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View Full Version : What the Hell? Help me please!!



turabaka
04-15-2008, 07:14 PM
Alright, I finally got around to attempting to finish my disc swap and I hit another snag. I can't get the ball joint holding the hub to the lower control arm to come off. On Bitesize's car we just undid the cotter pin, and bolt and pulled the hub up and off. For some reason on mine I can't get it off. I've tried using a puller, a hammer, and a sleever bar. None of them has worked. Do you guys have any suggestions for getting it off of there? I don't care about damaging the ball joint or the hub, since I won't be reusing them.

forrest89sei
04-15-2008, 07:16 PM
Alright, I finally got around to attempting to finish my disc swap and I hit another snag. I can't get the ball joint holding the hub to the lower control arm to come off. On Bitesize's car we just undid the cotter pin, and bolt and pulled the hub up and off. For some reason on mine I can't get it off. I've tried using a puller, a hammer, and a sleever bar. None of them has worked. Do you guys have any suggestions for getting it off of there? I don't care about damaging the ball joint or the hub, since I won't be reusing them.

Either It's Pressed In, or theres a C-Clip your missing

ghettogeddy
04-15-2008, 07:37 PM
did you remove the fork for the strut

turabaka
04-15-2008, 07:38 PM
nope. I didn't want to pull it off if I didn't need to. I just figured I'd be able to pull up on the hub and get it off of there.

ghettogeddy
04-15-2008, 07:50 PM
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/ghettogeddy/lcaremoveal.jpg

A18A
04-15-2008, 07:51 PM
what i do is jack up the ball joint, then put something like a ratchet between the lca & hub, then kick it inwards & it pops loose. i will raw a pic if it makes no sense

turabaka
04-15-2008, 07:58 PM
^^ a pic sounds good. from your description it sounds like what my dad tried to do with a sleever bar. Although without the jacking it up.

and ghetto. Do I just take all those bolts off, and then hit the controll arm with a hammer or something to brake it loose?

ghettogeddy
04-15-2008, 08:01 PM
just trust me with out the strut fork bolt removed it will be a pita to remove

A18A
04-15-2008, 08:18 PM
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff295/88vigor/balljoint-1.jpg
the shocks have to be in there for it to work properly

Ichiban
04-15-2008, 08:20 PM
Use a bloody balljoint separator or a picklefork. Fuck.

turabaka
04-15-2008, 09:20 PM
alright guys. I'll try those tomorrow, hopefully I can get it out.

Hash_man_Se_i
04-15-2008, 11:01 PM
hahaha A18a your drawing is pro... however your method seems kinda nutty and not very safe IMO.

I had issues with this before too, and just ended up using a pickle fork and a big ass hammer.

forrest89sei
04-15-2008, 11:12 PM
hahaha A18a your drawing is pro... however your method seems kinda nutty and not very safe IMO.
.

Well come on he has like almost no tools and has like torn apart and rebuilt like 3 cars, LOL

Nah I'd use proper tools if I can

russiankid
04-16-2008, 03:52 AM
Edit: NVM I read wrong.

glovlude
04-16-2008, 04:10 AM
hey, I just had the same problem.I had to heat it up around the ball joint and hit the bottom of the joint with a hammer and it popped right out.

A18A
04-16-2008, 04:11 AM
^^i believe it's cause he's trying to remove the hub from the lower control arm instead


hahaha A18a your drawing is pro... however your method seems kinda nutty and not very safe IMO.

I had issues with this before too, and just ended up using a pickle fork and a big ass hammer.

how is it not safe? :)

glovlude
04-16-2008, 04:42 AM
yes u have to know what u are doin

turabaka
04-16-2008, 12:16 PM
^^ That is correct A18A I'm trying to remove the hub from the lower control arm. Thankfully I got the brand new upper control arms, and ball joints from Bitesize so I don't have to mess with those at all.

russiankid
04-16-2008, 12:36 PM
Heat it up with a torch and use a 4lbs hammer.

BITESIZE
04-16-2008, 01:21 PM
Go Buy A Ball Joint Seperator. Remember I Used It With The Hammer And Beat On It Until It Came Loose?

turabaka
04-16-2008, 05:00 PM
^^ I thought that was on the tie-rod ball joint. You ended up just giving up on those, but the ones on the lower control arms just came out easily. I finally got the passenger side one done today though, and I'll finish the driver side tomorrow. I'm not gonna do it today cause I need to study for a math test.

Civic Accord Honda
04-16-2008, 08:49 PM
i used a pitman arm puller wich should be able to pop it with out damageing the ball joint
http://4x4icon.com/offroad/063007_steering_gear/OTC_pitman_arm_puller_7314A_2645_small.jpg

p.s. i think there only like $10 at autozone i got mine from tim :D

turabaka
04-16-2008, 08:56 PM
I actually tried it that way cah. I used a 3 jaw puller that I rented from autozone. which is the way the hayne's manual says to do it. That didn't work. I ended up just doing it the way A18A said to do it. Jack it up and put a sleever bar on the back side of it, and press. Oddly enough for all my hard work I just grabbed the hub by accident once, and noticed that it was loose, and pulled it out by hand. I hadn't even done anything. lol

BITESIZE
04-17-2008, 09:12 AM
I did use the ball joint seperator on that. :) I had to beat on it for about 5 minutes till it finally went pop.

turabaka
04-17-2008, 05:21 PM
^^hmm. I guess I just wasn't paying enough attention. I ended up getting them both off using A18A's method. so kudos to you A18A. I went through a bled them twice, and holy crapoly is that peddle soft. I have absolutely no pressure in the brakes. So I guess I need to bleed them a couple more times, and see what happens.

on a side note. Why does the hayne's manual say to start with the left front wheel when bleeding the brakes, and everywhere else I've heard says to start with the wheel farthest from the master cylinder which would be the rear right. Have I been bleeding backwards of what I should be or am I doing it right?

ghettogeddy
04-17-2008, 05:33 PM
how did you bleed them open the valve have some one pump 3 times then hold then tighten the valve
and i think you have to do them in a certain order including the rears

turabaka
04-17-2008, 06:08 PM
I used a one man bleeder kit, which works surprisingly well. I think I found the problem. There must've been some fluid already in the rear left caliper so when I went to bleed it there was no air bubbles, and I thought it was fine. I went back out to bleed it, and once I got past the initial spurt of fluid the rest of the lines were dry for a bit before the new fluid got there. So hopefully that solves the problem. I'll check it out tomorrow though since it's getting dark now.

markmdz89hatch
04-28-2008, 05:14 AM
so just for clarification, were you having trouble with the front or rear lowers?

I had to use the pickle fork for mine, but ended up needing to replace the balljoints because the excessive force needed to pop it with the fork caused the boot to rip. IF the boot did rip, either find a replacement boot kit (which I don't think exists anymore) or replace the joint. For now, just pack it with grease, but it'll go at the wrong time if you just ride on the ripped boot too long, which trust me, is not a good time when the ball-joint separates while driving.

turabaka
04-28-2008, 10:26 AM
It was the front lowers that I had trouble getting off, and I ended up just replacing them anyway. I took it in for an alignment, and the guys there said I needed new lower ball joints. They were gonna charge me like 300 in labor, plus 70 for joints just to do the work. I ended up doing it in about 2 hours total. From teardown to all back together. I didnt' even disconnect the brake lines to do it. woot!

BITESIZE
04-28-2008, 10:36 AM
Did you have to press in the new ball joints on lower part of the hub?

markmdz89hatch
04-28-2008, 10:43 AM
Did you have to press in the new ball joints on lower part of the hub?

that was my first thought too. Thos do have to be pressed in. I guess it can be done other ways, but a shop press is the safest way to go that I know of.

turabaka
04-28-2008, 10:48 AM
The hayne's manual just says to put a socket over it, and hammer them out, and then do the same thing to put them in. That's how I did it, and it was really easy.

BITESIZE
04-28-2008, 10:54 AM
HMMM.....Might have to do mine someday if it's that easy. Wanna help me? :)

markmdz89hatch
04-28-2008, 10:58 AM
good to know, I think I'll at least try that to remove one. thx.

turabaka
04-28-2008, 05:38 PM
HMMM.....Might have to do mine someday if it's that easy. Wanna help me? :)

sure dude. did you want to do it when you make the trip to Boise?

on a side note you might have to hit it with a bit of heat first, but it's not that big a deal. I had to heat mine up because I'm a total wuss Computer programmer. After I got them started though they came out easy.

MessyHonda
04-29-2008, 09:42 AM
yeah the mogg front ball joints are easy to put in...a few taps and they are all the way in.

BITESIZE
04-29-2008, 10:44 AM
I just killed a huge ass black widow spider. Its ass was as big as a gobstopper candy. She was in my sprinkler box buried in the lawn.

MessyHonda
04-29-2008, 10:46 AM
I just killed a huge ass black widow spider. Its ass was as big as a gobstopper candy. She was in my sprinkler box buried in the lawn.

wrong thread?

BITESIZE
04-29-2008, 10:48 AM
^^^Nope, just being random. Thought Trevor might like to know.

turabaka
04-29-2008, 02:36 PM
lol. I used to have one of those as pets. Ironically they're the only spiders that don't scare me. I'm a total arachnaphobe though if it's any other spider.

mykwikcoupe
04-29-2008, 09:18 PM
ive always used a ball joint seperator as whenever ive used the picklefork it always smashes all the gearse out and tears the boot. As for the replacing of the ball joints in the arm thats the way Ive always done it unless they are machined in and non replacable. Good to hear the swaps are going ok