MOT failure bottom ball joint

[rutter123]

has anyone got any tips on removal of the bottom ball joint from the strut, as it just wont budge and its seems no amount of swearing or stareing at it seems to help, it has been soaked in wd40 and looks as if a special 4 tooth tool is needed?? i done the o/s a few years back but that one came out quite easily.
is there a tool available for loan from anyone?

[Mothman]

Big hammer whacked in the right place pretty hard usually helps.

Andy

[rutter123]

tried a big hammer, 18 inch grips, cold chisel to shock it but it wont budge, dont wanna be more brutal for fear of damaging the strut, thinking of applying some heat to the bottom of the strut but will this damage the internals?

[NeilGP]

Remember that there is a lock plate (or what ever you call it) that you bend to stop the joint from turning. Has this been re-aligned?

I normally keep the joint still connected to the A-frame (loose nut), remove the brake disk, then use a cold chisel and hammer to turn unscrew the joint. (Remember and turn in clockwise looking from the top down and ant-clockwise from bottom up)

[BX Bandit]

There was a rumour that some were loctited in place when they should not of been. I've never-ever-been able to undo one on the car, although I didn't have my 3' scaffold pole for leverage.
Always in the vice, with the 4 pronged tool, held on with washers and the nut and a breaker bar with said 3' scaffold pole and my full weight and even then they needed a dose of the butane torch (but mind your bearing!)

Have also found that aftermarket B/Js last about a year. If you buy from AEP (Auto Equip Pieces) in Glasgow, they normally supply OEM, which in this case will be Lemforder. The only thing with AEP is something like £8 delivery (but free over £50) so I always add on service parts to get free delivery.

The 4 pronged tool makes it easy, you should find one on ebay. Well worth the cash if you DIY

[mat_fenwick]

I've moved this to the technical section as it's a technical query..

The proper tool (eBay ~£10) is more useful if you're doing the work on the bench, as you can't use it on the car with the the BJ connected to the lower arm. If you split it from the arm you need a bar attached to the hub to stop this from turning while you try and unscrew the BJ.

On the car you can use the hammer and chisel method, but make sure that you knock back where the BJ is peened over the slots in the hub casting. If still no joy remove the hub from the strut and apply heat while held in a vice.

EDIT - beaten to it by a couple of people!

[Dollywobbler]

My local place resorted to heat along with hammer and chisel. Took some bloomin' effort but they got there in the end. It wasn't pleasant to watch! Bad news for them is that the other side will need doing soon...

[Kitch]

I've found the special socket works with an impact gun, but not a chance with a regular ratchet set.

I had to grind a chunk out of my upright once, just so I could get the chisel in there!

[KevR]

I've never managed to get one undone using the 4-prong castellated socket. In fact I've come across quite a few where the ball joint body has been manufactuyred with the slots in the wrong place anyway, so the tool doesn't fit!
A couple of weeks back I stripped two pairs of hubs prior to fitting new bearings and ball joints. One pair the ball joints came out easily, the other pair, which were from the spares car and had been sitting for ten years at least, would NOT budge. Had to cut through them with a narrow slitting disc on the angle grinder in the end, then hammer/chisel out the remains.

[tim]

I've now done all the balljoints on both our TXD's. I bought the tool but on the first balljoint although I removed the hub and clamped it in the vice I was lifting the workbench off the ground and STILL couldn't shift the focker. in the end I gave up, strapped the hub on the pillion of me Triumph and whizzed down to the local garage, remembering to take the special socket with me, where 20 seconds with a rattle-gun got it moving. There was Loctite on the threads, and was probably like that from new. The next three showed up the same problem and the same fix. The last one wouldn't shift. in the end, Chris of the garage clamped it into his big purpose-built vice on a steel workbench, and while his equally large mate worked the rattlegun, he beat the crap out of it with a large cold chisel and a club hammer. Even then it didn't go without a fight. So in short, don't work up a sweat trying to do it in situ, it's easier to whip the hub off and phone a friend. I've got a compressor so next time the job comes up I may bite the bullet and buy a gun from Machine Mart or similar, they're about £50 for the basic one I seem to remember. Although as I did the joints up myself it should be possible to undo them again if needed.

[Vanny]

After Doc showed me how to do it properly, i've never bothered with the tool for getting them out. Big chisel and a bigger hammer. If that's not enough, you need more weetabix.

My method on the bench is to put the hub in a vice with ball and link sticking up, tear the ball and link out, fill the hole with kerosene, light it and come back once it's all burnt off, undo with tool. Probably not the safest method mind!

[citronut]

here is a link to the tool you need

http://www.mptools.co.uk/products.asp?partno=SX027" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

regards malcolm

[rutter123]

went and got the correct tool for the job, sealy sx027 bottom ball joint tool, but found it didnt fit too well and couldnt get any leverage on it, have had to remove the hub assy and place in a vice, cut some deep notches with an angle grinder into the ball joint housing, heat it with a blowtorch and got it moving and eventually out.

[BX Bandit]

Hmm, mines a Sealey and has been no problem. The rubber can sometimes prevent the tool from locating properly. It may be worth cutting out the rubber. I also slip over a washer and the original nut once the 'sprocket' tool is on. Makes the job much easier