Lower ball joint boot replacement

[DaraSue]

I got my torn boot replaced yesterday at Bailey's Auto Service here in SLC, and Craig kindly let me watch and document. Posting these here while I still more-or-less remember the details, for my own and possibly others' future reference. We did both of them just to be on the safe side so some of these pix may be alternating sides depending on which ones turned out clearer.

After taking the front wheels off, he removed the fasteners to loosen the stabilizer bar. 52064

Then removed the cotter pins: 5206552066

He used a pneumatic tool (impact wrench?) to remove the bolts: 52067

Then lifted up the steering knuckle to separate it from the top of the ball joint: 52068 52069

Removed the retaining ring and pulled the old boot off: 5207052071

Put the new boot and ring back on: 52072

Replaced the steering knuckle, bolt & cotter pin: 52073

Repeated everything on the other side, then filled the new boots with grease and topped off the upper ball joints: 52074 52078

Reattached the stabilizer bar: 520755207652077

Not an incredibly difficult or time-consuming job but I don't think the tools I had at home would have been up for it, so I'm glad I went to a shop. Now I don't have to worry about my front passenger's side wheel falling off on my next road trip. :rollin:

[DMC5180]

Yes you do [emoji12]. Re-check the lug nuts after a few days of driving. 65 ft lbs. which is the average of the 2 different specs 60-70.


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[DaraSue]

Yes you do [emoji12]. Re-check the lug nuts after a few days of driving. 65 ft lbs. which is the average of the 2 different specs 60-70.

The lug nuts on the wheels? I only have a cheap beam-type torque wrench, do I need to get a heavier-duty one? And by "a few days" do you mean around-town driving or road-trip driving?

[DMC5180]

Yes, the lug nuts on wheels. This is always recommend with Aluminum Alloy wheels after 50-75 miles or so after the wheels have been off.

Beam Type Torque wrench, boy thats old school. let me guess , its a craftsman? It's a lot easier to use a click type torque wrench. They are fairly inexpensive to find at Your local big name Auto parts store. $45-$60 for a 3/8 drive 10-150 ft lb range.


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[DaraSue]

D'oh, I just checked and the one I have is calibrated in inch-pounds so I guess I'd need a new one either way. I thought it seemed kind of flimsy. (It's made by Performance Tool and I got it at AutoZone last summer when I was having all that trouble with my coolant line clamps.) I think I picked that style because it seemed the least complicated.

It's about 13-1/2 miles to work plus the 8 home from the shop so I'll plan on doing it tomorrow night when I get home.

Also what size are the lug nuts supposed to be? The specs say M12 which I thought meant 12MM but my "12" metric socket is too small, even the 14 doesn't fit. Am I reading the specs wrong or do I have some weird nonstandard size lugs?

(Edit: the 12 is the diameter of the threaded part of the bolt, not the actual nut? )

[Lwanmtr]

M12 refers to the inner part Ive found (yep I never dealt with those numbers til I got a delorean...lol). I cant say on the size of the lug nuts cause I have an old 4 way with different sizes that I used.

I still need to get a torque wrench myself...but not sure what a good range to get is

[DMC5180]

The proper size is 19 MM, but a 3/4 " socket also works.


For future reference socket/wrench size table

M4 = 7MM
M5 = 8MM or 15/16
M6 = 10MM
M7 = 11MM or 7/16
M8 = 13MM
M10 = 17MM or 11/16
M12 = 19 MM or 3/4

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[Nicholas R]

Whenever you're specifying a bolt, or talking about a bolt size, the head of the bolt has nothing to do with it. Whether it be a 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, or a 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", or 1/2" bolt, you're ALWAYS talking about the size of the shank of the bolt (the threaded part).

Head sizes are all based on the type of bolt and the standards that they adhere to. Typically a 6mm bolt has a 10mm head, 8mm has a 13mm head, a 10mm bolt has a 17mm head, and a 12mm bolt has a 19mm head. However, if you've got a socket head cap screw, you obviously need Allen/hex keys to turn them. If you've got flange head bolts, the head will be smaller. Japanese JIS standards have smaller bolt heads in a lot of cases. For instance, an M10 JIS bolt has a 15mm head where an M10 DIN bolt has a 17mm head. Older European standards are the same way. My 1970 Opel GT has a lot of M10 bolts with 15mm heads on it.

As stated above, the DeLorean lugs are 12mm, and the socket to remove them is 19mm and since 3/4"x25.4mm=19.05mm, a 3/4" socket works just as well.

[DaraSue]

Ah, all right. I was a little nervous since there's been a bunch of other random weird stuff installed on my car, but I guess the wheels might actually have fallen off by now if a PO had used the wrong size lug nuts, heh.

Anybody have any recs for a good brand of wrench? Lowe's has this one (https://www.lowes.com/pd/TEKTON-1-2-in-Drive-Click-10-ft-lbs-to-150-ft-lbs-Torque-Wrench/50169195?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-SosAtg-PowerTools-_-50169195:TEKTON&CAWELAID=&kpid=50169195&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=6a1780c2-58dc-48d1-a4a1-93acaeb1359e&gclid=CjwKEAjw4IjKBRDr6p752cCUm3kSJAC-eqRtA0_gAc4UR_S8K7lr2nPM2Judoiy5uexOY2SA3Th3JBoCWc Hw_wcB) but it's 1/2". The ones at Autozone don't have very good reviews and the ones on Napa and O'Reilly don't have reviews listed at all so how do I know if they're any good?

[Nicholas R]

What's wrong with it being 1/2"? a 3/8" Torque wrench is likely going to be too low of a range, and a 3/4" is going to be way too high.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a 1/2" torque wrench that only goes to 150ftlbs. There are plenty of available 1/2" wrenches that go to 250lbs. You need that extra 100lbs when doing suspension work, and other high torque stuff.

[DMC5180]

Yes, 1/2" drive is the one you want.

I said, 3/8 earlier but meant to say 1/2".




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[DaraSue]

Arrgh, for what I thought was a commonly used tool, , I'm having a ridiculously hard time finding a decent one that's available off the shelf. The Tekton ones have good ratings but they don't actually seem to sell them in brick and mortar stores here. Here's one at Lowe's that has a good rating https://m.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-1-2-in-Drive-Click-50-ft-lbs-to-250-ft-lbs-Torque-Wrench/3381202 but it ranges from 50-250. Should I just resign myself to buying another, smaller one if I need one for less than 50?

[DMC5180]

theres nothing wrong with good ole craftsman.

62001 micro clicker 1/2 " drive torque wrench 20-150 ft lbs. $79.95

free shipping. or available at your local Craftsman retailer.

Craftsman.com search torque wrench and you will get several options


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[DaraSue]

theres nothing wrong with good ole craftsman.

62001 micro clicker 1/2 " drive torque wrench 20-150 ft lbs. $79.95

free shipping. or available at your local Craftsman retailer.

Craftsman.com search torque wrench and you will get several options

All right, that one was on sale for $30 off so I just gave up and ordered it for store pickup. It should do for the present job and if I need a heavier-duty one later hopefully I'll have time to shop around.

[Lwanmtr]

Places like autozone have them too for reasonable cost

[DaraSue]

Places like autozone have them too for reasonable cost

Yeah, I looked on their website but the Duralast ones had pretty mediocre reviews. Thinking I probably don't want to go too cheap for anything I'm using to work on the wheels, heh...

[Lwanmtr]

Ive gotten sockets n stuff there, no complaints...hehe.

[DaraSue]

Hit about 60 miles after work last night so I tried it just now with the wrench set at 65 and it didn't seem like it wanted to move at all when I turned it to the right. I didn't want to force it so can I safely assume they're correctly tightened already?

[DMC5180]

yup, your just verifying the nuts are fully seated after being driven on for period of time.

Your good to go till the next time a wheel needs to come off.

Nine times out of Ten, you won't find anything loose, but there's always that one time that could bite you.

About 15 years ago my wife had a car in for service. The wheels were removed for other maintenance. The day after she picked the car up from a local shop she drove it 30 miles to work. On her return trip home the car started get a strong vibration and shake in the steering. She she called the shop that worked on it and told him the issue and that she could not see any thing outwardly visibly when she pulled over to check things out. She ended up limping the car all the to the shop (18 mi). The mechanic discovered one wheel had all of the lug nuts work loose.


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[Nicholas R]

Is there a spec somewhere listed for lug nut torque? I've heard people say they torque their wheels in the 60s all the time on here and that seems WAY too low to me. I pretty much always take mine to the 85-90lb range. They're a 12mm fine thread stud after all that is typically unlubricated.

[Farrar]

Is there a spec somewhere listed for lug nut torque? I've heard people say they torque their wheels in the 60s all the time on here and that seems WAY too low to me. I pretty much always take mine to the 85-90lb range. They're a 12mm fine thread stud after all that is typically unlubricated.

There is. It's on page A:03:01 of the Workshop Manual.

52128

[Lwanmtr]

There is. It's on page A:03:01 of the Workshop Manual.

52128
Last edited by Farrar; Today at 03:25 PM. Reason: pic to prove I'm not lying LOL

How do we know you didnt just photoshop that? hmmm? hehe

[DaraSue]

I checked with Mike & Dave @ MW and they said they torque theirs to 65. My local guy had torqued them a little too high so I just ended up taking it back there and getting them readjusted. I'll double-check in a couple days.

[Nicholas R]

If the manual were to specify to put anti-seize on the lugs, then 60ftlbs would make total sense to me. But there's no way I'm going that low dry.