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Lower Ball Joint Help


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In the process of replacing my passenger front axle today, the portion of my lower ball joint that sticks out of the control arm sheared clean with the control arm.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161231/abd8985bd9c71d4824e1974f28ff3b73.jpg

 

The pinch bolt came out easily and I have a new ball joint ready to reinsert. However, my current one is obviously rusted pretty good into the spindle. Any ideas on getting it out? Obviously reattaching it to the control arm and hammering down on that is not an option.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161231/7fc8e0ebec8d49ec45dff86973282ca6.jpg

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161231/b60e371d6d36345fd3fcf0eec0966501.jpg

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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use acetone and atf. Works so much better than pb. Pb is awesome, but 50:50 acetone atf is much better

 

If you have enough thread left, take the new ball joint and go to Home Depot. Get a huge washer and a piece of metal pipe that fits over the balljoint, with a height just under the length of the studs thread. Put the Washer over the pipe and start threading the nut with a wrench. Should pull it right out.

 

Basically make an economical version of the snap on ball joint removal kit.

You could also try renting a prying fork designed for ball joints.

 

Good luck

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I had to wedge apart the pinch on the knuckle with an air chisel, which I then wedged into the gap and used to get the balljoint to move. Once it started, I blasted it from alternating sides with the air chisel until it came out.

 

I also had to cut and drill out the pinch bolt though, so you're likely dealing with much less corrosion that I was.

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I ended up getting it out after excessive hammering, PB blaster, swearing and misery. The old one was extremely crusty. Excessive amounts of anti seize were put on the new one and threads.

 

Unfortunately, the whole point of this project which was to replace an axle ended up not happening. After I got the new axle in, I managed to overextend it, pulling all the guts out of the cup on the diff side.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170102/14b7c39a8b851e1740ca8df882c61075.jpg

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170102/a40a385c47596578ba69249aa20efeb6.jpg

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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Unfortunately, the whole point of this project which was to replace an axle ended up not happening. After I got the new axle in, I managed to overextend it, pulling all the guts out of the cup on the diff side.

 

I usually pull the tie rod end and knuckle-to-strut bolts, then torque the knuckle away from the car/turn it to get the axle out, usually with some compression.

 

As long as the ball joint and outer CV boots aren't dried/cracking, you shouldn't hurt them at all (you're just bending them around through their range of motion with little/no load).

 

The only downside to this is that you'd have to get an alignment afterwords if you didn't mark the camber bolt before you took it out.

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