Auto Parts: altima 2002 ball joint, altima 2002, cotter pin

Question
how to replace ball joint on 2002 altima

Answer
    The ball joint and the control arm are one piece.  The control arm is held onto the chassis by two bolts and the bolt which passes through the bushing.  That's a simple matter of taking the bolts out and replacing them in the new arm.  The ball joint has a tapered spud which passes through the hole in the bottom of the hub carrier.  You remove the cotter pin in the nut, unscrew the nut 1 turn, whack the nut with a hammer to break the joint between the tapered shaft and the tapered hole, then remove the nut, and finish by removing the control arm.  You must take the pressure of the spring off the ball joint before you do this, and release it when replacement is through.  A spring compressor is the safe way to do this, you won't have to compress it much to relieve the pressure.  You'll have a hard time doing this by yourself, get a friend to help.  And be careful with the jacking up of the car and so forth.  I can tell you from personal experience that having a car fall on you is no fun.