13 replies to this topic

[jbonevia]

OK i'm having real trouble removing the offside upper ball joint.

I've searched on here and read all the suggestions and tried most of them.

I've tried a scissor ball joint remover, heating it with the remover under tension (this worked for the nearside one), the fork type and various methods of bashing with a big hammer - it wont move.

I'm going to try again tomorrow but if it still wont budge i will have to resort to cutting it and replacing it with a new one.

My question is can i do this with a hacksaw? I dont have an angle grinder/cutting disks.

Or is it such hardened steel that i wont be able to hacksaw through it?

Thanks in advance,
Jono.

[tadleysimon]

i would guess that it would take an age with a hacksaw, dont you have a friend with a grinder?

or maybe just get yourself a cheap one for now?

[Chris_R]

I'd keep at it with the fork type splitter and heat. If you manage to cut through it with the hacksaw - which will take hours! - then you will still be left with the tapered part of the balljoint stuck in place.

[Dan]

Even if you do manage to cut it off, the pin will still be stuck in the arm and then what will you do? You will still need to split the taper somehow.

[Rich.]

The fork type splitters will remove any ball joint with a big enough hammer and abit of heat, keep going and it will pop eventually.

Rich

[jbonevia]

I'll keep trying then.

I figured if i cut it then it would be much easier to remove the remaining piece from the arm on a bench where you can get a really good swing with a hammer rather than under the wheel arch on the car.

[Dan]

Well yes but you could also take it to the bench without cutting it. Either way it'll probably end up knackered so cut it if you wish.

[samsfern]

id have thought itd be hardened, so youll have a real task cutting it, if you tighten the balljoint splitter bolt up as tight as possible, then give the bolt a good clout, then retighten the bolt, and clout again, it should come out.

[jbonevia]

Tried again today and failed miserably.

Bent the bolt on my scissor type splitter from tightening too much

Used a lot of heat under tension of the scissor splitter

Bashed away for ages with the fork type splitter

Tried whacking the side of the top arm repeatedly with a big mallet, tried the two hammer trick as well.

Left the scissor splitter on the joint and sprayed liberally with WD40 in the vain hope it will release itself with a couple of hours of tension on it.

Ended up damaging the rubber cover and melting the grease out of the joint so i'm not sure if this joint should be re-used again now anyway.

Time for plan B:

I dont want to remove the driveshaft or lower ball joint so i'm going to cut the top joint, replace it on the car with a new one (will lap in and shim) and then take the top arm out and remove the remaining piece on a workbench. Will try with the hacksaw otherwise if that fails screwfix has a grinder for £15.99 which should do the job.

I've spent about £50 on ball joint removal tools to remove a £8 ball joint.

All this just so i can change the rubber cones for new ones - argh!

[Big_Adam]

If I where you, I'd grind the exposed thread from the balljoint flush with the top arm then give it one good wack.

Then again my hammer is basically a stubby sledge hammer.

[Ethel]

You might be able to unscrew it from the swivel hub with the joint still attached to the arm. What have you been heating it with, some oxy might make a difference.

It's the sort of job I'd take to a garage, if you can get it back together to drive it.

[Cooperman]

If you saw it, then you'll have to remove the top arm. To do this safely you'll need a 'tower tool' to compress the rubber spring cone. And still you'll have no guarantee that the pin (or what's left of it) will come out without damaging the tapered hole in the arm to enable a new pin to be installed.
You will need a new pin and ball cover nut, plus a new rubber cap.
Best advice is to keep at it with the splitter - it will come off eventually, just as flywheels do. I actually sheared a scissor-type splitter pin and got it off eventually with a very strong fork-type after much hammering with a club hammer.

[AndyMiniMad.]

Take the grinder to it!!! and then remove the top arm to bash out the bit thats still stuck in. If you bugger it up you will need a new or refurbed top arm, But its still going to be less than you have allready spent on this!!!

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

I wouldn't hacksaw it or grind it (might damage underneath, if cut in the wrong place). Is it using all the thread on the balljoint splitter. If so, just put a larger socket on the thread to packet it a bit more and tighten again with plenty of leverage. Or use a Sykes Pickavant splitter! IMO