Can anyone tell me what I should expect to pay to have the ball joints replaced on my 86 244. it has been so long since I have used a mechanic for anything that I am kinda out of that loop.

I've replaced a couple of ball joints. Didn't need a spring compressor (Forget what I did but I think I used a hydraulic jack to raise/lower into position). Job was easy. Suggest you save yourself a couple of hundred dollars especially if you've done ball joints before.

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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

If you can fix sick 'Birds and pull heads, then 86 240 ball joints are like falling off a stool. Real easy to do, just don't mix up the left and rights, they are different. Start soaking all the nuts in Kroil or PB Blaster about a week ahead. And with some the money you will save by doing it yourself, spring for that new electric impact wrench. That will make it almost fun.
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Gary Gilliam Sumerduck VA, '94 940 na Regina 160k '86 240 190k

yes...i am sure that i can handel it.....but it is a little known fact that I am phenominally lazy...and on monday i am attempting to replace the exhaust from the cat back and i think that will prolly eat all my will...at least as far as car repair is concerned....plus i am sick of the looks i get when i am under my brick in the parking lot of my appartment complex sandwiched between an H2 and a S class benz...that lool like..."i didn't know you could do that...and further...why are you doing it?"

Well, just give it a break for a couple of weeks and enjoy the summer. As for others looks? Screw 'em, it's their problem. Some of us actually enjoy working on the beasts ( unless you HAVE to in the dead of winter with frozen fingers and toes), plus we promise not to make fun of their hobbies/pastimes etc.
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Gary Gilliam Sumerduck VA, '94 940 na Regina 160k '86 240 190k

I live in CT, have paid about $150 per ball joint when I didn't take the time to do it myself. So far I've never needed both simultaneously, though of course the shops always recommend you do them in pairs. And I never had the other side go bad soon after. They go bad at their own time, apparently.

Doing this job in a driveway isn't ideal. I've always needed a coil spring compressor (borrowed, and it didn't fit ideally), and a large vise and aprox. 5 lb. hammer to bang the joint out of the holder. But the 2-3 times I did it myself, it sure was nice to pay only $15 for the part instead of $150 for the complete job.
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[aka Sophie's Maintainer] Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, E-fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute.

Hi there,

Ouch. Unless your $150 was on a early (pre-78) 240 where the strut tube held the BJ nut. Those require the springs removed and 6-1/2 pages in the green book on replacing ball joints.

Later versions have the ball joint attached to a casting, then attached to the strut tube by four bolts. These are a piece of cake compared to any American car I've ever known to last long enough to warrant ball joint replacement.

I think I may know where your difficulty happened. Bentley and the green book both recommend supporting the front of the car on jack stands. Plural.

If you support just one side letting the wheel hang, you'd have to disconnect the sway bar to get complete spring/strut extension. Actually that is the way I do it, because I have air tools making the disconnect of the end link trivial. But the books suggest raising both front wheels off the ground.

The only challenge I see to us shadetrees, is pressing out the tapered ball joint stem. This is not a pickle-fork job because you remove the whole assembly to your vise, or press, or two sturdy bricks, or what-have-you to support the end casting while you press or beat the old joint out. Then, if you don't clean the tapers of grease, you'll have fun trying to tighten the nut on the new one.

So if you have a decent vise and common hand tools, I'd say go for it. Nothing like those on domestic iron.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Thanks.
Live and learn, if you pay attention.
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[aka Sophie's Maintainer] Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, E-fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute.

Yeah when i put drop spindles and disc brakes on my firebird, I did a similar job. I was struck by how difficult the ball joints were to separate using a pickle fork...Both of my ball joint are destroyed at this point. when i had the car inspected 20+k miles ago they both had fairly serious play in them but the mechanic was a volvo guy and sort of overlooked several minor, yet not dangerous conditions. now when i hit the brakes hard there is a bit of a clunk....I think this will be a birthday present anyway.

Just curious. I'm in Frederick and I've got a small list of names and my experience with them. I'd also like to know who's "down the road" as they say.

Thanks.

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Jim - '92 Red 245 195K, and sometimes an '85 245 275K+

p.s. As in the previous post, you can leave the springs alone and just unbolt/rebolt everything, but I just got through a bad experience with a frozen bolt on one of the brackets and ended up going to a mechanic to break it loose and finish the installation. That's me 1 side and the mechanic 1 side. The bottom of the strut tubes are pretty close to the ground even on jackstands. Being able to work under a lift can make a big difference if things get tricky.

well....i don't hav e a good answer to that...if you are asking me about the old timer that told me about head milling specs, the volvo dealer on rt 355 in rockville gave me his number (apparently the know nothing about anything that doesn't involve buying parts). I remember that he was located in souther md, but i couldn't say at what shop, as I only talked to him on the phone for about 5 min over a year ago. I used Burtonsville Machine Shop for the machine work (not located in burtonsville anymore). the guys there were great...they said that since business was slow that week that if i dropped off the valve seals that they would install them for me for free...also i brougt my cam back and they used an impact hammer to remove the cam sprocket (i couldn't get it off to replace the cam seal). they really did a great job and were decent about doing it. Hope that helps.

easy driveway job no need to squeeze the spring. bolts on.

Maybe on your brick!
How did you do it?

I did one or two ball joints on my old 86 (Sophie).
I unbolted the holder (4 bolts) and it came off.
At that point, the spring expanded, and I couldn't get it back on without compressing the spring.

How did you do it?
I sure could save that $150 every time.
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[aka Sophie's Maintainer] Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, E-fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute.

"Every time"?!

I JUST replaced the factory ball joints in my '89 last month. They made it 235,000 miles. I cannot fathom too many people having to worry about the second time.

In order to get the lower control arm down far enough, you have to remove the sway-bar link bolts from the arm attachments. I did both ball joints, and the LCA bushings all in 2 hours.
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JohnG 1989 245 MT @ 235,000

Aha. That would make a difference.

As for "every time", we've owned as many as 4 bricks simultaneously. Now down to two. True, the ball joints do last, but buying them well-used and using them well ourselves, I've already done the job three times myself, if I recall. Plus once done by a shop when I didn't have the time.

...and if you have the misfortune of getting Scantech ball joints it'll be a pretty frequent job. Before I knew better, I put them on my old '81. Both wore out within a year, first one to go was warrantied by the supplier and the second one snapped apart when faced with the task of braking while cornering. I would've been better off leaving the worn-out originals on it.
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Chris, Dartmouth NS Canada 70 M-B 280SE, 83 245DL, 84 244 turbo, 90 780 turbo, 92 VW Golf, 90 740 Rex/Regina