Changing the steering ball joints on a Nissan Patrol Y60

Steering ball joints play a major role and must be in good condition. The ball joint is one of the components of the "ground connection": it is a decisive factor in safety. Off-road use wears them out prematurely, as they are sometimes stressed to their extreme limits. A ball joint in poor condition leads to premature wear of all the other parts to which it is connected: this problem can be measured by the noise heard when there is excessive play in the ball joints (rattling) or visually because the ball joint bellows are punctured or torn and grease is on the ball joint instead of in it.

Guaranteed safety: a ball joint in good condition makes it easier to control your vehicle. It prevents a time lag between the moment you turn the steering wheel and the reaction of the wheels. In extreme cases, significant damage can be caused by worn ball joints. 

Guaranteed savings: changing the ball joints in good time will prevent damage to a number of other mechanical components or ground connections. And, as a result, the premature replacement of much more expensive mechanical components.

In this article, we'll take you step-by-step through the process of changing a steering ball joint on your vehicle.

We chose to change the steering ball joint on a Nissan Patrol Y60.

This tutorial is valid for many 4x4 models.

To change the steering ball joints on your 4x4, you'll need: 

• Ratchet spanner + 17 and 19 mm sockets and one for the ball joint remover, depending on the model. 17 and 19 mm open-end spanners 
• Ball joint remover
• Pliers
• Hammer
• Flat screwdriver
• Release agent
• Grease gun and grease
• Cloths

To give you an idea of the level of difficulty of our tutorials, we've graded them from 1 to 5.
Changing the steering ball joints on a 4x4 is level 2.

Steering ball joints

Tutorial created with the help of Laura & Erwan - On The Road Mitsu