I just got back from having my tires replaced and the shop said that they could not align it because the upper and lower ball joints are bad as well as one of the idler arms. The problem is they want $900 to do the work! This is after I just spend over $400 on new tires. Oh, and I'm out of work.

I was talking to my neighbor who works on cars and he says that he should be able to help me replace them. But I'm looking through the forums here and it's sounding like it's a huge PITA to do.

I have a 1999 TrailBlazer 4x4. What do you guys think? Should I pony up and have a shop do it or should my neighbor and I attempt to do it? Bear in mind that it's also January in Michigan. Although the weather sounds like it will be nice this weekend (40 degrees). Oh, and I'm assuming that they would be the press-on type and not the bolt-on ones, is that correct?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

Check to make sure they are truly shot before you make any decisions. I had an local shop tell me this too and I knew the joints were all good because they had been replaced less than a month beforehand. If you have the tools, knowhow, and confidence, doing it yourself will save you a pretty penny. If you need instructions on how to do it I'm sure you will find them on here somewhere.

Ball Joint Replacement

 

Check to see if the ball joints are held on by rivets or bolts. MUCH easier if they are bolts as they have been replaced before. Original riveted ball joints can be a PITA but are doable. The idler arm is pretty easy and there is only one of them.

If you've got the time, place and tools, do it yourself and save the bucks for something more important.

 

This is actually the third shop that told me they are bad. It's looking like I really need to do something about it this time. Especially since I just got new tires and would hate for them to get worn out too fast.

AJBert, my neighbor and I are going to look at this in the morning. Hoping for bolts!

 

This is an old post but for anyone who is looking for info on this work is not as bad as you may think. My ball joints were riveted in. The top ones were quite easy to get to once you remove the calipers and rotors. I used a grinder to remove the top portion of the rivets on the first side which worked fine. Then took a punch and popped them out. I separated the ball joint with a pickling fork and removed the old. New ones bolted right in. The lowers are another story. I found that I had to separate my tie rod end with a pickling fork. I had to remove the 36mm axel nut to the end of the axle and then hit the end of the axle with a hammer while prying on the back of the knuckle. The knuckle will eventually slide forward to the end of the axle. This will not only give you plenty of room to get at the rivets but more importantly will allow you to remove the lower ball joint once you get the rivets off and separate the ball joint from the knuckle. I used a nice sharp chisel for metal not wood and sheared off the tops of the rivets. It takes a while sometimes but be patient and they will pop off. Those are the tricks for the ball joints. Tork the top ball joint to 62 and the lower to 79 lb. Don't forget to grease.
The idler arm is pretty easy. Remove the protective panel with the door for your oil filter to gain access. Remove the nut, then seperate the ball joint with pickling fork. Remove the 2 bolts on the side of the frame and remove old and install new. Hope this helps.

 

Good news! They are bolt on! So we are going to try and replace these ourselves. Hopefully it goes well. Wish us luck, and thanks all for the help and input!