Technical seicento lower ball joint?

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Technical seicento lower ball joint?

ifseiswasnueve

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hello from spain!

is it true i cannot change a seicento lower ball joint and need to change whole wishbone?

it's only the rubber which has split so a lot of work and money just for the sake of a rubber boot!


thanks in advance.

stevo.
 
You may be able to find a boot, but it will be aftermarket.
But the joint itself is part of the wishbone and if the boot has gone, there is a good chance dirt & grit has got in.
 
hello from spain!

is it true i cannot change a seicento lower ball joint and need to change whole wishbone?

it's only the rubber which has split so a lot of work and money just for the sake of a rubber boot!


thanks in advance.

stevo.


Yes you can get hold of rubber boots

Being a Siecento..
Minimum of 15 years old..

The wishbone rubbers will be pretty tired too ;)
 
In common with many vehicles, for some time now, the ball joint is part of the arm, so cannot be replaced separately.

Replacement rubber boots are available, in different sizes, on eBay and other sources. Need to measure yours to get the closest repalcement.

However, if the grease is keeping the dirt and water out, a replacement boot can be fitted. If there has been any ingress of water or dirt, cleaning that out before fitting a new boot is very difficult. Replacing just the boot in this case might only be a temporary fix, while the ball joint wears rapidly from now.

Replacing the whole arm ensures all is new, including the inner bushes. Then of course, it is always recommended to replace both sides together, from the same source, which ensures there is no mismatch to cause handling issues, and if replacements differ slightly dimensionally, it will be equal both sides.

These guys are good: https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=...210&term=Fiat_Seicento_899_cc_Suspension_Arms
 
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thanks for the replies.

the car is coming towards the end of its time buti just need to keep the car on the road for a few months until the lock downs are ended and i can travel to look at cars.

it failed its spanish mot on the cv boots and no mention of the split lower ball joint boot but i thought i would change it anyway.

as they will only check what it failed on, hopefully it will pass.

thanks again.

stevo.
 
I fitted a replacement rubber over the top of the original on mine and it has lasted the winter. It is knocking a little now, but it lasted a few months. I will be replacing the arms in he next couple of weeks.

The biggest issue is getting the lower balljoint separated from the hub without wrecking the rubber even more!
 
well the price of a new arm would be about 35 euros delivered, inner bolt, outer bolts and swap it on versus lets say 5 euros for a boot delivered and faffing about getting on, grease, dirt, mess, tidying up after.... I'd just buy an arm and be done with it myself.

Don't forget the cost of getting the tracking checked.

It was a faff, but in the middle of lock down it was a fairly cheap and quick fix as I already had the parts.
 
why do you need to get tracking done? it's the lower ball joint and is just a pivot.

stevo.
 
I fitted a replacement rubber over the top of the original on mine and it has lasted the winter. It is knocking a little now, but it lasted a few months. I will be replacing the arms in he next couple of weeks.

The biggest issue is getting the lower balljoint separated from the hub without wrecking the rubber even more!

hi, can i ask where you bought the rubber? and it looks like you said you put the rubber over the old one, or am i misreading your comment?

thanks.


stevo.
 
yeah i'd not worry about the tracking in this case, no real reason it should be out - granted its good practice to check it but OP stated he just wants car to work for a bit until can get a replacement, it'll be fine.

If you want to just change the boot, just go on ebay and search "balljoint boot" - you'll just need to measure or guesstimate the size needed, i don't know off hand
 
hi, can i ask where you bought the rubber? and it looks like you said you put the rubber over the old one, or am i misreading your comment?

thanks.


stevo.

That is correct. I just.put it over the top of the split one.

I got it from the local motor factors..
 
That is correct. I just.put it over the top of the split one.

I got it from the local motor factors..

brilliant, thanks, worth considering but so far i have only found them on ebay uk for a few quid but then want between 30 and 60 quid shipping to spain! i kid you not!

£32.99 Express delivery
Dispatched within 1 day
Estimated between Tue. 30 Mar. and Thu. 15 Apr.
 
was undoing the joint difficult? from what i see its a nut and tapered shaft.

i have split the joints easily on other cars over the years by undoing the nut enough so no thread is showing and then a good wack on the nut frees them, don't think i have ever used a splitter tool.
 
Do you have a local motor parts store? They should have something like that.
 
of course i do, but they have a very weird way of working, you must supply chassis number and they look for parts, no 'this will fit with a push'!

in general, most people don't do their own servicing and repairs in spain, different culture here.

my neighbour thinks i am a genius because i can fix cars, weld, do plumbing, basic carpentry, electrics.. etc, i always say if i was clever someone else would be doing it for me!

stevo.
 
of course i do, but they have a very weird way of working, you must supply chassis number and they look for parts, no 'this will fit with a push'!
.

it is a universal part, so i find that strange?

they just had them on a shelf next to the counter with things like jubilee clips and fuses etc.

if it doesnt have to last that long, just fill it with some watherproof grease and that should last you a little while as long as you dont get it too wet and dirty underneath.
 
with respect i think you are in the uk? they do things differently here in spain!

they don't have racks of shelves with stuff like jubilee clips and fuses, etc!


it's not the bright lights big city of barcelona or madrid but even looking online the only place i can get them from is the uk (or china!).

i even called in on the shop today and showed them a printout of a photo of the part... cannot get them.

as i said, people don't tend to work on cars themselves, they just take it to a garage, in all fairness the garages labour charges here are cheaper than the uk.


stevo.
 
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