%$#@$% Ball joint!

I am trying to remove the upper control arm on my Ford wagon. The bushings are shot, the rubber in them is dry rotted and crumbling out. I did one upper arm with no, well almost no problems. I know that to detach the ball joint from the spindle, you use the pickle fork and it usually takes a bunch of whacks before it lets go. But the other ball joint on the other side just won't let go! I've been wokring on it for an hour and it won't budge. Any suggestions other than using dynamite?

 

1 ... take the nut off first...

2 ... Get a bigger hammer...

3 ... Put some heat to it, but don't burn up the car...

4 ... take if to a professional if none of the above work... :banghead3:

 

Nut is off

Looking for a bigger hammer

I'll try heat if the bigger hammer doesn't work

No professional help. It will come off one way or another

The other side went so well...why does there always have to be something that doesn't go well??? If I had three nuts to remove from something, guaranteed that the last one I try to remove wouldn't budge. I just don't get it...

 

If you have one, a air chisel with bthe pickle fork bit. Sounds like you got a stubborn one and the air chisel will just keep you from wearing yourself out with a hammer.

 

Squirt it with PB Blaster, and have a beer - Come back in a couple hours, and hit it again!

 

I've had trouble getting those loose even with an air chisel. Try some PB Blaster. Thermal shock can also break it loose.

 

Have you wife give it a couple of whacks. Then you hit it again and it will come off. Wife can take credit for loosening it up... This works most of the time......

 

Do NOT remove the nut all the way till the ball joint is loose. Have another beer, squirt more PB Blaster, hit it hard.
Repeat.

 

If you are replacing the ball joint anyway, use a blow torch and burn the rubber off! I've done that before on a 78 Chrysler Newport. It worked. Once the rubber was gone, it fell right out, no muss, no fuss.

 

This is pretty much my method for any sort of car repair.

 

try turning the pickle over the other way and /or coming at it from the other side.....and....slightly bigger hammer!

and you do have some pressure on it so it has the incentive to seperate...right?

if your gonna replace the the BJ...then you can always give it a whack on the stud....ie;....hitting back out of the spindle hole

 

Pickle forks are often not effective on ball joints, in the past I have had good luck with loostening the ball joint nut up until some threads are showing below the nut but not removing it all the way. Then tap the side of the spindle swedge rather than hitting the ball joint itself. The pressure of the spring or tortion bar will help push the ball joint loose and the nut will catch the control arm. Then jack the control arm enough to remove the nut.

It often takes several good hard hits with a heavy hammer, but be persistant I have yet to have one win with this method.

 

If that doesn't work, time for more PB Blaster and another beer.
Hey, this is starting to be fun! Get a bigger hammer----and another beer!~

 

Smack it..take a drink...smack it...take a drink...best drinking game ever Cat.

 

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.