03-21-2012, 08:32 PM
[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1303775515' post='109049']
I did a search, and nothing turned up. One of the ball joint boots on my '92 968 is badly torn; does anybody know the procedure for replacing it? I have the control arm off the car, and the boot looks like it's jammed in there pretty good.</span>
Thanks
[/quote]
I'm replying to the old post listed above, but though it might be better to put this in a new thread in case anyone else is looking. My balljoints are relatively new, but for some reason (probably a poor materials choise for the boots) they are badly cracked.
As the pic shows, I was able to purchase just the new boots from Rennbay (the guy that does the complete rebuilds) The boots were $8 each, part number on the paperwork is 113.8. The pic below shows the old boots that I took off. The Rennbay boots came with a flat wire spring not the round wire spring as shown in the pics.
The first thing I did as part of the replacement process was to clean the ball joint post with the old boot on. I used a brass wire brush, and some fine grit paper to remove any rust, pitting, etc so as to get the post surface smooth. Any roughness could damage the new boot and cause it to leak on the small end or let in debris/moisture. To get the old boot off you need to remove a spring wire that has about 2 loops in it secures the large end of the boot in a groove in the control arm. Getting the old clip off is easy, just use a small screwdriver or other suitable tool to pry under the wire at one of its ends and unspiral it (I used a needle nose on it once the screwdriver had it proud enough that I could grab it. The small end is a single loop that sits in a groove in the boot, and keeps it secured on the OD of the ball joint pin. Once the large end is loose, it is easy to pull while rotating the boot and remove it from the post.
It was a little trickier to get the new boot secured at the large end. First wipe clean the top of the joint to insure no debris got into it likely removing a little grease as you wipe it clean. Then put a small amount of lube on the post and inside the small end of the bushing. Push the boot into place (don't push the small end on very far as it makes for less room to get to the groove at the large end). To get the large end secured, I held one end of the spring wire in the boot groove, and used a needle nose plyers to grab the wire and to start winding it around the groove (its best if the spring wire doesn't cross over itself as can easily happen when installing). If the spring wire crosses over itself as installed, use a pry tool to pick up the end of the wire and slide it so it no longer crosses over itself.
Once the large end is secured, push the small end the rest of the way onto the balljoint post. Finally, put a few shots of grease into the balljoint to make up for any removed in the process, and to potentially push out any debris that may be on the top end of the joint from the new install.
And, the new boot installed
I did a search, and nothing turned up. One of the ball joint boots on my '92 968 is badly torn; does anybody know the procedure for replacing it? I have the control arm off the car, and the boot looks like it's jammed in there pretty good.</span>
Thanks
[/quote]
I'm replying to the old post listed above, but though it might be better to put this in a new thread in case anyone else is looking. My balljoints are relatively new, but for some reason (probably a poor materials choise for the boots) they are badly cracked.
As the pic shows, I was able to purchase just the new boots from Rennbay (the guy that does the complete rebuilds) The boots were $8 each, part number on the paperwork is 113.8. The pic below shows the old boots that I took off. The Rennbay boots came with a flat wire spring not the round wire spring as shown in the pics.
The first thing I did as part of the replacement process was to clean the ball joint post with the old boot on. I used a brass wire brush, and some fine grit paper to remove any rust, pitting, etc so as to get the post surface smooth. Any roughness could damage the new boot and cause it to leak on the small end or let in debris/moisture. To get the old boot off you need to remove a spring wire that has about 2 loops in it secures the large end of the boot in a groove in the control arm. Getting the old clip off is easy, just use a small screwdriver or other suitable tool to pry under the wire at one of its ends and unspiral it (I used a needle nose on it once the screwdriver had it proud enough that I could grab it. The small end is a single loop that sits in a groove in the boot, and keeps it secured on the OD of the ball joint pin. Once the large end is loose, it is easy to pull while rotating the boot and remove it from the post.
It was a little trickier to get the new boot secured at the large end. First wipe clean the top of the joint to insure no debris got into it likely removing a little grease as you wipe it clean. Then put a small amount of lube on the post and inside the small end of the bushing. Push the boot into place (don't push the small end on very far as it makes for less room to get to the groove at the large end). To get the large end secured, I held one end of the spring wire in the boot groove, and used a needle nose plyers to grab the wire and to start winding it around the groove (its best if the spring wire doesn't cross over itself as can easily happen when installing). If the spring wire crosses over itself as installed, use a pry tool to pick up the end of the wire and slide it so it no longer crosses over itself.
Once the large end is secured, push the small end the rest of the way onto the balljoint post. Finally, put a few shots of grease into the balljoint to make up for any removed in the process, and to potentially push out any debris that may be on the top end of the joint from the new install.
And, the new boot installed
(This post was last modified: 03-21-2012, 08:49 PM by MB968.)