Hammer down on the ball joint to engage the taper. Before you do that, spray the tapers with brake clean to get rid of any lube in there. There's probably not enough room to swing a hammer. Get a helper and stick an 8 foot long pipe in there as leverage to make the tapers engage, tighten the nut, then loosen.

Hi, all. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back to this. I have been waiting all winter to get my lower ball joints swapped. I had another few weeks before the snow melted out here in NY. But the steering on the car became so sloppy, it was unsafe to drive it, so I had to get the suspension work done by my mechanic.

I've heard good things about Gene, in Queens, NY, on this forum so I took the car to him.

I just got off the phone with him. In addition to the lower ball joints, I'm also going to need a new left spindle (I may have damaged the threads on the original one when I took the hub out the first time), new tie rods, a new damper and idler arm bushings. This is in addition to the new tires I'm going to need b/c the sloppy suspension ate up the ones I just put on there.

So, long story short, I didn't get to do the project myself, I'm going to have to pay at least $700 for Gene to clean up my mess, AND I need new tires. I bought the car for $2500 and with this repair, my total "in" on the car is close to $4500 (I put in a new battery, new glow-plugs and other miscellaneous parts when I first bought it).

Am I spending too much on this thing? Did I buy the wrong car? I feel like I could have found a better car, in better condition for less.

Bummer.

Yeah, you could have just bought a Hyundai Accent...newer does not mean better.

Sorry, I meant to say a W123 Benz in better condition. Hyundai has never been an option.

It always makes sense to purchase a vehicle in "better condition" for $1K or $2K more up front.

However, and this is vital, the only good way to determine "better condition" is to see the stack of receipts. If none are available, you assume that the components are exactly the same as those that left the factory. If so, then you're looking at $3K-$4K of parts, typically, to bring one of them back. A full set of front end parts (without the spindle) is close to $1K (without the labor).


Many folks will do it for less............they generally get what they paid for.

Thanks, Brian. That makes me feel better. I guess it comes with the territory. Lesson learned for next time.

These ARE old cars, so they will always need something done to them. even a better example, will need some time and money put into them.

I have a good example of one, took me a few years to get there. well, actually don`t think Iam really there yet, I just pulled out the driveline this afternoon because of a noisy U-Joint. It never ends.

Charlie

Welcome to the world of old Benzes! It's a balancing act of a never-ending list of things to be done to what can I live with for a while.

Thanks, all. I don't mind never-ending lists. I like working on the car. I just want to be able to do the work myself and not pay my mechanic to do it all.

It is a good thing to DIY when ever possible. Reliable operation requires reliable maintenance.