Changing an inner steering ball joint on a Dacia Logan

lift the car on the front left side using the jack

place a candle under the spar

and unscrew the 4 studs using a 19mm wrench (or the crank supplied with the jack) to remove the wheel

The studs will have been previously released before lifting the car, unless you have an impact wrench as is the case here.

Loosen the outer ball joint locking nut using a 21mm open-end wrench (a 13mm open-end wrench can be used to secure the inner ball joint if necessary)

We just unlock it. Once it is free, we put it back in its initial position, flush with the outer ball joint.

unscrew the nut of the outer ball joint using a 16mm wrench

tap on the side with a mallet to free the ball joint from the cone

hold the inner ball joint using a 13mm flat wrench if the outer ball joint is not already free

and unscrew the outer ball joint, taking care to count the number of turns (17 and a half turns in my case, this is purely for information purposes)

remove the outer ball joint lock nut

cut the plastic collar that holds the bellows

remove the bellows

unscrew the inner ball joint using a 32mm flat wrench and remove it

The ball joints are the same length but we notice that the thread is longer on the new part. Even by screwing the outer ball joint 17 and a half turns on the new ball joint, the adjustment will really not be good.

So, we will put the locking nut back on the old inner ball joint, screw in the outer ball joint counting the number of turns and position the nut flush.

Then remove the outer ball joint (leave the nut in place) and measure the distance between the nut and the end of the ball joint: 33mm in my case. We will transfer this measurement to the new part.

We could of course have taken this measurement during step 3 but I realized the difference between the 2 parts when comparing them.

screw in the new ball joint and lock it using the 32mm flat wrench

put the bellows back in place

These inner ball joints are already greased. You can add more grease if you want but it is not essential.

put on a new collar and cut off the end

install the outer ball joint locking nut

report the measurement taken, 33mm in my case

screw the outer ball joint

I had 17 and a half turns on the original ball joint and 20 and a half turns on the new one.

Insert the outer ball joint into its housing in the hub carrier and tighten using a 16mm wrench (tightening torque 37N.m)

If the nut turns freely, the ball joint can be locked by inserting a T30 Torx key at its end.

lock the locking nut using a 22mm wrench, the inner ball joint can be immobilized with a 13mm flat wrench if necessary

The new nut tightens with a 22mm wrench while the original one required a 21mm wrench. This kind of thing happens very often and does not mean that the parts are incompatible.

reassemble the wheel (stud tightening torque 105N.m) and remove the candle and the jack

It is essential to have the alignment adjusted by a professional; I recommend making an appointment before doing the work. The adjustment that was made during assembly is only temporary, the time to go to the garage being careful.