Upper ball joints of suspension arms (Renault Espace I)

1. The upper ball joints can be replaced with the wishbone in place. A puller is required to remove the joint from the steering knuckle. The front of the vehicle must be on a lift and the front wheel must be removed.

2. Remove the ball head bolt nut and separate the joint from the control arm.

3. Disconnect the strut from the top of the wishbone and move the strut to the side.

4. Remove the ball joint mounting bolts and remove the joint.

5. Install the new joint into the wishbone. The bolt heads should be on the same side as the protective rubber boot, so as not to damage the boot when tightening the nuts. Also take this into account when locking the bolt heads. Tighten the nuts to the torque shown in illustrations 6.1 and 6.2.

6. Secure the ball joint to the steering knuckle and tighten the nut to 65 Nm.

7. Check the front wheel alignment after replacing the ball joint.

Note: When purchasing a ball joint, pay attention to the method of its attachment (three or four bolts/nuts), always provide the full chassis number.