, the joint ball pins must be separated from the suspension arms and the track rod disconnected from the steering arm. Overhaul 1. Remove the swivel hub assembly from the car, as detailed previously. 2. Secure the swivel hub assembly in a vice with the appropriate ball joint uppermost. 3. Remove the rubber dust cover from the ball pin. Knock back the lockwasher tabs and unscrew the ball pin retainer from the joint. A special socket or key will be required to unscrew the retainer, but these are available from most motor accessory shops. 4. Remove the retainer, together with the ball pin, then extract the ball pin seat from the recess in the housing. In the case of the lower swivel joint, a small spring is fitted below the ball seat and this should also be removed. 5. Unscrew the grease nipple and lift off the retainer lockwasher, together with the adjustment shims. 6. Thoroughly clean all the components of the joint assembly, then examine them carefully. If the contact surfaces on either the ball pin, seat or retainer show any signs of wear, ridging, scoring or corrosion, all the components of the joint assembly should be renewed. 7. To determine the thickness of shim pack required, assemble the ball pin without the shims or lockwasher. In the case of the lower joint, also leave out the coil spring. Tighten the retainer until there is no free movement between the ball pin and its seating, but the pin is still free to swivel. Now measure the gap, 'A' in illustration, between the lower edge of the retainer and the hub with feeler gauges. The thickness of a new lockwasher is 0.035 in (0.90 mm) and this figure should be deducted from the gap measured to obtain the thickness of shim pack required. When correctly adjusted, the ball pin must have no nip to 0.003 in (0.08 mm) end-float. Add a further 0.002 in shim, if necessary. Shims available are as follows, and these are normally supplied in the ball joint kit: 0.002/ 003/005/010/020 in (0.05/08/13/51 mm). 8. Great care should be taken during this adjustment procedure, as it is imperative that the ball joint should be able to rotate freely in all planes after adjustment has taken place. 9. When the shim pack has been selected, assemble a new lockwasher on the housing and secure lightly in position with the grease nipple. Position the shim pack on top of the lockwasher. 10. Pack the joint with grease then assemble the ball seat, ball pin and retainer to the housing. In the case of the lower joint, remember to fit the coil spring under the ball seat. Press down lightly on the ball pin to hold the seat correctly in position in its recess while tightening the retainer. 11. Tighten the retainer to its specified torque of 75 lb ft (10.3 kgm), then secure by tapping the lock washer against three flats of the retainer - one adjacent to the brake backplate/disc. Fully tighten the grease nipple. 12. Finally, refit the swivel hub assembly on the car. Do not forget to fit the rubber dust cover at each of the joint ball pins before connecting them to the suspension anus.