Changing a bad upper ball joint and not the whole assembly?

[138duderguy]

I have a 1991 EX with a clearly bad upper ball joint.
And as I read all of the info about the situation I keep seeing that you have to replace the ENTIRE upper control arm as an assembly.
But then when I price parts you can order just the ball joint.
Before I start dropping more money into my beautiful money pit the question I must ask is this:
Can I just replace the ball joint?

[illinois_erik]

yes and no.. if its an OEM control arm, possibly as theyre a bit stouter than the repunches. be aware though honda suggests replacing the whole arm as the hole can wallow out and you know what comes next.. I got a new driver UCA from car quest for 79 bucks to replace the 8 month old 25 dollar ebay one I heard clunking..good thing too.. so I wouldnt play around with these items

[Losiracer2]

Autozone sells lifetime upper control arms with the balljoints for 56.99. Even if they go bad in 6 months, I consider it worth it because of the warranty.

I've replaced probably about 4 control arms since buying them, mainly because the rubber they use is inferior and ends up ripping after that amount of time.

But since its literally 2 bolts and a balljoint to free, takes about 10 min. or less to remove. So I keep doing it. The plus is I get a new control arm basically whenever I feel like it. I just bring it in and they give me a brand new one every time with new anchor bolts w/ bushings.

Honda ones are built better, and will probably last 10 years, but after 10 years it'll be worn out again. With the autozone ones, you can replace them every year and it'll be brand new again, no slop in the bushing or worn balljoint to worry about, for the cost of nothing. You'll never have to invest more money in a UCA balljoint again.

[KLEENKREW]

I too would recommend a lifetime upper control arm. That way it takes you 10mins to install vs trying to press in a new ball joint. You also will have a lifetime part that way

[ProSouth]

the MOOG UCA assemblies are pretty nice, generally most things MOOG carry a lifetime warranty. theyre parts always hold up. almost my entire front suspension components are MOOG on my 2500 cummins, they're holding up great.

[deevergote]

A lifetime UCA is good only if it doesn't break while you're driving. A broken ball joint or UCA will result in a crash.

Honda does not sell upper ball joints without the UCA. I take this to mean that they don't intend for the joint to ever be pressed in and out. For this reason, I only replace the entire UCA with the ball joint installed when necessary.
As mentioned, pressing the joint in and out could weaken the metal, causing the joint to slip out, or the thin band of metal holding it in to snap when under stress (and believe me, those things see some stress!) If that happens, you crash. Your whole car isn't worth saving a few bucks, IMO.

[mrdeep2001]

Also, I would replace the arm as it isn't THAT much more and your arm could be bent. I'd also recommend doing both sides. Not necessary to do both, but I can't imagine the other one lasting significantly longer and the process will be fresh in your memory so it shouldnt take long. I'll be changing the control arms on my brothers car soon and that's what I told him.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I heard that an after market ball joint may not fit your OEM arm. For instance a Moog ball joint is made to fit a Moog control arm, although now typing this out, that sounds stupid. But for peace of mind, I would do a whole arm. If you are going through a parts store like advanced auto, they usually have a coupon for like $15 off $75 or 20% off or something if you order online. It's not much but every little bit counts.

*Just looked for advanced auto and right on their front page save 15% off almost anything and $25 off $50+ future purchase with Code "JA7"

[138duderguy]

Thanks everyone. I am going to replace the whole deal. It has been going bad since I got the car so I can't imagine what it will be like driving without the knock. Good chance to get an alignment as well.

[deevergote]

It's gotten so bad that it's knocking? Holy crap... I wouldn't drive that car until it's fixed, if that's the case! If the ball joint is making noise, it could fail at any time... and you'll crash.
Actually, you should've replaced it the instant the boot was torn.

[illinois_erik]

It's gotten so bad that it's knocking? Holy crap... I wouldn't drive that car until it's fixed, if that's the case! If the ball joint is making noise, it could fail at any time... and you'll crash.
Actually, you should've replaced it the instant the boot was torn.

did you see the pic i posted? That was clunking for about 2 months I kept putting it off till finally on the highway things got weird feeling, thats what it looked like right when it went in the air..holy crap im lucky..

On another note, we all know these ball joints shouldnt be pressed in, but isnt that how those camber adjustment balls joints are installed? Perhaps best into a new A-arm?

Oh and thinking back, its messed up that each clunk id hear was the ball joint just bouncing freely in the bore of the control arm..i just assumed (not any better) it was the ball in the joint like when they normally start to wear and go bad

[deevergote]

Yeah, I saw the pic after I posted... holy crap!

The ball joint kits don't press in, I don't think... so they're not so bad. best used on a new, unmolested arm, yes. I have the TASauto upper control arm kit, complete with the Ingalls adjustable ball joints. That's pretty much what that kit is.
If I didn't have that, I'd probably prefer a quality anchor bolt kit. QUALITY, as I've had a cheap Dropzone kit break on me and nearly kill me!

[illinois_erik]

Yeah, I saw the pic after I posted... holy crap!

The ball joint kits don't press in, I don't think... so they're not so bad. best used on a new, unmolested arm, yes. I have the TASauto upper control arm kit, complete with the Ingalls adjustable ball joints. That's pretty much what that kit is.
If I didn't have that, I'd probably prefer a quality anchor bolt kit. QUALITY, as I've had a cheap Dropzone kit break on me and nearly kill me!

alright cool, yeah my alignment guy advised against the anchor type, the alignment computer even showed those and the joint types for possible solutions, i found it kind of funny that those are even in its database being more of an aftermarket item for aftermarket setups. all i can say is Im glad ours have those bigass circlips instead of friction fit like GM and such

[deevergote]

Why did he advise against the anchor type? Harder to adjust accurately?

[Granite CB7]

The SPC front upper b/j camber kit is a pretty tight fit into the control arm, I'd consider it a press fit. I install these kits w/ a steel beater plate and a hammer, alittle heat + oil too, not too bad overall. I have installed multiple sets of b/j's on the same honda control arms over the years w/o ANY issues at all. I trust the quality and longevity of the original honda arms 100% compared to an aftermarket control arm, I feel they're all junk.

[illinois_erik]

The SPC front upper b/j camber kit is a pretty tight fit into the control arm, I'd consider it a press fit. I install these kits w/ a steel beater plate and a hammer, alittle heat + oil too, not too bad overall. I have installed multiple sets of b/j's on the same honda control arms over the years w/o ANY issues at all. I trust the quality and longevity of the original honda arms 100% compared to an aftermarket control arm, I feel they're all junk.

The fact that the OEM arms are way more resilient, and I chucked my original pair has been clawing at the back of my mind..wasnt thinking..hopefully this new LX that is getting the camber adjustment has original hardware. Id probably use the 50ton press at work to press them. so along with a press fitment theres no circlip on bottom side? Thanks