Rear upper control arm and ball joint replacement

Tiny
NUWEALTH
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
  • 130,000 MILES
Need to replace the rear upper control arm and ball joint. Can this job be done with vehicle on ramps and arm and ball joint removed and replaced as one or is it necessary to raise vehicle and support chassis and rear differential?
Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 8:07 AM

5 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good afternoon,

The vehicle will have to be lifted by the frame. The suspension needs to be unloaded for this procedure.

Below are the procedure and the pictures for you.

Roy

REMOVAL
1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Support the rear axle with a hydraulic jack.

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3. Remove the park brake cables and brake hose from the arm.

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4. Remove the ball joint nut from the top of the upper suspension arm.

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5. Separate ball joint from the arm with Remover 8278.

NOTE: It may be necessary to strike the upper control arm with a hammer to separate the ball joint from the arm.

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6. Remove the upper suspension arm mounting bolts and remove the arm.

INSTALLATION
1. Position the upper suspension arm in the frame rail brackets.
2. Install the mounting bolts and tighten to 100 Nm (74 ft. Lbs.).
3. Pull the arm down on the ball joint stud and install a new nut. Tighten the nut to 142 Nm (105 ft. Lbs.).
4. Install the park brake cables and brake hose to the arm.
5. Remove the supports and lower the vehicle.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 10:05 AM
Tiny
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Thank you very much Roy.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 11:12 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
You are welcome.

Always glad to help.

Roy
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 11:14 AM
Tiny
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Roy, one last question. I will be replacing the ball joint also. Will there be enough clearance (length of bolts on differential) to remove the arm and ball joint assembly or is it necessary to disconnect ball joint from arm prior to removing the 3 bolts on the differential?
Thanks in advance.
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Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 6:33 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
You will need to remove the arm first. Then you will have access to the ball joint.

Roy
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Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 7:11 AM

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