My 75 westie has failed its MOT as the front ball joint gaitors are split. Is this a difficult job for a novice to attempt? Should I just get a pro to sort it?? Advice welcome!
Jack it up. secure it. undo ball joint nut. wack the retainer with a big hammer until it pops out. remove and replace fiddly ball joint and retainer spring. Push bj back into retainer arm and retighten. -- It takes a fair bit of leverage so a good strong bar and a bit of strength is essential.
As poptop2 said. I would add that in my experience the lower joints are harder to seperate than the top. You can stretch the covers over the camber nuts (hot water helps), so no need to remove them - they do need to be in the same orientation as they were in before though. It is also possible to superglue small splits. I fitted covers with a single pleat - they had split within a year, I have now fitted ones with a double pleat (mahle brand?) and these have been fine so far. All the best with it.
Get a decent splitter, makes the job easier. Make sure everything is clean and grease/oil free, including your hands/gloves as they're slippery little feckers at the best of times
