Arg! Why wont the ball joint come out??

[FyreDaug]

What am I doing wrong? I know how to remove drive shafts as Ive done it many times, but not on a honda. Maybe I'm missing something, but I followed the procedure in the haynes manual and looked over This Thread (http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=28515) and its all basically the same as any other job.

Problem is the ball join WILL NOT come out. We've tried prying, using a 2 jaw puller and smashing the shit out of it with a hammer but it just wont give. I need the drive shaft out of this car but it wont budge (86 parts car) and it hasnt had any damage done to it.

The cotter pin is out, the castle nut is off, the suspension fork is free and the axle nut is off (along with the brake assembly too)

Why wont it come off!?

[mr eff]

Why wont it come off!?

do you want the truth?























it's because the ball joints on these cars are little eggs of satan.

keep at it, from reading these forums, freeing the ball-joint is a common hinderance, but you can win eventually. people usually use something they call like a "pickle fork" and a big hammer... wish i could help more than that.

[FyreDaug]

I have a pickel fork and a big hammer. Believe me thats what I tried for almost an hour, with nothing!

[AccordEpicenter]

hit the lower control arm hard right where the ball joint bolts in... just keep hitting it hard with like a 5lb hammer and itll loosen up

[mouchyn]

yeah man.

you gotta use a BFH and nice HARD swings. It is pretty unbelivable how stubborn they can be...

[AccordEpicenter]

yeah... no pussy shit, you gotta hit that fucker HARD. If they get nasty, the pickle fork tends to cut right into the knuckle, so then i start beating the lower control arm

[FyreDaug]

Holy, good old mazdas never had that problem (atleast the ones I worked on) I'll give it another shot tomorrow.

1 more question though, if I ended up damaging the ball joint boot in the process on the parts car (which has been brutally destroyed) what about my car that has good boots on the joints? I dont wanna replace those too when I do my driveshafts.

[AccordEpicenter]

you need to fix the boot, you can swap just the boot if the joint isnt too messed up. You will need to do this or youll need a new ball joint in a month

[mouchyn]

might as well replace the ball joints anyway -- especially if they are being this stubborn.

[AccordEpicenter]

Depending on how the wheel bearings are on the other car, id just swap the knuckles if you have them, since you already have everything else apart

[Blkblurr]

I bought a rigid ball joint remover from Harbor freight for $8 I ground the point off of it so it wouldn't dig into the ball joint threads and it took me about 10 minutes to pop the ball joint. You need to keep it square to the ball joint and I used a screw driver to keep the ball joint tool from rotating off center. This works well because it is rigid unlike the two jaw pullers.

[Moodybluesr]

Autozone (and probably other stores like it) sell a tool for $9.99 called a tie-rod end puller. It is perfect for popping off tie-rod ends and also magically fits over Honda ball joints. You fit the bracket over the lower control arm and put the castle nut back on loosely to keep the bolt on center and just crank away. It is like a two-jaw puller that doesn't adjust (making it more rigid). Works every time for me and I just got done redoing the original suspension on an '89 Prelude. :D

Here is the pitman arm puller that they carry (the tie-rod end puller looks similar but is smaller and cheaper):
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=C001&UserAction=performMoreDetail&Parameters=TRUE%7C%7ESpecialty+%28Tools%29%7C%7ENO NE%7C%7EGreat+Neck++++++++++++++++++++++++++Pitman +Arm+Puller+In+case%7C%7ENONE%7C%7EFALSE%7C%7EFALS E%7C%7E555623%7C%7E2647%7C%7E27016%7C%7ENONE%7C%7E %2420.00%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7 C%7E2.0%7C%7ENONE%7C%7EB%7C%7EGRN%7C%7Etrue

[Robs89LXi]

I've noticed that some aftermarket ball-joints use a bottom circlip as well. Did you check to see if you have one on there? If there is none, then the two arm puller or the one Moodybluser mentioned above should do the trick.

[AccordEpicenter]

Yeah you could use pullers, i just find that a pickle fork and or hitting the control arm gets things off fastest if you hit it hard enough/do it right, but whatever works for you. On stock honda bjs and most aftermarket replacements, most of them have the clip, but honda replacement ones do not have the clip. You only really need to have the clip if the ball joint doesnt fit in knuckle tightly (ie, you cant move it)

[Blkblurr]

Autozone (and probably other stores like it) sell a tool for $9.99 called a tie-rod end puller. It is perfect for popping off tie-rod ends and also magically fits over Honda ball joints. You fit the bracket over the lower control arm and put the castle nut back on loosely to keep the bolt on center and just crank away. It is like a two-jaw puller that doesn't adjust (making it more rigid). Works every time for me and I just got done redoing the original suspension on an '89 Prelude. :D

Here is the pitman arm puller that they carry (the tie-rod end puller looks similar but is smaller and cheaper):
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=C001&UserAction=performMoreDetail&Parameters=TRUE%7C%7ESpecialty+%28Tools%29%7C%7ENO NE%7C%7EGreat+Neck++++++++++++++++++++++++++Pitman +Arm+Puller+In+case%7C%7ENONE%7C%7EFALSE%7C%7EFALS E%7C%7E555623%7C%7E2647%7C%7E27016%7C%7ENONE%7C%7E %2420.00%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7C%7ENONE%7 C%7E2.0%7C%7ENONE%7C%7EB%7C%7EGRN%7C%7Etrue

Yep. That's what mine looks like. Works every time without hitting anything.

[mouchyn]

Yeah you could use pullers, i just find that a pickle fork and or hitting the control arm gets things off fastest if you hit it hard enough/do it right, but whatever works for you. On stock honda bjs and most aftermarket replacements, most of them have the clip, but honda replacement ones do not have the clip. You only really need to have the clip if the ball joint doesnt fit in knuckle tightly (ie, you cant move it)

huh-huh-huh

you said...bjs... huh-huh-huh

[FyreDaug]

Well you guys we tried everything, so we ended up getting a cutting torch to get it off. Which is fine because it was crap anyways.

I go to the otherside and it takes 30 seconds to get it off. I hope mine wont be bad once I actually change my shafts and brakes. Once I do them I'll post a picture showing why you should replace you brakes when they squeel not 3 months after. :D

[AccordEpicenter]

Wow im surprised you couldnt get it off. I have actually never had a time where i couldnt get it off and had to cut it, nor do i know anybody whos had that happen to them, sounds wierd

[FyreDaug]

Now it better not happen again though. I'd be mighty pissed if I had to replace ball joints on my car just because I needed brakes and drive shafts.

[Strugglebucket]

if hitting it with a hammer doesn't work i use a long pry bar (the pointy end of a tire iron will work) between the knucke and the lower arm. then i hit it with the hammer at the same time i'm prying on it.

[Blkblurr]

When I changed my front wheel bearings it took me 20 minutes to separate all three joints using a tie rod end puller. This is so easy and is the best way to separate a joint. It does not damage the boot or joint in the process.

[Strugglebucket]

but i like to hit stuff...