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I am in the process of replacing my wheel hubs. Trying to separate the spindle from the lower control arm but the ball joint separator tool won't open wide enough to get into position. What is the best way to proceed?
For that joint, I opted instead to use a hammer (2lbs engineer's hammer to be exact) and hit the underside of the knuckle to shock/break the tapered fit loose.
I've placed a hydraulic jack under the knuckle (not the control arm), loosened but not removed the nut on the ball joint stud, and cranked the jack up until the weight of the car popped the knuckle up off the stud.
Last edited by VetteMed; Jun 18, 2022 at 08:19 AM.
Reason: replaced "bolt" with "nut" to be more accurate
For that joint, I opted instead to use a hammer (2lbs engineer's hammer to be exact) and hit the underside of the knuckle to shock/break the tapered fit loose.
Interesting. Have never done anything like this before so I've been hesitant to just start wacking things. Maybe I'll try this.. I've just got a normal hammer though.
I've placed a hydraulic jack under the knuckle (not the control arm), loosened but not removed the bolt on the ball joint stud, and cranked the jack up until the weight of the car popped the knuckle up off the stud.
I might try this. I'm pretty dumb when it comes to this stuff so I want to make sure I don't do anything that would damage the ball joint since I plan to reuse it.. thought about replacing them all but it's not in the cards right now.
I did what Smitty suggested. Grind the corner of the arm at the end near the puller bolt. That will let you get a little more angle.
I also made an extension for the puller. You may be able to come up with something easier to make that would work (maybe just two plates with holes for the pins.
I did what Smitty suggested. Grind the corner of the arm at the end near the puller bolt. That will let you get a little more angle.
I also made an extension for the puller. You may be able to come up with something easier to make that would work (maybe just two plates with holes for the pins.
See the indentation on each side of the knuckle where the stud passes through? As stated above, whack those two spots with the ball end of a hammer with schmedium force at a downish angle and it should pop off.
not sure why people waste time on things that don t work and all the fancy tools.. have used a pickle fork and hammer many times
with NO issues.. bam bam done.. no mess no fuss. 20 seconds it s all over.
not sure why people waste time on things that don t work and all the fancy tools.. have used a pickle fork and hammer many times
with NO issues.. bam bam done.. no mess no fuss. 20 seconds it s all over.
Or my approach with a floor jack under the knuckle. A pickle fork can be problematic if you wish to reuse the ball joint because the boot can be torn. Either way, yeah, it seems like this job shoulda been finished already.
Or my approach with a floor jack under the knuckle. A pickle fork can be problematic if you wish to reuse the ball joint because the boot can be torn. Either way, yeah, it seems like this job shoulda been finished already.
Job is done and I really appreciate everyone's input. Ultimately I filed down the ball joint separator (after several hours) and was able to open it enough to do the job. I knew there were other options but I really didn't want to risk damaging the boot and having to replace the ball joints. Its a long story, that I will eventually share on C5 general, but I've sunk thousands more into this car than I ever intended to thus far. Planned on giving this car a paint correction and selling it before my first payment but I was hit by a hit and run driver. Since I didn't want to have my rates go up again after my last accident I am doing my best to learn how to become a shade tree mechanic and fix this ol' girl myself.
If it wasn't for this forum I would be truly lost. Very grateful to you all and your endless patience.
not sure why people waste time on things that don t work and all the fancy tools.. have used a pickle fork and hammer many times
with NO issues.. bam bam done.. no mess no fuss. 20 seconds it s all over.
LOL that ball joint separator is $20 at Harbor Freight and with minor tweaking is the best way to not damage the aluminum arms or the BJ boot.
I did exactly what Metalman2 did when I replaced my entire suspension last year. Just tap the knuckle with a 2-4 lb hammer and it'll usually fall right out. Had zero issues with all 8 ball joints and it only takes like 2 seconds each haha. No expensive/specialty tools needed.
Ball joint separator too small... how to proceed?
