Best way/tool to separate the outside balljoint

nightfire · Post by **nightfire** » April 16th, 2007, 11:58 pm

Hey, I'm having trouble separating the outside ball joints (right at the wheel hub) from my front control arms. I got the bolt out no problem, but the wheel bearing stud is jammed in there pretty good. To make matters worse, the stud doesn't go all the way through, so I can't use a puller. Anyone have a suggestion on a tool or technique get this thing out?

twoie · Post by **twoie** » April 17th, 2007, 9:08 am

can you use a ball joint fork? If you're going to replace it, then it won't matter that the boot is going to rip. The forks are cheap.

twoie

nightfire · Post by **nightfire** » April 17th, 2007, 10:05 am

twoie wrote:can you use a ball joint fork? If you're going to replace it, then it won't matter that the boot is going to rip. The forks are cheap.

twoie

I wasn't planning to replace it. :/ Just need to get the control arm off.

I'll take another shot at getting the other two bolts off the control arm side. The driver's side inside nut was frozen solid and I ended up drilling it out. I was hoping to cheat on the other side. :(

neutral · Post by **neutral** » April 17th, 2007, 11:49 am

Like twoie says, a med. size ball joint/tie rod removal pickle fork and 3 lb sledgehammer is what I've used... fwiw

ryan_Fuerte · Post by **ryan_Fuerte** » April 17th, 2007, 3:01 pm

yah you can use pickle forks but they tend to rip the rubber boot on your balljoint, and you dont want that. because it allows moisture and water to enter, really shortening the life of your front end part.

Its a good method if you dont want to reuse the balljoint.

My method of choice is to use a larger sized cheisel. Place it in the knuckle that the through bolt goes through on the ball joint. Get a big hammer and just ram the s--- out of the chiesel till its wedged right in. This opens up the knucle. Then use a big torsion bar, (just a long piece of metal rod) and pry down on the lower control arm and the lower bj pops right out.

-lata
Ryan

nightfire · Post by **nightfire** » April 17th, 2007, 4:05 pm

ryan_Fuerte wrote:yah you can use pickle forks but they tend to rip the rubber boot on your balljoint, and you dont want that. because it allows moisture and water to enter, really shortening the life of your front end part.

Its a good method if you dont want to reuse the balljoint.

My method of choice is to use a larger sized cheisel. Place it in the knuckle that the through bolt goes through on the ball joint. Get a big hammer and just ram the s--- out of the chiesel till its wedged right in. This opens up the knucle. Then use a big torsion bar, (just a long piece of metal rod) and pry down on the lower control arm and the lower bj pops right out.

-lata
Ryan

I'll give it a shot. :) Thanks.

93-mx-3 · Post by **93-mx-3** » April 17th, 2007, 8:15 pm

try hitting it on the side of where the stud goes through.....it might jar it loose...ive tried that n it works most of the time....

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » April 17th, 2007, 8:24 pm

If you got a air compressor....

AIR HAMMER BABY!!! LOL

Tunes67

ryan_Fuerte · Post by **ryan_Fuerte** » April 17th, 2007, 8:34 pm

true dat...

93-mx-3 · Post by **93-mx-3** » April 17th, 2007, 9:02 pm

heck ya...lol. thats wat i would suggest....

neutral · Post by **neutral** » April 17th, 2007, 10:01 pm

neutral wrote:Like twoie says, a med. size ball joint/tie rod removal pickle fork and 3 lb sledgehammer is what I've used... fwiw

Sorry. I missed that you were saying didn't intend to replace the ball joint and misread it as, didn't intend to reuse the ball joint. My bad.

You could also use the tool loaner option for a ball joint puller from Advance Autoparts or similar parts store. You want to get the threaded type of separator tool that would preserve the ball joint boot. Usually you just have to leave a deposit equal to the purchase price of the tool. If ya decide not to return the tool, no problem as they consider it bought and paid for in that case or, return it and you get a full refund of your deposit.

nightfire · Post by **nightfire** » April 18th, 2007, 2:13 am

Well, it was a 4 hour battle in total, but I finally got my control arms out. Every single last bolt was stuck.. had to grind off both sway bar end links, two other bolts... the nut cages on the inside front bolts both rusted away, so I had to stop halfway through to get a standard 17mm wrench..

But they're out. Tomorrow I take my 650ftlb impact wrench to the 19mm bushing bolts, change the bushings, and put everything back together.

The excitement is killin me.

Post by **Mooneggs** » April 18th, 2007, 9:52 am

All's you are doing is changing the bushings? If you are going to be using the SRD ones (nylatron) make sure you lube everything up really, really, well that touches those bushings (on the control arm and the car) with that moly grease (green gooey stuff) or else you will have horrible creaking!! I greased my control arm really well but not the part where it attaches and now I am going to have to take them off to grease that part!

Every time the car moves it creaks! it's driving me crazy!

nightfire · Post by **nightfire** » April 18th, 2007, 10:32 am

Mooneggs wrote:All's you are doing is changing the bushings? If you are going to be using the SRD ones (nylatron) make sure you lube everything up really, really, well that touches those bushings (on the control arm and the car) with that moly grease (green gooey stuff) or else you will have horrible creaking!! I greased my control arm really well but not the part where it attaches and now I am going to have to take them off to grease that part!

Every time the car moves it creaks! it's driving me crazy!

I'll grease em well. Anyway taking everything apart again would probably take 15 minutes now that all the bolts are cleaned up.