Removing Lower Ball Joint

[Sim]

hey guys, wanting to remove the lower balljoint from my wags, as both are pretty rooted, I'm up to the point where the joint is in clear view, the strut is off, the strut mount is removed, how does the balljoint come out? as i can't see what else i have to do to get it out.

heres a pic to show what i mean.

cheers!

 

[HRV-00S]

There may be a cerclip under the rubber boot/grease, but I think it will need to be pressed out?

Edited April 19, 2008 by HRV-00S

[Redwarf]

Pull the lower arm out. Remove circlip from ball joint. Walk down to gutter at side of road. Swing lower arm with all your might, hitting the ball joint on the gutter. It should fall out after two or three swings.

 

That's how I do it.

 

I can't remember if you have to press the new one in, I think I just carefully hammered the new one in.

[HRV-00S]

Pull the lower arm out. Remove circlip from ball joint. Walk down to gutter at side of road. Swing lower arm with all your might, hitting the ball joint on the gutter. It should fall out after two or three swings.

 

That's how I do it.

 

 

I was going to recommend something like that but it sounded a bit dodgy as I was typing, I guess some have higher standards then others :( joking

[Redwarf]

You do know that I'm an aircraft engineer by trade? :(

[Sim]

hahah ok cheers guys, ill rip out the control arms tommorow and get them pressed out (knowing me, bashing it against the gutter would do more harm then good lol).

[HRV-00S]

You do know that I'm an aircraft engineer by trade? :o

 

 

Yes mate, I'm a mechanical engineer and because of it I get free train travel. But theres no way I'm going on a train any time soon :(

[Redwarf]

hahah ok cheers guys, ill rip out the control arms tommorow and get them pressed out (knowing me, bashing it against the gutter would do more harm then good lol).

 

 

That's what I thought the first time I did them. Then I took them to the suspension shop that now sponsers me, and the above technique was used, although substitute piece of railway line for gutter. :(

[coln72]

That's what I thought the first time I did them. Then I took them to the suspension shop that now sponsers me, and the above technique was used, although substitute piece of railway line for gutter.

 

The way I see it, if your replacing it, it is stuffed anyway. So who cares how it comes out. Seen my old man do some shifty stuff and he was reponsible for multi million dollar fire trucks.

[Sim]

took both control arms out just before, was easier then i thought it wuld be. so now i just havta wait for my bits to get ordered in. thanks for the help :dance:.

[philbey]

You do know that I'm an aircraft engineer by trade? :)

 

Haha - all you aero engineers are butchers! :dance:

 

Yes mate, I'm a mechanical engineer and because of it I get free train travel. But theres no way I'm going on a train any time soon :jamie:

 

Now mechanical engineers, we use finesse. I used a hammer to belt my ball joints out. A big hammer....

 

Putting them in was sheer mech eng genius as well: Used the vice jaws and a bit of tube. If it it went a bit crooked going in, we just turned it round in the vice and pressed the other side. Brilliant.

[tenyearguarantee]

maybe its just an nz thing, but we use a ball joint remover. It just wedges between the control arm and the ball joint, a couple whacks with a hammer and it pops out. Arm stays on the car, easy as pie

[Redwarf]

You're talking about a ball joint splitter. We're talking about removing the ball joint altogether.

[styler]

i use a tie rod hinged breaker tool and have seen the wedge type arm ones too but they can be a lot of effort.

not sure if you could use tie rod tools on some ball joints, probably not by the looks of it.

 

+1 for the gutter force method i havent thought of that before haha :dance:

 

i have a hydraulic press so id probably be pressing them in and out as i don't have a gutter anywhere close to the shed.

Edited April 21, 2008 by styler

[philbey]

Press - thats fancy talk that is.