Need help removing ball joint from control arms.

[thang nguyen]

I'm in the process of replacing a worn out ball joint from my 240sx, and thought it would be as simple as removing the c-clips and then pressing it out. As it turns out, no matter how much force i give it the ball joint would not pop out of the control arm. Maybe there is a step somewhere that I missed. PLEASE, anyone out there that have done this, give me some insights.

[tintingkc]

Try soaking it real good. They never come out easy on older cars. Using heat would help if you have a torch.

[rotorimp]

Are you using a Hydraulic press? Warm up the area with a propane torch--Works for me every time.

[thang nguyen]

i tried heat and a hammer, but no hope, I just got a press this morning, maybe i'll try it again. But it just pops out after taking the C-clip out right?

[rotorimp]

Yes after you take the c-clip out it will press out. there is no way that will come out with a hammer--it takes a few TONS of pressure.

[thang nguyen]

thanks

[ryannico]

i have just purchased a custom set of Nissan control arm, i wanna replace it with a good one from manufacturers with a proven reputation for producing only the best when it comes to quality.

[sephiroth99]

me too it was hard to get the balljoints out. one of them was actually welded to the control arm! check that out maybe.

but yeah it took me a few hammer strikes to pop it out

[1989coupe]

If you have a Harbor Freight near you, they carry a small ball joint removal tool that is around $15. It allows you to press the ball joint off without removing hte knuckle. I spent about 5 hours (not kidding) htis week trying to get the ball joints to release from the knuckle and this tool pressed them out in about 3 minutes. I think it's well worth it to have this tool unless you plan on removing the knuckle anyway.

[liquid_cool]

i dunno about your area..but in mine..ball joints run 40 each..i found on ebay you can buy the OEM arm with balljoits for 80 a set!+shipping...if i was stayin OEM id go that route only couse its a new one over just replacing the joint..just my opinion

[1989coupe]

i dunno about your area..but in mine..ball joints run 40 each..i found on ebay you can buy the OEM arm with balljoits for 80 a set!+shipping...if i was stayin OEM id go that route only couse its a new one over just replacing the joint..just my opinion

I completely agree. I just finished replacing my entire lower control arms with new ball joints and bushings. At the same time I replaced my sway bar links and tension rod bushings. I got the bushings and LCAs online from PDM Racing in Canada and They work great!

[MisteenoMike]

If you have a Harbor Freight near you, they carry a small ball joint removal tool that is around $15. It allows you to press the ball joint off without removing hte knuckle. I spent about 5 hours (not kidding) htis week trying to get the ball joints to release from the knuckle and this tool pressed them out in about 3 minutes. I think it's well worth it to have this tool unless you plan on removing the knuckle anyway.

I agree, good tool!

But...

I believe he's talking about removing the ball joint from the lower arm itself, not the just from the knuckle.

+1 for a press!

[jza80king]

dunno if this is what you mean but I used this tool when I changed my control arms

[MisteenoMike]

Yeah that's the tool for seperating the ball joint from the KNUCKLE. Good to have.

But that won't help if you're trying to replace the actual ball joint itself with a NEW ball joint in the SAME lower control arm.

Still need a press for that.

[VMP]

bfh and a really strong guy.. possibly some flame.

don't even bother using a pickle fork... those things are for people with hope.



i feel your pain. lol that's just an old pic from when i did mine.... i ended up making my brother's friend whack the s**t out of it with a sledge hammer. what took me an hour or so with a pry bar, a picklefork, and a medium sized hammer... took him about 5 good whacks.

[big monkey racing]

I did the pickle fork method but I had to fabricate up two spacers to be big enough to get it off took about and hour

[killernoodle]

Just get a big ish sledge and smack the crap out of the knuckle a few times. It'll come off.

[MisteenoMike]

Again, he's not trying to remove the ball joint from the knuckle. He's trying to remove it from the control arm. BIG difference. A sledge hammer will not work for that (at least not without collateral damage).

You need a press FTW.

[Karateboy88]

You do NOT need a press to remove the ball joint from a LCA.

It makes it much easier but its not neccesary.

Propane torch + BFH = enough.

My first ball joint took 2 minutes of heat and 5 hits with a small roofing hammer.

My second ball joint took 5 minutes of heat and 2 hard his with a 40lb sledge

[MisteenoMike]

A sledge hammer will not work for that (at least not without collateral damage).

You're right. You don't NEED a press. That's why I included the part in parenthesis.

But your control arm will look like hamburger when your done. And if you hit it wrong you could bend the control arm ever so slightly, screwing your alignment (more of a concern with the overhead sledgehammer use).

Also, I've never tried with a hammer, but I would imagine it would be hard to hit the ball joint square with the LCA off the car. I would think the ball joint would move everytime it was struck.

He's obviously doing the DIY approach to save some coin but taking it to a competent shop wouldn't cost a whole lot. Did mine 3 years ago for $30 bucks (both sides!) Small price for peace of mind.

Also I totally understand that most people don't care how their LCA looks (since it rarely gets seen by anyone) but if the OP is anal retentive like me he would want the "least violent" method for getting this accomplished.

I guess it's really up to him. He's gotten at least TWO effective solutions to his question.....

[Karateboy88]

Just try it and see that way you won't have to hypothesize.

I can see "in theory" that you're worried about smashing your LCA but it can be avoided more easily than not. So no collateral damage.

It doesn't take much aim to hit the BJ with a HUGE hammer and it doesn't really matter if it moves a bit because the force can only be directed in one direction.

My LCA look better than most because I sandblasted them and repainted them.

One of the most frustrating things for me to read is people who choose to go to shop "for safety reasons" when "safety" isn't at stake.

Here's some more help for the OP: if you have a O'Reilly they have free tool rental. You can pick up a ball joint press. It will be useful for when you're putting in the new BJs.

[MisteenoMike]

Glad it worked for you! Still makes me nervous tho! And no need for frustration as I never mentioned "safety", tho I can't imagine why "safety" would irritate you.

Let's put it this way, if I took a Ferrari in for service and they started moving toward it with a 40 lb. sledge...well...y'know.

While the 240 is nowhere near a Ferrari, it makes sense to do it the way a professional shop would, especially since the cash outlay is so small.

As was stated, it's now up to the OP to decide.....

[spooled240]

i'm replacing my RLCA and the passenger side lower ball joint is being a b****. I heated it up about 2-3 times with a propane torch and sprayed some WD40 but it still didn't budge. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow after the oil soaks in a bit. Problem with the BFH aproach is space, I don't have a lot of space to do my hadouken hammer attack