02 Tahoe needs ball joints and hubs

[CJR2]

My '02 has 80,000 miles of mostly city driving is showing some signs of wear. The repair shop wants to replace the ball joints and hubs but wants over a $1,500 to perform the repairs

I have been looking for a post on detailed ball joint and hub replacement as well as front-end service on the Tahoe but haven't been able to find any detailed information. I've read a lot threads that talk about the before and after but a step by step is what I need. :shy:

Thanks!
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[boostaholic]

Sounds about right, those unit bearings cost a pretty penny but I'd get a quote from a reputable shop for some napa premiums or moogs. You might want to get new tie rods and pitman/idler arms if they're already rebuilding the rest. Balljoints are kind of a pain but the "hubs" (wheel bearing assemblies) are quite simple to replace. If you feel confident about installing a lift on a solid axle truck you can probably rebuild your front end.

 

[dye4metal]

Your just basically going to need for the most part a impact wrench if your going to do it yourself. youll have to remove the rotor and what not to get the joints and if its like fords press ball joints then use a tap to get them out. ball joints are fairly easy once u get them out.

 

[botomgun]

I did the ball joints on my '96. Took about 6 hours for both sides (about 4 1/2 for the first side). Definately easy to do if you know how to turn a wrench. I needed a special press for installing the lower one, though. I was able to borrow it from my local hobby shop. As for removing the rivets, that was a royal pain. I tried to drill them out, but was unable to due to hight limitations of the fender well. Might be easy if you have side mounted drill. I ended up using a chisel and a small sledge hammer to pop the heads off. I also had to pry the upper ball joint off of what was left of the rivets. Be careful of the seating surface. If you ding it a little bit, just sand it down flat. The lower one you get to beat out with a hammer! (I liked that part....).