To remove the upper control arm, first loosen the wheel lug nuts, raise the front of the vehicle, and support it securely on jackstands before removing the wheel. Position a floor jack under the lower control arm near the ball joint and raise it slightly to relieve spring pressure on the upper control arm. Mark the relationship of the adjusting cams to the frame brackets. Remove the shock/coil spring, then unbolt the brake hose/wheel speed sensor bracket from the upper control arm, noting the position of the pivot bolts, and also remove the wheel speed sensor while detaching the wiring harness bracket from the steering knuckle. For 4WD models, remove the driveaxle, although using a pickle fork type ball joint separator may eliminate the need for this step. Loosen the upper ball joint nut a few turns without removing it, then use a ball joint puller or pickle fork to separate the ball joint from the knuckle before removing the nut. If lacking the proper tool, a hammer and drift can sometimes be used, but a pickle fork may damage the ball joint boot. It is recommended to replace the ball joint nut with a new one after removal. Next, remove the upper control arm pivot bolts and nuts, taking note of their installation direction, and then take out the control arm. For installation, position the arm in the frame brackets and install the bolts and nuts without tightening them yet. Attach the ball joint to the steering knuckle, install a new nut, and tighten it to the specified torque. The remaining installation steps are the reverse of removal; ensure the previously made marks are aligned before tightening the nuts to the specified torque. The pivot bolt nuts should be tightened with the vehicle at normal ride height, which can be achieved after lowering the vehicle or by raising the lower control arm with a floor jack. Finally, tighten the wheel lug nuts to the proper torque settings and have the front end alignment checked and adjusted if necessary.
