mantas Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 I don't know where to fucking begin. I've removed balljoints millions of times. I've learned to use a puller, and i can work a hammer quite well and get them out that way - which is really a big waste of time. Either way, i tried to remove the centerlink and the balljoints. After hours of playing around with them, i ended up cutting a few off. Now i'm stuck on the drivers side arm connecting to the steering shaft, how is that supposed to come out? Tried the following - 2 arm, 3arm pullers, fork, hammers of every size, breaker bar. I would post pix but all of a sudden i can't use Flickr links on this forum...... Quote Link to comment
qwik510 Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 I always use a pickle fork and a BFH (Big Friggin Hammer) Loosen up the castle nut but leave it in place and place the fork in between and get it a few good wacks. Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 Pickle forks and BFH works great. I bought a pickle fork to use 5 or six years ago and have had it since, yet haven't used it since either. Some how it made its way to the floorboard of the B and has been there since February. Quote Link to comment
mantas Posted December 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 HEAT IT. This seems like my last resort. Tried the pickle fork guys. And i was very surprised that it did not work. I've never had this issue with balljoints. Going to get a torch tonight and heat it. Quote Link to comment
Burabuda Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 i thought this was about hip replacement 1 Quote Link to comment
JoeCool Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 With mine I used a powerful air chisel with a pickle fork attachment to break my ball joints free. A 5lb hammer.and torch did nothing.Also saturating them several times with PB blaster would help. Quote Link to comment
mantas Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 With mine I used a powerful air chisel with a pickle fork attachment to break my ball joints free. A 5lb hammer.and torch did nothing.Also saturating them several times with PB blaster would help. Yeah i tried hammer and pb blaster. I think i've wasted a whole can of pb blaster on it, i actually let some of it sit for a day and nothing...have no air tools at the moment. But i'll try a torch. Ive read that its supposed to get rid of any dirt in the cracks that might prevent it from moving - sounds like a load of you know what but worth a try. Quote Link to comment
Dawa Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 did you try pissing on it? 1 Quote Link to comment
mantas Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 did you try pissing on it? Might be worth a shot......LOL Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I use a 12# sledge hammer and pickle fork. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Hit the metal of the idler arm right at the tie rod hole. Make sure to turn the wheel to lock to hold the idler arm in position. Like so... This also works for ball joint removal. 1 Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Funny, i have never been able to get any joint loose hitting it there. Though many guys swear by that method. With a large sledge with pickle ive taken off hundreds of ford, gm, chrysler, toyota, datsun, etc. never fail Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I've always had to use the 12# sledge method. With the fork. Having no sledge I used a splitting maul a few times... Quote Link to comment
yello620 Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Yeah i tried hammer and pb blaster. Doesnt matter how big of hammer you use when you swing it like a little girl. :rofl: Quote Link to comment
mantas Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Doesnt matter how big of hammer you use when you swing it like a little girl. :rofl: :rofl: Going to wait until the power is back on then i'll report the progress. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I use a non-power hammer to get those two parts separated. Just hit it hard. Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Funny, i have never been able to get any joint loose hitting it there. Though many guys swear by that method. With a large sledge with pickle ive taken off hundreds of ford, gm, chrysler, toyota, datsun, etc. never fail I have pickle forks that gather dust, this method allows removal of the joint without damaging the dust boot. It's simple metal deformation physics :) Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 I have pickle forks that gather dust, this method allows removal of the joint without damaging the dust boot. I figure, I never remove them unless I need to replace them. Because by the time I've gotten some of them off, I HAVE to replace them. I suppose a situation could someday arise where I would need to remove a functional one for some reason, and hope to reuse it... haven't had that happen yet. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Rarely does the pickle fork damage the joint. It just splits the dust boot open ... Just simple metal deformation physics really. Quote Link to comment
Dat Lurka Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Never fails. Well, as far as I know. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 You use a hardwood hammer? Quote Link to comment
Dat Lurka Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Yes, I never hit metal with metal. That's what my old hickory is for. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 So you never drive metal nails with a metal hammer, or is there more too it? Bodymen use metal hammers on metal panels. Professional mechanics use metal hammer to hit metal drifts. The weight of the hammer is what makes the ball joint easy to get apart. Why guys say Big hammer or 12-pound hammer. What does the hickory mallet weigh? Quote Link to comment
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