How to check ball joints
To obtain the maximum amount of information about the condition of the lower ball joint, the same conditions should be created as when the car is moving. That is why simply putting the car on a lift and pumping the wheels will not bring concrete results.
The test is carried out as follows: the car is installed with the lower arm on a suitable support, after which the wheel play in the vertical plane is checked, i.e. by swinging at the top and bottom points. Additionally, it is recommended to insert a mounting bracket between the lever and the trunnion and swing it.
Symptoms of Bad Ball Joints
There are several symptoms of hinge failure on Niva 21213 and 2123:
- Creaking around the wheels when turning the steering wheel. It occurs, more often, when the wheel turns in place, when the driver begins to maneuver in the yard or parking lot.
- Knocking noise when driving over bumps. It's a dull thud. It can occur when a wheel falls into a large hole or even small joints in the asphalt.
It is not recommended to drive with such symptoms for a long time. Appropriate repairs should be carried out as soon as possible.
Replacing the lower support
To remove the Niva 2121 ball joint, jack up the car and remove the wheel, clean all elements from dirt using a metal brush or compressed air, unscrew the adjustable
hub nut (with the cap installed, use a chisel).
Using a 22 mm spanner, unscrew the nut securing the assembly to the steering knuckle (KC).
Place a stop at the lower point of the suspension arm (screw jack, bottle jack, block of wood).
Release the ball mount from the lower arm using two 13 mm wrenches.
Move the PC away from the lever.
Using a puller, press out the ball joint pin.
If you don’t have a special device at hand, insert a block into the space between the upper suspension arm and the rebound buffer bracket, after compressing the spring using a block or jack and tightening the support pin nut. Then hit the PC eyelet with concentrated blows until you get the result.
Before installing new supports, do not forget to fill it with ShRB-4 lubricant.
Replacing a ball joint on a Chtvrolet Niva
One of the main problems during the operation of Chevrolet Niva cars is the rapid failure and need to replace ball joints. Factory ball joints are much inferior in quality to those supplied to the market by aftermarket manufacturers and, even under normal driving conditions, rarely last more than 10 thousand km.
Ball joint selection.
The best ball joints are considered to be those made in the city of Belebeyevo and bearings of the “Trek” brand, and especially “Trek Champion”. The latter have the greatest pull-out strength (nominal force 5 tons), so they are more reliable when traveling off-road. Foreign analogues are much inferior in quality to parts made in Russia - they have softer metal, lower pressing density, and sometimes a reduced diameter of the ball itself. This is due to the fact that they were developed for European roads, which are much better than ours and driving on them does not have such a destructive effect on the car’s suspension.
When choosing a ball joint, you need to check the condition and amount of lubricant located under the boot. If the grease does not reach the middle of the part of the pin that is under the boot, you need to remove the old grease and fill the boot with new one. Please keep in mind that the better the lubrication, the less wear the support will wear out. The best domestic lubricants are “Litol-24”, “Shrus”, and the best foreign ones are “ER”.
Video 2 process
Source
Reg.: 12/21/2004 Threads / Messages: 3 / 674 From: Moscow, VAO Age: 35 Car: VAZ 21214 01 distributed injection
Name: Alexey Reg.: 03/05/2005 Threads / Messages: 93 / 4534 From: Moscow, Northern Administrative Okrug Age: 41 Car: Shniva 2016 90 tkm
Antokha
Under the lower ball. First, jack up the car and remove the wheel! Either you put bricks under the lower ball joint (the closer to the hub, the better.), or a second jack. You lower the car onto the bricks (the spring compresses). And finally, rock the car down so that the spring settles at least a couple of millimeters more.
And go ahead with the song (or whatever vocabulary you have).
And it should be placed closer to the hub so that the load on the spring is greater. (From the category “give me a lever and I will move the earth” (c))
Then you unscrew (but not completely) the lower ball nut (attachment to the steering knuckle). You raise the car, take out the bricks (the second jack) and tap the place where the ball cone fits. The fit should come unstuck with a characteristic sound (it will hit the half-unscrewed nut under the action of a spring).
Then you put it on the bricks again (the second jack) and then it’s a matter of technique: unscrew the bottom nut all the way, unscrew the three nuts securing the ball to the upper arm, and remove the ball.
I don’t think it’s worth describing the assembly.
Reg.: 12/06/2004 Threads / Messages: 627 / 51712
Reg.: 12/21/2004 Threads / Messages: 3 / 674 From: Moscow, VAO Age: 35 Car: VAZ 21214 01 distributed injection
Reg.: 12/06/2004 Threads / Messages: 627 / 51712
Name: Alexey Reg.: 03/05/2005 Threads / Messages: 93 / 4534 From: Moscow, Northern Administrative Okrug Age: 41 Car: Shniva 2016 90 tkm
Reg.: 12/21/2004 Threads / Messages: 3 / 674 From: Moscow, VAO Age: 35 Car: VAZ 21214 01 distributed injection
Added after 2 hours 48 minutes 38 seconds:
The operation was successful, it seems no one/nothing was hurt, tomorrow it will go to pieces.
Reg.: 12/06/2004 Threads / Messages: 627 / 51712
Who can argue that lubrication is needed! I was talking specifically about TRACK-Champion, which still come WITH LUBRICANT under a hermetically sealed boot
Added after 1 minute 58 seconds:
oh, somehow it turned out crookedly, in general, the previous message was a response to ZanudE
Reg.: 12/08/2004 Messages: 2238 From: Nizhny Novgorod Age: 52 Car: UAZ Patriot 2013 diesel 51432
canek.spb
Well, how are they not related? Change the bushings and unscrew the ball joint, at least the top one.
Alex A. Bel.
Stock up on two 8mm bolts, 100mm long, or better yet 120mm, with solid thread. You will use them to pull the ball into place. You can, of course, tighten the springs with ties, but, IMHO, bolts are still advisable.
Reg.: 12/09/2004 Threads / Messages: 9 / 976 From: St. Petersburg Kolomyagi Age: 50 Car: 214 May 11, A6 Avant 12 and Kalina 2008
Reg.: 12/08/2004 Messages: 2238 From: Nizhny Novgorod Age: 52 Car: UAZ Patriot 2013 diesel 51432
Reg.: 12/09/2004 Threads / Messages: 9 / 976 From: St. Petersburg Kolomyagi Age: 50 Car: 214 May 11, A6 Avant 12 and Kalina 2008
Reg.: 12/06/2004 Threads / Messages: 627 / 51712
Reg.: 01/18/2005 Threads / Messages: 2 / 891 From: Saransk Age: 42 Car: VAZ 21214; Shniva; UAZ 31514: LuAZ 969
What kind of ties? What are you doing? What bolts?
Now I’ll tell you how I change ball joints without a puller and without any long bolts.
We're filming. (the wheel is removed, the car is jacked up). Do not jack under the levers! 1. Unscrew the lower ball joint nut 3 turns. 2. Lightly hit the lever with a sledgehammer or 0.5 kg hammer in the place where the support is inserted. Under the action of the spring, the support pops out of the conical hole 3. We do the same with the upper support.
Let's put it on. 1. We install the lower support without any problems. 2. Upper support. We place the brake hose brackets under the threads, disconnecting them. We tighten the nut. 3. Place a jack (rolling or UAZ) under the lower arm and jack it up. Until we see that the car is being lifted with the jack. In this case, the upper support almost overtakes the upper arm. Usually here I ask someone to stand on the bumper and screw on the support. If there is no assistant, I take a piece of water pipe 20 mm long and 0.5 m long, put it on the protruding bolt for fastening the axis of the upper arm, rest it on the lever and slightly press down. Fitting the support is not a problem.
Reg.: 02/03/2005 Threads / Messages: 85 / 2821 From: Adler Age: 46 Car: was. 2121 1.7carb. Born 1986 now: Toyota Lucida 2.2 TD EFI 4wd full time X-limited, 2131 1.8 carb, LPG, EUR, born 2004
2 thanks all, comrades! I'm not touching it yet. I'll do everything at once, both silent and ball joints.
Source
How to change ball joints on Niva 21213
We hang and remove the front wheel.
Unscrew the front wheel bearing adjusting nut
Using a 22mm spanner, unscrew the nut securing the ball joint to the steering knuckle.
We install the stop under the lower arm.
Using a 13mm wrench, unscrew the nut of the bolt securing the ball joint to the lower arm, holding the bolt from turning with a wrench of the same size.
Unscrew the nuts of two more bolts.
...and move the steering knuckle with the ball joint away from the lower arm.
Use a puller to press the ball joint pin out of the steering knuckle hole.
You can also use a puller like this.
We move the steering knuckle to the side and remove the shank of the outer drive joint housing from the hub.
Remove the ball joint.
If there is no puller, unscrew (not completely) the nut securing the ball joint to the steering knuckle (photo 1). We compress the spring with a stop installed under the lower arm. We insert the mounting blade with its edge between the end of the lower arm eye and the support pressure plate.
Having unscrewed the nut of the support pin and the adjusting nut of the front hub bearings, move the steering knuckle to the side and remove the stop. We unscrew the nuts of the bolts securing the ball joint to the lower arm (see photo 2) and remove the ball joint.
Removing the pressure plate and protective cover of the ball pin When installing a new cover of the ball pin, put ShRB-4 lubricant in it. We assemble and install the ball joint in the reverse order.
Video
Video tutorial on replacing the ball joint on a VAZ 2121 (Niva).
To replace the upper ball joint you will need the following tools:
You will also need a lift to make it convenient to work.
For details and nuances of the work, watch the video lesson.
Unlike the classic VAZ family, the Niva 2121 rarely ends up with a twisted wheel on the side of the road. It's all about the slightly different operation of the suspension, which does not receive a critical load in certain operating modes. Although the ball joints themselves are used in a similar design.
Checking ball joints
To diagnose ball joints, you will need to hang the wheel and use a pry bar to press under the support. A slight knocking sound when pressing with a pry bar indicates wear of the part. The working ball joint will not make any sounds, and even with great force with the mount it will not have any play.
Necessary tool
- open-end spanner set to “22”;
- two spanners set to “13”;
- ball joint remover;
- hammer;
- metal brush;
- used brake fluid or WD-40;
- jack and wheel wrench.
The preparatory process includes cleaning the seats from rust and treating the bolts with penetrating lubricant.
Replacing ball joints yourself does not require serious skills, since the suspension design is simple and archaic. It is advisable to carry out dismantling and installation work with a partner, since at some points difficulties may arise and it will be difficult to cope without extra hands. To replace the balls, it is not necessary to have an inspection hole; the lifting height with a jack is sufficient, provided that you have a puller available.
Upper ball joint replacement process
While the car is on wheels and the suspension is under load, remove the ball joint nut using a “22” wrench.
Remove the brake hose bracket to avoid damaging it.
Next, you need to place the car on a jack, unscrew the wheel and raise the car higher, then place a support in the form of a beam or brick under the lower arm, then lower the car a little so that the suspension is under a slight load.
Using a puller, install it with the lower paw on the ball joint bolt, and the upper paw over the seat on the axle, after which the support will gradually come up and be freed from the steering knuckle. If there is no puller, then the ball joint will come out on its own with numerous blows to the fist.
Using the “13” wrench, unscrew the three bolts securing the ball joint on the lever; use the second wrench to hold the bolt from below.
The upper ball joint is now removed. Before installing a new support, I strongly recommend removing the boot and filling the pin generously with lubricant and developing the hinge. The new ball joint should “walk” very tightly. Try to design the new ball by hand before putting it in place. Installation of the upper ball joint is carried out in the reverse order. If the finger does not fully fit into the steering knuckle, then install the wheel back and sit in the car, then the support will sit all the way.
What ball joints are in the field?
Three generations. They differ from each other in the geometry of the body:
- Until 2009, a “kopek” knot was used. At the same time, there were identical parts on top and bottom. Art. – 2101-290419; 2009-2016 the element was unified with the model created jointly with GM. Art. – 2123-2904192. Suitable for 1st generation. 2016 – present, the data allows us to obtain the original wheel running distance. Interchangeability with other generations is excluded. Art. – 21214-2904082.
How to check ball joints
To obtain the maximum amount of information about the condition of the lower ball joint, the same conditions should be created as when the car is moving. That is why simply putting the car on a lift and pumping the wheels will not bring concrete results.
The test is carried out as follows: the car is installed with the lower arm on a suitable support, after which the wheel play in the vertical plane is checked, i.e. by swinging at the top and bottom points. Additionally, it is recommended to insert a mounting bracket between the lever and the trunnion and swing it.
Selection of ball joints
Quite often, ball joints wear out prematurely. To prevent this from happening, you should choose the right spare parts before purchasing. What should be a good ball joint for VAZ 21213? Today there are several proven manufacturers of these parts. However, not all supports are ideal for a car of this brand.
When choosing upper and lower ball joints for a Niva Chevrolet, whenever possible, preference should be given to domestic manufacturers. The Kedr company has proven itself quite well. This company produces high-quality solid forged parts. The manufacturer claims that with normal driving they can last about 75 thousand km. But this is the case if the product is initially found to be defective.
The company BelMag also has good reviews. This company produces two main types of ball joints: budget products and reinforced ones. As for the budget option, in this case, for a relatively low cost, you can purchase high-quality supports that can easily serve up to 50 thousand km. But reinforced products are more durable. They are capable of not wearing out for 70 thousand km.
Motorists must remember that real BelMag products cost a lot of money. Therefore, if you come across suspiciously cheap ball joints with the logo of a given company, then it is best to refuse such a purchase. After all, there are now many fakes on the market that have not undergone heat treatment.
If you plan to frequently drive at high speed, then it is best to give preference to ball joints on a Chevrolet Niva from Trek. Such products are considered very durable. Moreover, they are equipped with special shock protection. They come with boots made of high-quality rubber. Prices for ball joints for cars of this brand are quite high. But both manufacturers and drivers testify to the complete justification of the cost.
Replacing the lower support
To remove the Niva 2121 ball joint, jack up the car and remove the wheel, clean all elements from dirt using a metal brush or compressed air, unscrew the adjustable
hub nut (with the cap installed, use a chisel).
Using a 22 mm spanner, unscrew the nut securing the assembly to the steering knuckle (KC).
Place a stop at the lower point of the suspension arm (screw jack, bottle jack, block of wood).
Release the ball mount from the lower arm using two 13 mm wrenches.
Move the PC away from the lever.
Using a puller, press out the ball joint pin.
If you don’t have a special device at hand, insert a block into the space between the upper suspension arm and the rebound buffer bracket, after compressing the spring using a block or jack and tightening the support pin nut. Then hit the PC eyelet with concentrated blows until you get the result.
Before installing new supports, do not forget to fill it with ShRB-4 lubricant.
