knuckle question

hey all,

so my knuckle is messed up at were the brakes rest they have ground down to were the brakes rest on the rotor, and now it makes an annoying squel when i drive.
My question is i have a new knuckle, if i can bust off the old knuckle without ruining the duster boot on the ball joints do i have to replace them?
They are still in good shape....

I guess I don't understand what you're asking...

I don't understand what's "ground down". The brake pads? But why would you replace the knuckle?

You're going to 'bust' the knuckle off? How do you plan to 'bust' this knuckle? You're trying to save the rubber boot on the ball joint?

Geez, maybe I'm just not reading it right but that makes no sense.

If you're pulling the steering knuckle, you should change the ball joints as part of the job-- good preventative maintenance and I've never been able to save a dust boot anyhow. Banging the joints with a pickle fork will likely damage the ball in the joint and shorten it's expected life.

Easiest would be to repair your knuckle,just weld the area and grind/file it back to shape.

johnnyfitz14 said:

hey all,

so my knuckle is messed up at were the brakes rest they have ground down to were the brakes rest on the rotor, and now it makes an annoying squel when i drive.
My question is i have a new knuckle, if i can bust off the old knuckle without ruining the duster boot on the ball joints do i have to replace them?
They are still in good shape....

Click to expand...

I am assuming your talking about the part of the knuckle that the brake pad metal brackets ride on. This is a problem, and I have heard/seen it before as well. Most times the metal on the kuckle is worn away,and this makes the pads float on the knuckle more than they should. When braking the pads will make a clicking/popping sound. This seems to only be on the later XJ's (96-01) too, since they didn't come with the spring clips like the earlier models did. If the wear isn't too bad, I have seen this floating problem cured by using the spring clips like what was on the earlier XJ's.

Otherwise, your other options are to fill in the worn area with weld and grind down to fit, or replacing the knuckle. If your going to replace the knuckle, just get new ball joints. The rubber boot/joint is usually compromised during the removal from the old knuckle.

I've never wrecked a balljoint removing a knuckle. I beat on the side of the knuckle right next to the taper with a BFH though instead of using a pickle fork.

You can probably weld the notches up and then grind them flush though, a bunch of guys on here have done it and have reported no problems.

I have fixed several knuckles with this problem. I run a bead with the welder in the ground down area then flatten it back out with a grinder. Works like a charm.

Thanks for the help guys im gonna try welding it then go from there :looney: