Replacing Rear Upper Control Arm Tonight

[jeffry]

Hi guys and ladies!

Tonight I am replacing my girlfriends rear upper control arm, front brakes and passenger side front wheel bearing on her 2003 Liberty. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

For the rear upper control arm, do I need to jack the vehicle up for that? Jack up the frame or body or both?

When removing the front wheel bearing, will the whole axle come out or will just the hub assembly come off?

Will it need to be aligned afterwards?

Thanks for your help. I'll let you know how it goes.

Jeff

 

[Luke]

You can remove the hub without taking the suspension/axle apart no alignment needed.
3 Etorx bolts and the axle nut.... maybe the tie rod end (can't remember) Haven't replaced my tri-link yet

Good Luck!

 

[adamkrz]

Make sure you take the bolt on the rear tri-link balljoint all the way out otherwise not a hard job at all.

 

[jeffry]

Ok, I have the two bolts that secure the tri link to the body out as well as the through bolt and nut for the ball joint. The brake lines have been freed from the hangers. I still cant get the ball joint post out of its location. Any tricks on that? I dont have the jeep jacked up....

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[Snail Farmer]

Yep, grab a hammer and go to work :emotions33:

 

[Porkchop]

Try spreading the gap were the ball joint bolt came out that will loosen top on the ball joint.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Beware that when the ball joint comes out of the attachment point the body of the Jeep will easily sway from side-to-side. The tri-link stabilizes the lateral movement so just be prepared - you may want to put some jack stands under the body to keep it from going too far.

And yea, a BFH comes in handy when separating the ball joint from the diff :happy107:

Bob

 

[jeffry]

Man, what a job this is turning out to be. I got the old arm out by using the jack to "press" it out. Now I am struggling to get the new ball joint shaft into the hole. I have the two bolts that go to the body in. I'm thinking i need to take those out and concentrate on the ball joint shaft.

 

[Snail Farmer]

Sometimes the differential will tilt forward some when you take the old arm out. Might make it difficult for the new ball joint to line up straight with the hole, causing binding. I used a jack and a 2x4 to hold the differential up to align it easier. Just have some patience and watch closely that you're putting it in straight.

 

[jeffry]

A big thanks for the tips and advice. I got the ball joint shaft half way in and that was it. One last ditch effort, I went into the trunk and hopped up and down. The shaft dropped right in. I got everything bolted up tight, while on the ground. Took the truck around the block, and it still does the rear end sway when getting on the gas and when letting off. Any ideas on that matter. After some sleep, I will re tighten every thing up again, both with the jeep jacked up and on the ground.

I still have to replace the passenger side wheel bearing and all new brakes up front. I dont think that would cause the sway, but we'll find out.

Good night!

Jeff

 

[profdlp]

...I got the ball joint shaft half way in and that was it. One last ditch effort, I went into the trunk and hopped up and down. The shaft dropped right in...

I've had lots of jobs where I was left hopping up and down. Never done me any good though. I'm glad it worked out for you. arty36:

Here's hoping you get the rest of it sorted out. :cheers:

 

[Leeann]

Rotate the tires and see if anything changes.

Just how bad is the wheel bearing?

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

A big thanks for the tips and advice. I got the ball joint shaft half way in and that was it. One last ditch effort, I went into the trunk and hopped up and down. The shaft dropped right in. I got everything bolted up tight, while on the ground. Took the truck around the block, and it still does the rear end sway when getting on the gas and when letting off. Any ideas on that matter. After some sleep, I will re tighten every thing up again, both with the jeep jacked up and on the ground.

I still have to replace the passenger side wheel bearing and all new brakes up front. I dont think that would cause the sway, but we'll find out.

Good night!

Jeff

The Jeep jumping to the side on acceleration is a sign of bad lower control arm bushings. There is a recall on some years for Libby's sold in "Rust Belt" states. Typically one side is more worn than the other causing the rear to jump to the side when you hit the gas.

But the replacement of the tri-link is not a waste - when they wear the Jeep body moves laterally and feels really squirrely. You should notice an improvement overall.

Bob

 

[tommudd]

I always remove the 3 large bolts from the rear diff
just takes a few minutes and that way I can get at the rear ball joint real easy after its on the ground out in the open
With some of the ones I've done rusted almost solid there wasn't an easier way
In and out 10 minutes or so

 

[pontipine]

I always remove the 3 large bolts from the rear diff
just takes a few minutes and that way I can get at the rear ball joint real easy after its on the ground out in the open
With some of the ones I've done rusted almost solid there wasn't an easier way
In and out 10 minutes or so

+1
I just changed out the boomerang today and did exactly that. It was rusted in pretty good. Nothing that an air hammer couldnt fix. Took the bracket off and clean out the rust with a dremel. Packed it full of sticky grease for next time.