So Friday night, we attempted to replace my ball joints. All week, I've been soaking the hub assembly and associated hardware with rust penetrate.Bottom line:Broke $1400 in Snap-On and Matco tools, and NEVER got the axle nut off, nor did we get the hub out. Afterward, we tried using the hub press tool thingy from Snap-On, where you use the hub bolts (backed out some) and use the power steering to press the hub out.. Yeah... DESTROYED the right-inner TRE; turned it into a horseshoe.. it's as if the spindle and hub are now one-piece, thanks to rust...So, I had to replace that. Never did get the hub out. I suppose next weekend, I'll just cut the ball joints , slide the spindle/hub/axle out as one unit, and annihilate the $400 hub bearing on a 20T press.

OUCH!

Just don't tell anyone.

LOL nice! I need that sign.

I thought it was bad when mine exploded and just about gave my buddy a 3rd nut...

my problems pale in conparison to yours. but that third nut thing i dont know.

I went and got my REJECTION inspection yesterday.. Guy says "Uhm, sir? YOur lower ball joint and wheel bearing are shot. I can't pass it. You need to get that fixed or else your wheel could fall off."No ____? LOL Never mentioned the 2" deflection in the top ball joint.. :cookoo:I said "I broke over $1000 in MATCO and SNAP-On tools, trying to fix it last weekend. Got any suggestions?"He said "It should just pop right out."I replied.. "Ever worked on one?""No.""Well, they don't 'just pop right out', unfortunately. Otherwise, it'd be replaced already.""Oh."

One of the pros to living in Texas i guess, not many rust issues lol. At least all of your tools were snap on and matco and are all lifetime warranty. Good luck!-Jordan-

OMFG I wanna move back home (TX) for more reasons than rust.

Ha ha ha i can imagine!-Jordan-

Wow! Really sorry to hear about your ball joint dissaster. Sometimes when stuff like that gets really rusted together about the only thing that stands a chance of breaking it loose is the "flame wrench". Maybe you have already tried that and I missed it but doesn't sound like you have much to loose now. I dread the day I will have to do mine. Then you guys can be the smart asses with all the great ideas!

Wow! Really sorry to hear about your ball joint dissaster. Sometimes when stuff like that gets really rusted together about the only thing that stands a chance of breaking it loose is the "flame wrench". Maybe you have already tried that and I missed it but doesn't sound like you have much to loose now. I dread the day I will have to do mine. Then you guys can be the smart asses with all the great ideas!

dyanamite or tnt. your choice. we will back up. or maybe scrape you up. again your choice.

I'm not far from selling the damned thing, to be honest.

Hang in the Rogan... You remember my ball joint adventure...http://forum.mopar1973man.com/threads/4147-Ball-Joints-Nightmare! http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2892&d=1306952761&thumb=1http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2894&d=1306952792&thumb=1http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2893&d=1306952776&thumb=1

So Friday night, we attempted to replace my ball joints. All week, I've been soaking the hub assembly and associated hardware with rust penetrate. Bottom line: Broke $1400 in Snap-On and Matco tools, and NEVER got the axle nut off, nor did we get the hub out. Afterward, we tried using the hub press tool thingy from Snap-On, where you use the hub bolts (backed out some) and use the power steering to press the hub out.. Yeah... DESTROYED the right-inner TRE; turned it into a horseshoe.. it's as if the spindle and hub are now one-piece, thanks to rust... So, I had to replace that. Never did get the hub out. I suppose next weekend, I'll just cut the ball joints , slide the spindle/hub/axle out as one unit, and annihilate the $400 hub bearing on a 20T press.

i dont know what the snap on thingy is. when idid my second one all i used was a socket and extension, backed off all 4 bolts, placed the scket and extension on one of the bolts and let the other end rest against the axle tube at the yoke. once it move sloghtly i just kept moving to a differant bolt and eased it out. it was time consuming but it worked and i dont remember any TRE getting in the way. like i said i dont know what the snap on thingy even looks like.

It's "basically" the same as what you did with a socket and extension. The TRE didn't get in the way, it just bent like hell because my dumb ___ tried turning the wheel too far.

thanks for the enlightenment. i wondered how much stress you could put on the components with the power steering. apparently quite a lot.

I am going to help my brother do the ball joints on his 03 this weekend looks like I have something to look foward too:duh:

Yeah, Rust never sleeps according to Neil Young LOL. Had my own fiasco with a seized front drive shaft spline the past week.Good luck in getting er done.

Ok, me and my buddy, Jeremy Denson (Disturbed Diesel Performance) knocked the left side out this past Saturday. Only took us 7 hrs LOL!But, we got it done, didn't destroy the hub bearing, and never used a hot wrench :)I do NOT look forward to doing the passenger side; thank goodness they're in good shape so far.

i had to pound both of the lowers out of mine. the press i had would not fit the lowers. it fit the uppers and they came out alright. 7 hrs tough, that ought to be against the law.

Since this job can be a tough one I want the best ball joints I can get. Been reading a lot in searches and the Dynatrac seems to have the best reports over moog and even Carli brands. Carli does not make them for the 2002 Ram and the dynatrac site does not say anything about them except 03 and up years:shrug:.So what brand is best everyone? There is another good one too called XRF brand, I believe, so any infopinions are greatly accepted around my question. Thanks a bunch:).