It probably fit a bit loose after the mechanic wallowed out the hole trying to install the joint with a generic press.

Do a search for "hydraulic ball joint extractor."

With the right equipment, a LBJ replacement on a W123 can be a 10 minute evolution.

If the implication is that the rotor and hub remained in place during this procedure, I'd be even more skeptical than BillyBob. There is just insufficient space for any tools in there.

a diy if anyone cares:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123-e-ce-d-cd-td/1453715-diy-w123-lower-ball-joints.html

I now know this for next time...Thanks!

yea i didnt have any luck fitting the press on or a big enough vise, but atleast the rest is covered. i just hope it saves a couple people from not trying it themselves.

If I had the proper tool, the job would not have been bad. I plan on buying the proper tool for next time, or when I buy another w123 or a w126.

The disassembly went really fast. BFH and a 2 inch wide piece of stainless steel rod took the ball joints out quickly. Suspension work is not too bad in my opinion. It's the springs that you have to be careful of.

I started on the right side of the SD at noon.

Removed wheel, caliper, rotor, shock, spring, inner wheel bearing, lower ball joint connection, upper ball joint connection, LCA, guide rod, and bearing bracket (with guide rod mount installed).

Done by 2:15 p.m. and I work slow. The benefits of learning on the left side have paid off.

I have not had the need for guide rods or LCA bushings...yet.

Learning on one side makes for great learning curve.

Brian, that is good timing. You also had the needed tools as well, I am sure.

I did the LCA bushing on the left side, but realized that it wasn't required. I won't be doing the right side.

The guide rod mounts were original, and questionable. Couldn't quite pin down the reason that the SD would pull on braking, so they get changed on principle. I'll also use the opportunity to change the bearing bracket bushings, although some think they last the life of the vehicle.

Yep, I did have all the tools, with the exception of the puller for the wheel bearing seal. That little, miserable job took nearly 30 minutes.

Yeah that seal is a pain. I used a small flat head screw driver that also has the metal all the way through the handle, and punched into the seal's metal band. After I perforated half way around it, I inseted the flat head and pried up, using the hub lip for leverage. That seal came out without a fight.