I replaced a lower ball joint on my truck & am unsure about a few things...

Do I grease it till some squirts out?

I read somewhere that an angled grease fitting should be used to make greasing it easier later on & that it should point forward or backward. Well...I didn't plan ahead for this prior to pressing it in & now the grease fitting points toward the wheel.
Should I remove & reinstall the ball joint so that the fitting points forward or backward?

Also, should I put something like anti-seize or silicone on the stud of the joint where it goes thru the knuckle?

 

No lol... Simply maneuver the grease gun around there and plump them up alittle bit.

 

What last guy said. Pump it up to where you can see the boot is full. Doesn't take much.

 

Turn the fitting back a quarter turn so it points an easier accessible direction. Pump it till you see the boot swelling. Too much and the boot will pop off, not good but it happens. A couple of mime are like that.

 

I do. I put that stuff on everything, makes the job so much easier the next time around.

 

^^Agree, I use the 2 pump rule with my old grease gun. If the boot is not expanding (received grease) by the end of the 2nd pump something is wrong. Grease gun empty (it happens), zerk fitting is not working, or the boot is blown on the side I cannot see to name a few. NOTE: Your grease gun will be different in the amount of grease it moves per pump.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks guys. It's all helpful.

Unfortunately, I hadn't received all of the advice prior to installing stuff.
I ended up adding grease to the ball joint before installing it to see where the excess would come out so I could mount it with that area away from the brake rotor. Well it came out all along the stud so I didn't install it any certain way. I used a combination of AutoZone's & Advance Auto's press kits. But even with anti-seize on it & using my impact gun, it was very difficult to install it. Then I couldn't get both ball joints into the knuckle due to the amount of grease I had put into the lower one. So I squeezed alot out & added some after mounting the knuckle. I think I added too much though by the amount the boot is swelled. But that is just how it's going to be.

 

Right, - the two pump rule

That's with or without zerks. Needle injectors same thing , just take your time.

 

Are lower ball joints really that difficult? Mine need replacement ASAP and I got one quote of $500 for the lowers alone and am waiting on another. I also need to do uppers and outer tie rod ends, and I can get all the parts for under $300.

 

I said two for mine because the one we use at work is a "long stroke" and puts as much out in one stroke as mine in two. Mine is an old one belonged to my father, got it when he passed in '87