Ball Joint Inspection/Replacement - Polaris 1999 Sportsman 400 Service Manual

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4. Inspect the bearing s (Figure 31) for evidence o f
wear, pitting or excess ive heat (blui sh tint).
5. Ifeither the outer race or thebearing requiresre-
placement, replace both as a set.
6. Inspect the seal (B, Figure 30 ) for leakage or
damage.
7. If the seal andlor the bearin gs require replace-
ment. refer this work to a Polaris dealership, as spe-
cial
1001s
and a press are required.
8. If the bearings are good, pack the bearing with Po-
laris All-Season Grease. or NLGI No.2 equivalent.
Ball Joint Inspection/Replacement
A ball joint connects the bottom of the strut as-
sembly to the control arm . On ly remove the ball
joint assembly
if
replacement is necessary.
I . Inspect the ball j oint rubber boot. The sw ivel
joint is packed with grease. If the rubber boot or ball
jo int is da maged , replace thc ball joint as follows.
2. Remove the strut assembly as described in thi s
chapter.
3. Place the strut support. upside
down,
in a vise
with soft j aws.
NOTE
It may he
Ilecessmy to hea t
the
fro nt
strut
to soften the threat/locking cum-
pound. Heat the area with an indus-
trial gra de heat
gun-s-do
1/01
apply
direct heat from any type of torch .
4 . Use an impact driver with the correct size Allen
bit. Looscn both mount ing bolts (Figu re 32 ) secur-
ing the ball j oint mounting bracket to the base ofthe
front
strut,
5. Remove the rubber boot (Figu re 33 ).
6. Remove the bolts, the mounting bracke t and the
ball joint (Figu re 34 ) from the front strut .
7. Clean the ball jo int pocket in the front strut and
the mounting bolt holes. Thoroughly clean out all
Ihreadlocking residue in the bolt holes.
8. Inspect the threaded holes and clea n out with an
appropriate size
tap if necessary.
9. Install a ncw ball joint into the mounting plate
and install the plate onto the base of the front strut,
10. Apply ThreeBond TB 1342, Loctite 242, or
equivalent threadl oeking compound. to the bolt
threads priorto installation.
I I. Install thc bolts and lighten to the torque spec i-
fication listed in Tab le 2.
CHAPTER TWELVE