View Single Post
  #1 (permalink)   Check out my garage 
Old February 16th, 2007, 11:50 PM
jadkar's Avatar
jadkar jadkar is offline
CRXus Maximus Arelues
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: North West NJ
Posts: 2,108
jadkar is a glorious beacon of lightjadkar is a glorious beacon of lightjadkar is a glorious beacon of lightjadkar is a glorious beacon of lightjadkar is a glorious beacon of lightjadkar is a glorious beacon of light
Gallery: 107
Total Articles:
iTrader: (1)
Lower control arm / ball joint removal trick

Lower ball joint separation trick - Use physics instead of the BFH!!

We've all been there, under our car beating the crap out of the lower control arm with a BFH, we've even used a ball joint fork and destroyed the rubber boots and some of us have even tried fire!!

Anyway, using this method you will easily separate the ball joint without hurting you or the car!! and you'll do it quickly!!

1) Get the car in the air and secure it on jack stands. Remove the tire. You're gonna want to get in front of the assembly like below.


2) Place you floor jack underneath the ball joint and lower control arm and CAREFULLY lift the suspension. Make sure you screw the ball joint nut on slightly so that you don't ruin the threads while lifting. Lift the suspension until you start to raise the car. Once you do this STOP!! You don't want to lift the car, you just want to compress the suspension.


3) Whip out your handy dandy 3/8 ratchet (I think one with a square handle works the best)


4) Place the handle strategically in between the knuckle and the lower control arm. There is a small tab you can grab and wedge the tool under on the knuckle. Look at the picture, it's easier to visualize.




5) Once the handle is wedged in between the two components step back a little and lower the jack. Using the force of the car’s front spring and geometry of the suspension components physics will separate the ball joint with one large "pop"!!

This works EVERY TIME!!!

Last edited by jadkar; February 17th, 2007 at 12:00 AM..
Reply With Quote