removing lower ball joints question

[western star]

I have a lower ball joint that doesn't want to let go. I have tried the hammer on both sides, the pickle fork and she doesn't want to give. Do I use heat but not to much or are there other tricks?

[perrosinpata@aol.com]

You might need to remove the rivets, and its is a beeeaaacchh..
A board member mentionrd drilling them out i think it was 3/8"

[Tx Firefighter]

Pickle fork and a bigger hammer. Seriously, there is no secret way.

Perrosinpata, lower ball joints don't have rivets. Uppers do. Lowers just press into the arms.

[western star]

Great that's what I did used a bigger hammer and out they came. These are press in (the bottom ones) so I quess a piece of pipe to drive them out of the A-arms? I'm not reusing them I have new ones.

[COBALT]

5lb hammer, propane torch, a pickle fork SET (there are several sizes, using different sizes may allow you to get in there better), and a 10" piece of steel pipe.

Hammer, pry, heat up, repeat.

[loweredd]

I bought a LISLE ball joint removal tool from work.....it is a HUGE c clamp with a bunch of different fittings to go over the balljoint and some for the a-arm. It works great!! You can also use it for u-joints....no more ruining your 3/4 socket beating the hell out of it.

[cdowns]

most good auto-parts store will have the balljoint press that they will rent for cheap

[COBALT]

Well, I have a ball joint press set, but I found it was only useful for getting the lower ball joint out of the control arm (and not back in unfortunately). Getting it loose from the spindle is the job of a good hammer. There is a tool you can get that will go between both the upper ball joint stud and the lower one, and with the castle nut off the lower one force the lower ball joint loose using compression, but I didn't want to spend the money when I was right there on the floor with the tools to get it loose.

You just have to show some gravitas!!!! LOL

[loweredd]

what does your ball joint tool look like Cobalt?

[COBALT]

Looks like a big "C" clamp, with an adapter that slips in the bottom that has several rings where a spacer can go to allow the ball joint to fall out with the ring sitting on the base of the control arm. The other end of the "C" fits snuggly over the ball joint stud using another adapter. Down pressure on the stud forces the ball joint out.

Got it from JCWhitney.

[loweredd]

mine too....your's wont put them back in?

I agree with ya on getting the ball joint loose, loosen the castle nut a few threads and WHACK it.

[COBALT]

Well, the problem with lower ball joints is they increase the tolerance in the control arm for every ball joint press.

Since my passenger side control arm had ball joint replacements pressed twice before, AND the fact that I had spent so much time cleaning, stripping, wire brushing, and painting them I decided I didn't want to spend my time trying to jam the ball joint into the control arm with that hand tool. I needed an absolutely straight press. If I goofed I may have ended up looking for another control arm...

I bet you can do it, but I don't think it's very precise.

[soleeagle]

I love my ball joint press. I couldnt amagine any other way in changing them now.

[mocwon]

Once you get the lower A-arm ball joint loose from the spindle and get it off the truck go to Auto Zone and borrow a ball joint press. There is a $100 refundable deposit. This tool works great to remove and install lower ball joints. It took me five mintues to remove and install each joint with this tool.

[boraxman]

Originally posted by mocwon
Once you get the lower A-arm ball joint loose from the spindle and get it off the truck go to Auto Zone and borrow a ball joint press. There is a $100 refundable deposit. This tool works great to remove and install lower ball joints. It took me five mintues to remove and install each joint with this tool.

I went and did that got it home and couldnt make it fit to remove my lower ball joints. Was I missing something? It was all there just couldnt figure out how to make it work. I need something to install the new ones and was thinking about going back to the Zone and trying it again. The one I borrowed had 3 different size rings, 2 caps and a c clamp.

[loweredd]

When you remove one, one of the "caps" goes on the stud of the ball joint. The other one goes on whichever "ring" fits over the bottom of the ball joint. The threaded end of the clamp goes down to remove, and up when you are installing.

[mocwon]

The press is for installing them only. I hammered mine out with a 3# hammer over the open jaws of a vise.

[loweredd]

Wha??? The big c-clamp takes them off too!!

[boraxman]

Originally posted by mocwon
The press is for installing them only. I hammered mine out with a 3# hammer over the open jaws of a vise.

Ya, I hammered mine out too cause no matter how I tried it seemed the ball joint was to tall to get the C clamp over. Im still waiting for my new ones and will try to press them in.

[Hotrod70C10]

Originally posted by loweredd
Wha??? The big c-clamp takes them off too!!

I agree..... You have to flip the install cups around differently and it will press them out.... I haven't done it in about a year so I don't remember how to set the cups up. The instructions for the tool will help you out a lot if you have them.

[soleeagle]

I just did mine last saturday. To remove them with the press: Place the cup over the threaded part of the ball joint that fits over the whole thing and touches the housing, next place the thick ring with the big hole in the middle on top of the cap, next take the c-clamp and place the nonthrede side on the big ring and turn the c-clamp to the bottom of the balljoint, remove the greese zert first, and take an impact or wrench if you feel like working hard and just turn it till it comes out the top. Do the same for the top but the threded part of the c-clamp goes threw the lower ball joint hole. Do the bottom out first then the top, top in first then the bottom. If you dont do it in this order you wont get the top one back in.