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Hi there, so im in the process of changing my clutch and I cannot for the life of me remove the lower ball joints, I've hit control arm with a hammer very hard, I've used the separator tool which in the process has ruined the ball joints, and Ive hit the bottom of the bolt with the nut on and it has deformed the bolt and the threads, yet the ball joint hasn't moved a millimeter any help as I need to use my car in 4-5 days and I'm getting kinda frustrated
this is the proper tool.
I had to leave it on and tighten it everyday a little bit more, until one day a loud bang indicated the ball joint finally came apart
this is the proper tool.
I had to leave it on and tighten it everyday a little bit more, until one day a loud bang indicated the ball joint finally came apart
wow hahahah thats really annoying! i would have thought it wouldnt be so hard as mine arent even rusty. so ill go and buy one of them today, how tight do i do it? or do i just crank it down as hard as possible with the impact?
just be careful with an impact. Like said, it was a loud bang when it came apart. I was in the living room, doors to garage closed.
I was not in a huge hurry, I have other cars
just be careful with an impact. Like said, it was a loud bang when it came apart. I was in the living room, doors to garage closed.
I was not in a huge hurry, I have other cars
alright ill keep that in mind, but i dont have to worry too much about the ball joint as they're already absolutely destroyed from the other tool, and i do need my car in a few days!
so ive put the tool on the ball joint bolt, unfortunately i couldnt get the nut back on, and i tightened it down until it slipped off also deforming the bolt, so ive put it back on and tightened it up a lot, and im going to leave it there, of course just to make things even better my ratchet is now stuck on there too
Update: finally got them removed, after a lot of trial and error i decided to remove the boot from the ball joint with a pair of nippers then i turned the wheel to full lock and was then able to push the removal tool much further onto the bolt at the bottom, and then after ditching the ratchet and moving over to a 30 inch breaker bar i was finally able to crack both of them free!
Thanks for discussing this guys, I need to replace both ball joints, LCA bushings and tie rod ends on my 213k mile 04 civic. Any advice on a tool to separate tie rod from knuckle?
Thanks for discussing this guys, I need to replace both ball joints, LCA bushings and tie rod ends on my 213k mile 04 civic. Any advice on a tool to separate tie rod from knuckle?
I can't offer too much advice, but the tool that I was told to get is also apparently able to remove tie rod ends, and I would think a pickle fork might work too, although like I said I don't have any experience with the tie rods
"Marge, anyone could miss Canada! All tucked away down there."
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re: Stuck lower ball joints [solved]
Originally Posted by 7thgenlegend
Thanks for discussing this guys, I need to replace both ball joints, LCA bushings and tie rod ends on my 213k mile 04 civic. Any advice on a tool to separate tie rod from knuckle?
Just smack the knuckle with a hammer, shouldn't be in there too bad. Heat and penetrating fluid helps
Thanks for discussing this guys, I need to replace both ball joints, LCA bushings and tie rod ends on my 213k mile 04 civic. Any advice on a tool to separate tie rod from knuckle?
If you work on steering/suspension often enough, it pays to get an entire front end service kit. See link below for a reputable brand:
The one I have I got on eBay, but it works well. I am always able to get the joint out. They can also be used to remove inner races from wheel hubs and removing wiper arms from their splined shafts.
glad it is out! 
