Ball joints DIY repair

I already wrote about the device of the ball joint, you can read here... In that article, I touched on the problem of repair, but many of my readers began to write - is it possible to restore it yourself. At first I thought that this was not the right economy, but after understanding the problem, it turns out that repairing is sometimes much more profitable. Once again I will emphasize much! The thing is that the supports at the moment are installed in the levers and cannot be removed! This is not the same structure as it was before on our VAZ ...

THE CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE

That is, the ball joint was previously removed in 95% of cases, it was physically unscrewed from the suspension arm (our VAZs were called "mugs"), and in many foreign cars of the 90s - 2000s they were often removable. Nowadays many manufacturers weld the supports into the lever or into the steering rack. They are not removable. Thus, you not only need to change the "ball" but also completely the lever! And this can be very expensive in terms of money. For example, on Mitsubishi, the cost of one can go up to 20 - 25,000 rubles for the original, for BMW - up to 50,000! Therefore, willingly or not, the question of restoration arises. Moreover, this can be done sometimes with your own hands.

If you did not go to the link above and read it, I will remind you a little about the structure here. You need to understand that the ball joint serves for a movable joint that can rotate, that is, movement in several planes at once. In cars, it is used mainly in the front suspension, for turning the front wheels.

• There is a cylindrical body.
• A polymer liner that is immersed in it.
• Metal finger or "ball" or rod, there are many names. It has a spherical element on one side and a threaded rod on the other.
• The boot protects the structure from the ingress of dust and dirt.
• Clamping spring or even the bottom. By the way, sometimes it is not there, if the support is not collapsible.

Video (click to play).

This is how it is fluently, but we need it in order to understand how to restore.

The design of the ball joint is strong enough, it can walk for thousands of kilometers. However, the polymer liner will wear out over time. This is the only weak point. It is he who takes on the main load from uneven roads.

The situation is aggravated by a torn anther, when it breaks - dirt, dust, sand, etc. enter inside. All this starts to work like "sandpaper", a metal ball (finger), begins to erase the polymer insert.

That is, only two main parts are exposed to wear - a polymer insert and a rubber (silicone) boot - these are the ones that need to be restored.

I would like to note that in very neglected moments, when the insert has worn down to the ground, the "metal ball" itself suffers, because it starts rubbing against the metal of the walls of the case. But this is a completely neglected case.

There are several ways to rebuild or repair a ball joint. If the "boot" changes easily enough, just throw it away and put a new one. But with the polymer composition, everything is not so simple. There are only two main ways to repair:

• Physical repair, usually applied to a collapsible support. When you disassemble the "ball" and change the polymer filling.
• Non-separable support repair. Here the principle is different, liquid polymers are used, which are pumped into the housing.

Now in more detail about each method.

Physical repair

This is the easiest way - when the ball joint is disassembled. The bottom of it twists out, we take out the worn out polymer insert and replace it.Previously, such repairs were on many cars, including those sold for our rear-wheel drive VAZs. Repair kits were also sold, which could be purchased and changed.

Therefore, the supports went for a very long time, although the "inserts" were changed quite often. A little later, such spherical balls were no longer produced, if it was not profitable, if it was a “conspiracy of manufacturers”. Now, in 95% of cases, they are non-separable.

Repair of a non-separable ball joint

Not only can you not disassemble them, but sometimes you will not be able to remove them from the lever! It's just absurd - in order to change the "ball", we completely change the lever! But there can be two of them in the lever.

First physically cut off the bottom - say with a grinder, pick up the insert and weld the bottom. The method is not one of the best, but it is possible. Personally, I do not recommend it to you.

Second pouring a liquid polymer inside under pressure, that is, non-separable recovery. Fluoroplastic is usually used. It is worth telling in more detail.

This can be done, but difficult. You will need special equipment and polymer (fluoroplastic). We simply drill a ball hole in the bottom of this principle, then cut the threads so that we can screw on a special metal "receiver".

This thread is twisted "tube - receiver" from a special press (extruder), which feeds molten fluoroplastic under pressure. It should be noted that it melts at temperatures of 170 - 200 degrees Celsius.

Then we heat the tube, usually the press itself with the "liquid mass". Inside the spherical fluoroplastic it also melts + mixes with the mass that enters through the tube, the process takes place under a pressure of 2 atmospheres.

After filling, the tube is disconnected, the press with the polymer is removed. The polymer hardens and forms a monolith, which envelops the "ball"; all knocks and vibrations pass - after all, the broken place is filled with polymer. A special valve or "grease" is screwed into the hole that was drilled.

After such a repair, the ball joint can walk for a very long time, sometimes even no less than a new one. Watch a detailed video.

However, it is worth noting that if the boot is broken and a lot of any dirt has got into the "ball", then you should first clean it, otherwise the wear will be very large. The scrubbing should be up to the mirror.