Removing ball joints

[DAEDALUS]

Do factory techs have a trick or nifty tool for removing ball joints without damaging the grease seal? My one "universal" ball joint remover was about 10% too small for the front suspension joints I removed today, so I just pickle-forked them off with an air hammer. Will order new rod ends from Joe at Scottsdale. Wondering if I can save myself the $100 next time. Can't seem to find a larger tool than the one I have of the same design.

Also, do you put anything between the cup and cone on assembly to make it easier to separate next time, like grease or anti-seize? Thanks guys.

What I tried to use:

Maybe this would work? Needs more elbow room though:

[180fan]

I just use pickle forks. The latter of your pictures had made a lower control arm of a 240sx mushroom kinda and didn't push the ball joint out for crap.

[NISTECH]

Personally I use these 2 precision devices to seperate the joint from the control arm. For example if your removing the loer control arm from the steering knuckle. You place the presicion seperating device between the control arm and subframe and hold constant pressure downward on the control arm. Then take your precision pounding device and give the knuckle a good smack where the ball joint goes through. You smack it from the side of the bore not from the top or bottom.

[NISTECH]

precision tool 2

[NISTECH]

BTW it doesnt take much of a jolt to pop them loose so if you fear damage, your worried for nothing, It is pretty much the standard in the dealer to seperate them this way. Only if it doesnt work do you need a seperater in which case what ever your seperating will need replacement anyhow if its that hard to get off.

[DAEDALUS]

Interesting...smack it from the side.

As far as popping them loose being easy I've had some really, really frozen ball joints on this car. 13 years, 200k+ miles. The rear HICAS ones were the worst. The front tie rods were 1 easy, 1 hard, but they've been replaced.

Thanks a lot guys.

[NISTECH]

Yea you hit what the ball joint goes into ,not the joint itself. Like tie rods ,your turn the wheel to the lock position turned oppisite the side you working on. place your pry bar between the knuckle and the tie rod prying the tie rod up or down, depending on weather its mounted from the top or bottom, give it good solid steady seperating force and wack the knuckle where the ball joint stud goes through after a couple wacks they usually pop out even with 200K on em.

[navysnail]

thats how ive always done it, only time i have had to use a pickle fork is on a honda with the joint over teightened.

[oobabydoll]

I did replaced my own ball joint and tie rod ends. I followed some dummys advice and spent $100 on a balljoint removal tool and it just busted on me. I got some great advice kocked the **** out of it with a big hammer and pow! Bam! it came out in a second. These are the instructions i followed

UPPER

1. Raise and support front of vehicle and remove wheel. Do not raise on lower link assembly. 2. Remove shock absorber upper attaching bolt, if necessary. 3. Using suitable jack, raise lower link and remove upper ball joint tightening nut, then press ball joint out of knuckle. 4. Remove the upper link spindle attaching bolts and upper link. Adjusting shims are behind spindle. 5. Remove ball joint attaching nuts, then the ball joint, Figs. 1 and 2. 6. Remove nuts and washers from both ends of upper link spindle, then press spindle and bushings out of link. 7. Reverse procedure to install.

LOWER

1. Raise and support front of vehicle and remove wheel. 2. Remove torsion bar, refer to TORSION BAR . 3. Remove lower shock absorber attaching bolt. 4. Disconnect stabilizer connecting rod and tension or compression rod from lower link. 5. Remove ball joint tightening nut, then press ball joint from knuckle spindle. 6. Remove the lower link spindle and lower link assembly. 7. Remove ball joint attaching nuts, then the ball joint, Figs. 1 and 2. 8. Remove nuts and washers from both ends of lower link spindle, then press spindle and bushings out of link. 9. Reverse procedure to install.

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