I think/hope thats enough explaination. But the ball joint comes out of the bottom of the hub assembly and then through the front lower control arm. theres the castle hex nut that spins onto there then the cotter pin is meant to go through it. Well i can't seem to get the nut back onto the bolt because the bolt spins freely with no way to hold it still? this may be a dumb question with a simple fix but i just cant seem to figure it out. i searched but every DIY thread simply just says put it back on and use a new cotter pin. My car is up on jacks now and i'd like to figure this out asap so i can finish my coilover install. its on a 98 civic also. Thanks in advance hope someone can help me.

 

im confused by what your saying. the threaded part on ball joint just spins? if so replace it.

 

Yeah it sounds to me like your balljoint is shot. How does the boot look on it? Is it torn or smashed? Is there any grease left in it? If you need to replace that, it's gonna be a pita unless you swap out the entire lca. Otherwise, you will have to buy a replacement joint, remove the lca from the car anyway, take it to a shop and pay them to press the old one out and the new one in, and then reinstall. Good luck dude. I know how frustrating this stuff can be!

 

well i think i got it to work. i clamped the lca to the upper part and it held still then and i threaded the nut on. The boot wasnt torn or smashed but it looks pretty beat i may swap the lcas in the near future. but another problem has arisen... the passenger side axle wont budge from the hub. i've hit it with a rubber mallet multiple times i dont have an air hammer to try. but all the nuts and wishbone bolt have been removed but the axle wont free from the hub. any suggestions?

 

the ball joint doesnt need to be pressed out

remove the ball joint from the lca

remove the upper ball joint from the upper control arm

remove the tie rod end from the wheel hub, disconnect the caliper and caliper bracket

now that you got the whole wheel hub out:

remove the c-clip that secures the lower BJ to the hub

hammer the ball joint out, get a decent sized deadblow hammer, comes out with about 10-15 strikes

get a ball joint press qand press the new one in