Very Stuck ball joint!

[gerviswaddell]

Hey again,

Diving into my large trans/cv/ball joint/tie rod repair, and have gotten one side done (cv out , ball joint off etc) The passengers side of the car is where the problem has sprung up.

Removing the ball joint, I removed the top two bolts (connecting to the knuckle) no problem, but the cotter pin was rusted beyond recognition into the lower bolt (the one which is a part of the ball joint). I cut off the bolt just above the cotter pin hole, and managed to get the remaining piece of the nut loosened and removed. The Tapered part of the bolt is lodged into the control arm and I cannot get it to budge. I have been hitting it with a pickle fork (aka ball joint separator) and It wont budge. I am now beginning to bend the bolt with the striking force...Any suggestions on how to get this sucker to come out? (the other side came out just fine!) Torch? is there any way to apply concussive force to the bottom of the bolt effectively (pushing it out?)

I am currently quite frustrated.

thanks for your help!

GW

[Highlander]

First- you don't say if you've been using PB blaster or equiv or not, if not, soak in said stuff,
If so, What I've found that works very well is to strike the part that the taper is in with a steel hammer (I've found that malleable hammers just don't cut it i.e. copper, brass) perpendicular to the tapered bolt. The pickle forks just bugger stuff up IMHO. The other option is to use a ball joint separator (wraps over the top of the arm and applies load to the tapered pin) I've found that using this with the foregoing hammer technique works very well- load up the pin with the separator, then strike the arm with the hammer (SHARPLY!) It usually separates with one or two whacks.

[gerviswaddell]

Thanks for the reply,

I have soaked it in PB (best stuff!) and am presently re soaking it...I have seen these pullers (pusher?) in the store and online...will have to give that a shot tomorrow...I guess its important not to get too emotionally involved with this sort of thing, it really brings out the inner demon when stuff wont come out.

[ARCHINSTL]

http://www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtop ... one#p41274
This is what you meant, right?
Tom M.

[Petros]

striking the side of the taper is the best way. To clarify, that would be very sharply strike the female end of the taper (the part of on the hub) with a steel hammer. The shock wave forces the taper out of the hole, with one or two very hard wraps right on the cast iron taper it should pop right out. It will not harm the taper. This is BTW the method in the Ford service manual gives for removing the large ball joints in our 1-ton van (they recommend a large sledge hammer).

[Highlander]

Yes Tom, that's just what I meant. Petros- yes, the shock itself is what you're using to break it loose. Works great on Dana 30 & 40 front ends, also on tie rods. I use the pusher (puller?) on things that I've had out recently, that way I don't miss when my glasses slip in the middle of a swing, and bugger things up that I want to reuse.

[gerviswaddell]

ok so it seems that whacking the thing is the best way...Ive been whacking it with a medium sized hammer many times, no movement, does it matter if the shaft of the balljoint (the male end) is bent from the use of the pickle fork? It seems to straighten out before the taper begins.

Im going to go and whack it some more...

ha.

[keith]

The small pitman arm puller works best.

[dlb]

the ball joint puller that can be seen in tom's link is what i used on our toyota pickup, as no amount of hammering would do the trick. threw the puller on and they came out like butter.

it's a pain in the ass if you don't have job-specific tools like these laying around but you can find pullers like these for $10-$15 and i think it's well worth it.

[Petros]

.Ive been whacking it with a medium sized hammer many times, no movement, does it matter if the shaft of the balljoint (the male end) is bent from the use of the pickle fork? It seems to straighten out before the taper begins.

the bent end should not matter, you want a single, very hard blow to the outer taper sleeve that holds the ball joint taper shaft.

You have to get a good clear swing at it, and a direct blow right on the outside of the taper should shock it free. You might need a bigger hammer, as large as you can get that will stills strike the taper without hitting anything else. Some times it takes several blows, but usually one well connected "whack" in the correct place is all it takes. It works like magic, once you get it in the correct place it just pops right off.

It works by slightly ovalizing the outer (female) part of the taper, and the shock just knocks the taper shaft right out.

It for some reason some kind of corrosive fluid got into the taper and will not allow separating it, it might help to heat it. But I have removed Ford 1-ton ball joints, and the 1.5" tapered spline shaft off an old Ford 1-ton steering gear box this way. It should work for the Tercel. You just need a clear strike in the right place with a large enough hammer.

[sunray]

Sounds like a much larger hammer is needed.

[takza]

If you are hitting the end of the taped bolt part...you need = or greater mass in solid contact with the tapered hole part to help concentrate the force...instead of dissipating it on moving the control arm.

As far as "losing it"...when you pick up a hammer...you enter DANGEROUS WATERS....you can do a lot of damage with a hammer.

[gerviswaddell]

Well, thanks for all of the encouragement! I ended up getting her free hours after the posting, I whacked the 'female' part of the assembly (control arm end) many more times, applied pb, and used the pickle fork (the ball joint was toast already) and she popped right out! but yeah the pickle fork proved to be worth the $13, as I used it to separate the bell housing from the motor yesterday.

thanks again,

the work continues!