Drivers side ball joint

[King683]

Hi all. 

My 2009 mk7 fiesta has developed another suspension fault. Ive been getting a grinding type rattle from the drivers side front, been bothering me for a while at least since i replaced the anti roll bar links, i initially thought it was the new anti roll bar I'd put on the drivers side being faulty si replaced it with another new one, the fault still persists. After finishing work today, (im i key worker and cannot work from home), I was able to get into a national tyre place who bad a look and a tug and a pull and a test drive. Although they couldn't be 100% sure and wanted the car for a whole day to know for certain, I'd said that I'd call them back when i was definitively sure that i had a break from work, they believe that the drivers side ball joint is the most likely candidate. 

The Haynes manual says that if the ball joint needs replacement the whole wishbone needs to be replaced, although euro car parts have a ball joint on it's own. 

My question is are you able to just change the ball joint or do you need to change the whole wishbone?

[Frembrit]

If you are happy with their diagnosis then I would just change the whole wishbone, so you get new bushes too, and it saves a load of time because you don't have to drill out the big rivets holding the ball joint on (originals are not held in with nut and bolts). 

[Nick_T]

Going from personal experience, change the wishbone. It's a doddle to change and less of a chew on that changing the ball joint itself. The Mk7 ball joints are a press fit, not bolted on  

[liamstears]

my 2 pence

If you have access to a big press that can press in/out the ball joint then go for it

If you don't or want ease just replace the wishbone, I have had to replace one myself, I just did the wishbone, nice n easy and used an aftermarket part with no issues

Did mine on a driveway with no special tools, would recommend a splitter of sorts though to get the ball joint out, I didn't have one and it was a pig to get it out

[Manimalfloss]

I had the same issues a few months ago and it turned out to be the ball joint, changes the drop links as well.

The options i was faced with were a complete new wishbone for £44 (local motor factors) or a ball joint £16 (same place) but needed a tool to remove it.

Bought a G clamp press off of eBay for £30 as i plan on keeping this car a while and doing a high mileage, took me about 1.5 hours to do as i like to take my time and clean everything as i go.

Wishbone was probably the easiest to carry out as its a 3 bolt replacement but as mines a low mileage car i didnt see the point in changing the perfectly good part for a bad ball joint.

Note, Ball joint gator was ripped hence the joint failure.

 

Ta