OEM Chevrolet Astro Ball Joint

Chevrolet Astro Ball Joint Parts and Q&A

• Lower Ball Joint, Front
  15687079
  Q: How to service and repair the lower ball joint on Chevrolet Astro?

  A:

  Start the lower Ball Joint service by placing the vehicle on a lift then disassembling the tire and wheel elements. Next remove the front splash shield through two bolt removal and rotate it to expose the Tie Rods. Pull the inner Tie Rod End from its connection with the relay rod. Then take out the drive axle shaft nut and washer from the hub assembly before removing the bolts that secure the hub and bearing assembly. After that take off the lower Ball Joint cotter pin and nut. You can unload the Torsion Bar through j 36202 while keeping note of the adjuster bolt position. Place safety stand support under the lower Control Arm during unloading. Unscrew the knuckle from the lower Ball Joint using the j 35917 tool until you are ready to drill the rivets. Add the new Ball Joint to the lower Control Arm through bolt fasteners supplemented with flat washers and nuts tightened 30 nm (22 ft. Lbs.). Locate the lower Control Arm with a jack and put the Ball Joint into the knuckle. Tighten the nut to 128 nm (95 ft. Lbs.) at z height. After adding a new cotter pin accelerate the nut by an additional 1/6 turn to secure the joint and attach the lower Ball Joint grease fitting to dispense grease until it seeps from the seal. Make use of the Torsion Bar unloading/loading tool (J 36202) to load the Torsion Bar to the marked position on the adjuster bolt. Secure the hub and bearing assembly onto the knuckle by tightening bolts to 90 nm (66 ft. Lbs.) and push the drive axle through the hub assembly. Lock the parts with a washer and nut fastened to 200 nm (147 ft. Lbs.). Install the Tie Rod End back to its relay rod connection. Also put in the front splash shield and bolts with torque set to 14 nm (124 inch lbs). Lastly, put back the tire and wheel and check the front wheel alignment. To accomplish the task you will need a Tie Rod puller (J 6627-A), torsion bar unloading/loading tool (J 36202), steering linkage installer (J 29193), and Ball Joint remover (J 35917).
• Upper Ball Joint
  19146901
  Q: How to replace the upper ball joint on Chevrolet Astro?

  A:

  Before starting upper Ball Joint replacement work raise the vehicle and keep the floor jack under the lower Control Arm to secure the assembly during the process and avoid any safety risks. Put your safety stand under the lower end of the Control Arm and take off the tire and wheel. You need to unfasten both brake hose and speed sensor brackets from the upper Control Arm. Drill two 6.35 mm deep holes into the upper Ball Joint rivets using a 3.175 mm bit and then remove the rivet heads with a 12.7 mm drill. Before removal use a pin punch to break the rivets; next extract the cotter pin plus upper Ball Joint retaining nut. Use the j 36607 Ball Joint separator (J 36607) to disconnect the upper Ball Joint from the Steering Knuckle by placing it on the Ball Joint and Steering Knuckle. Move the upper Control Arm away from the Steering Knuckle while you take out the upper Ball Joint. Install the new upper Ball Joint onto the upper Control Arm and fasten it with mounting bolts and nuts tightened to 30 nm (22 ft.lbs). Please install the speed sensor bracket first then the brake hose bracket on the upper Control Arm by using 16 nm (12 ft. Lbs.) torque settings. Secure the upper Ball Joint to the Steering Knuckle using the retaining nut and tighten it to 98 nm (72 ft. Lbs.). Thread in the new cotter pin until it goes through the upper Ball Joint stud before tightening the nut and bending the pin against the nut flats. Thread the upper Ball Joint grease fitting into place and apply grease until it shows at the seal using a grease gun. Reinstall the tire and wheel afterward then take off the safety stand and lower the vehicle to inspect front wheel alignment.