Removing ball joint from knuckle, this sucks.

I've already looked through this thread by Underdog.

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86579

 

I can't get the MF'ing balljoint out of the knuckle. In order to install the Whiteline Roll Center kit.

 

The control arm part is easy, take out cotter pin, take off castle nut. Use the U-shaped ball joint pusher/popper, threaded end pops rights out of the control arm, done ,sweet and easy.

 

Now the balljoint out of the knuckle. Sweet mother of phuck . Take off the bolt that holds the knuckle together and lets it separate a bit. Pry on it on the side while trying to pull it out with a fork, nothing. Put the control arm back on the threaded nut and try to beat on it to make it pop out, nothing. I've already PB blasted the shiat out of it and it honestly hasn't budged, must be that 50k of rust.

 

 

Sooo, I need ideas/suggestions on how to get it out, its already all mangled from the fork tool and I have new balljoint to put in so I really dont care how mangled it comes out.

 

I'm thinking I need something like a reverse threaded puller. Something I can clamp onto the castle nut of the threaded bolt, anchor against the knuckle and then make it spin out instead of in and pull it out. Or something like a scissor jack that expands as you spin it so I can shove it between the control and and the knuckle and as it expands, it will force the balljoint to pop out of the knuckle.

 

So what tool am I looking for, what else can I try? Thanks in advance.

Damn man... I just flashed back to the horror of trying to remove that sucker...

 

I had an idea similar to your reverse thread puller. I took a piece of exhaust coupler pipe and fit it over the balljoint spindle. Then I made a large flat washer and tightened it down on the pipe using the castle nut. My idea was that as you tightened the nut, the ball joint would jack out of the knuckle.

 

However, the spindle can freely rotate, so even if you get the nut started as soon as it sees any load it will just rotate the spindle.

 

What I think you need is to take a smallish chisel and hammer it into the split housing. Just enough to get it to spread a bit more. Soak some more p'blaster in there. Whack the knuckle a bunch of times, and then keep hammering on the arm (a small sledge would be good).

paging whitetiger

Oh yes, it is terrible. I replaced the stock A-arms on my impreza with the aluminum sti ones last year. Ended up sheering of the bolt that holds the ball joint in. Then when I drilled out the bolt the knuckle cracked... oh that was fun.

 

I believe i just hammered the crap out of it until it came out then.

I've never spent more than 5 min on one. I think it's all about technique

Damn man... I just flashed back to the horror of trying to remove that sucker...

 

I had an idea similar to your reverse thread puller. I took a piece of exhaust coupler pipe and fit it over the balljoint spindle. Then I made a large flat washer and tightened it down on the pipe using the castle nut. My idea was that as you tightened the nut, the ball joint would jack out of the knuckle.

 

However, the spindle can freely rotate, so even if you get the nut started as soon as it sees any load it will just rotate the spindle.

 

What I think you need is to take a smallish chisel and hammer it into the split housing. Just enough to get it to spread a bit more. Soak some more p'blaster in there. Whack the knuckle a bunch of times, and then keep hammering on the arm (a small sledge would be good).

 

 

Did you end up taking yours out? Or you took it somewhere to get done?

 

I've never spent more than 5 min on one. I think it's all about technique

 

LOL, thats nice, care to share the technique?

Nope, spent all weekend and took a day out of work to try and get it out... ended up towing it to the dealer Monday evening. Tech had it done within an hour (both sides). Air-hammer FTW!

Nope, spent all weekend and took a day out of work to try and get it out... ended up towing it to the dealer Monday evening. Tech had it done within an hour (both sides). Air-hammer FTW!

 

How much was the damage $?, that might be the worst case scenario. I hate wasting money on labor, especially if I tried and could n't do it myself

take out bolt. Pry loose.

When I put in my JDM A arms, I used an air hammer with a U shaped chisel, if you have one at your disposal? It still took me long enough to wonder if I was missing something. Just be sure to were hearing protection my ears are bleeding just thinking about how loud that was.

Do NOT wedge the pinch point open on the knuckle. They are made from cast iron (peanut brittle) and will crack the ears off. It cost me $275 for a knuckle on one side after I told a friend (he was on the ball joint while I was doing the clutch) to "do what he had to do"... and he did it with an air hammer.

good 'ol bull pin & hammer - has never let me down.

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113347&highlight=lca+removal

I had to replace one on my friends WRX that went bad. He struggled for a whole day until I came out the next day. Pin and hammer in hand I knocked it out in less than 10 minutes. Had to knock it from side to side and then catch a lip so I could hit it down at an angle.

 

I have the RCK kit to install on my leggy soon and I hope it's not too hard!

I've never spent more than 5 min on one. I think it's all about technique

 

Your wife would agree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This thread relates my experience with ball joint and steering knuckle from a while back...

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76508

the stock ball joints tend to get rusted in to the knuckle. if you leave the ball joint in the LCA, you can hit down on the lca to pull the ball joint out of the knuckle. this works well if you have a air hammer to help you. you can also use a slide hammer if you get a thread couple that will make it fit on the ball joint.

good thing i'm not married then

lol

 

 

I am dumb......I must have missed what you are talking about the first time around. I was thinking the fronts. Sorry for any confusion.

good thing i'm not married then

 

Well now you know why.

Do NOT wedge the pinch point open on the knuckle. They are made from cast iron (peanut brittle) and will crack the ears off. It cost me $275 for a knuckle on one side after I told a friend (he was on the ball joint while I was doing the clutch) to "do what he had to do"... and he did it with an air hammer.

 

So after you beat the crap out a piece of cast iron, you trust it???????

Why Subaru did not use anti-seize on:lol: the joint, I don't know.

 

But I will tell you this. Beating on cast iron changes it, it can crystallize And I got pins in my hip to prove it.

So after you beat the crap out a piece of cast iron, you trust it???????

Why Subaru did not use anti-seize on:lol: the joint, I don't know.

 

But I will tell you this. Beating on cast iron changes it, it can crystallize And I got pins in my hip to prove it.

 

An attempt was made with a tig welder to secure the crack on the ear. It looked like a great weld..... and then it slowly cooled. Ah, the wonderful sounds of cast iron cracking away from a weld are like christmas lights on a cold silent winter night. Ping, tink, donk, ping and then you look at it, and lo and behold the crack has reappeared!

 

Cast = junk.

So I guess to sum it up, I'll just take the knuckle out completely this weekend and with a punch or a chisel start hitting it in the slit.

 

I did try the leaving the LCA on and beating on it but that went nowhere and I didn't want to end up damaging them.

 

From what I understand the only way to get to the balljoint itself is through the side slit that opens up, correct?

So I guess to sum it up, I'll just take the knuckle out completely this weekend and with a punch or a chisel start hitting it in the slit.

 

I did try the leaving the LCA on and beating on it but that went nowhere and I didn't want to end up damaging them.

 

From what I understand the only way to get to the balljoint itself is through the side slit that opens up, correct?

 

you're making it waaay more difficult than it needs to be. I forsee a 'wtf I split my knuckle???!!!!' thread coming soon... btw if you take the knuckle off you're not going to have any sort of leverage to get the bj out - it's much easier to do on the car imo.

Yes, do it on the car and don't remove the knuckle assy. Just knock the bottom of the ball joint from side to side with a rubber mallet. Don't pry the slit open. Try to find a tool that catches the bottom lip of the ball join and hammer it downward.

you're making it waaay more difficult than it needs to be. I forsee a 'wtf I split my knuckle???!!!!' thread coming soon... btw if you take the knuckle off you're not going to have any sort of leverage to get the bj out - it's much easier to do on the car imo.

 

I see, well I wasn't planning on trying to open the slit more. I was under the impression that I could access the top of the balljoint through the slit and thus could smack on it from the top causing it to pop out the bottom. I guess I was mistaken.

 

 

Yes, do it on the car and don't remove the knuckle assy. Just knock the bottom of the ball joint from side to side with a rubber mallet. Don't pry the slit open. Try to find a tool that catches the bottom lip of the ball join and hammer it downward.

 

Like what tool? There seems to be a few people that have done it. All I want is for someone who's done properly to tell me how exactly they did it and what tools they used. Since all the prying and banging I've done hasn't even budged that bitch.