Ball Joint: Description and Operation

The lower control arm connects to the steering knuckle through a ball joint mounted at the outboard end of the arm. The ball joint is pressed into the lower control arm and has a non-tapered stud with a notch for steering knuckle clamp bolt clearance. The ball joint stud is clamped and locked into the steering knuckle leg using a pinch bolt. The ball joint used on this vehicle is replaceable and if found defective can be serviced as a separate component of the lower control arm assembly.