Front wishbone balljoint won't split

[Steady-Eddie]

Just tried changing the front offside wishbone. Can't get the big ball joint in the centre to split. My normal splitter won't even go near it so I bought a heavy duty fork type that you hammer in and that seems to small too.

Have managed to pean the end of the threads a bit trying to "persuade" it out but as it's got to come out not too bothered.

Has anyone got any tips on how to do it please?

[GT Courier]

No experience of the Rover side of things but did one an Audi by positioning a windy jack (from the spare) between the steering arm and lower anti roll bar, might work on a 75?

But you will probably need a big bar at some point, like a 6 foot long thick one to either remove or re attached, a scaffolding bar for example...

As above this worked on a 97 Audi A6, but may have no relavance to your car... :getmecoat:

[Reebmit]

Hi, From what I remember, I jacked up on the wishbone itself and then hit the half undone nut with a heavy hammer, will need a good whack though but I found with the weight of the car it shifted, hope this helps.

**Remember to put an axle stand under the car so it does not fall too far when joint releases, although by having the nut only half undone this should prevent this, but I use a stand as a matter of safety anyway**

[graham2230]

Reebmit's idea is a good one. if that doesn't move it try this:-

Done one very recently, put a good solid bottle jack under the balljoint stud (with nut slackened right off) jack car up so weight is on the ball joint then hammer frame that the ball joint goes through. The shock of the hammer blows and the taper of the ball joint should cause it to seperate.

Remember and make sure the wheels are blocked and the car properly supported as the car will drop a little bit. If you slacken the ball joint nut about 1/4" then it shouldn't go too far.

Good luck,

Graham

[Reebmit]

Reebmit's idea is a good one. if that doesn't move it try this:-

Done one very recently, put a good solid bottle jack under the balljoint stud (with nut slackened right off) jack car up so weight is on the ball joint then hammer frame that the ball joint goes through. The shock of the hammer blows and the taper of the ball joint should cause it to seperate.

Remember and make sure the wheels are blocked and the car properly supported as the car will drop a little bit. If you slacken the ball joint nut about 1/4" then it shouldn't go too far.

Good luck,

Graham

Yes spot on Graham, pretty much similar to my method, works very well.;)

[graham2230]

I just found it easier to get the jack to push straight onto the ball joint stud rather than the wishbone itself. You just get that little bit more strain on it, that and the fact that it doesn't move like the wishbone does if you try to jack that.

Either way will work though but, use a big hammer and a solid stand.

[HarryM1BYT]

Reebmit's idea is a good one. if that doesn't move it try this:-

Done one very recently, put a good solid bottle jack under the balljoint stud (with nut slackened right off) jack car up so weight is on the ball joint then hammer frame that the ball joint goes through. The shock of the hammer blows and the taper of the ball joint should cause it to seperate.

Remember and make sure the wheels are blocked and the car properly supported as the car will drop a little bit. If you slacken the ball joint nut about 1/4" then it shouldn't go too far.

Good luck,

Graham

That method has always worked everytime for me. Up on axle stands, then jack under the end of the stud, stop jacking up, when it starts lift. If it hasn't come out by then, tap either side of the wishbone and the top.

[tvpcop]

Big hoofing hammer is what shifted mine

[graham2230]

Big hoofing hammer is what shifted mine

Ah I see, the technical method lol

[Mike Noc]

Big hoofing hammer is what shifted mine


Without wishing to sound like a Monty Python sketch We've had it tougher than that.

Ended up soaking in penetrating oil, (not sure if it helped) applying the big hoofing hammer, then heating the frame around the balljoint with a blow torch and getting out the even bigger hoofing hammer, which finally split it.

Funny bit was the big flash when the oil caught light! Live and learn.



Mike

[T-Cut]

The technically correct method of splitting a taper is to shock it at right angles to the axis. That means giving the female part of the joint a brisk double clout with two hammers simultaneously on opposite sides. With the joint in question here, I've no idea if there's room to do it, but that is the way I was taught. I never used a splitter tool in my youth.

TC

[graham2230]

Mike,

You obviously were not applying the big hoofing hammer in a technical enough manner.

There are training courses, government funded, available to allow you to train to use the hammer in an appropriate way.

Graham

[graham2230]

The technically correct method of splitting a taper is to shock it at right angles to the axis. That means giving the female part of the joint a brisk double clout with two hammers simultaneously on opposite sides. With the joint in question here, I've no idea if there's room to do it, but that is the way I was taught. I never used a splitter tool in my youth.

TC

TCut,

There's no space. Your method works with outboard ball joints, this one is hidden and there is no way of hitting both sides at once. If you have to do one, the jack underneath is the best method.

Graham

[Mike Noc]

Mike,

You obviously were not applying the big hoofing hammer in a technical enough manner.

There are training courses, government funded, available to allow you to train to use the hammer in an appropriate way.

Graham

Cheers Mate. I will take note as I don't want to get the singed eyebrows again.

Mike

[Steady-Eddie]

Just in from work to find all the above posts. Thanks a lot for all your input gents. Can't look at it tomorrow (blood test) but Wednesday morning it looks as though the big impact adjuster is coming out to play :}

[COLVERT]

Just in from work to find all the above posts. Thanks a lot for all your input gents. Can't look at it tomorrow (blood test) but Wednesday morning it looks as though the big impact adjuster is coming out to play :}


Well I guess all there is left to say is----------------Take it steady, Eddie. Lol.


Count your fingers before and after.

Covert.:D

[David Lawrence]

Just in from work to find all the above posts. Thanks a lot for all your input gents. Can't look at it tomorrow (blood test) but Wednesday morning it looks as though the big impact adjuster is coming out to play :}



From your original post did I understand that its the ball joint bolt you're strugging with? You mentioned threads.

My advice would be get an impact socket (The 6 sided socket rather than the normal 12 sided ones) on the other end of the bolt, then take the nut off one end and crack the rust off the other end using the impact socket with a long bar. Once you get it turning you'll be able to drift out the bolt easily enough. Once thats done, the next trick is to lever down on the wishbone. I once spent 3 or 4 hours hammering at it, and getting it to move about 3mm, then my dad happened to sit in the car and turn the steetring wheel from side to side, and the thing just dropped out. So making sure you've got the car well supported and both wheels off the ground try turning the wheels from side to side.

[graham2230]

David,

From your original post did I understand that its the ball joint bolt you're strugging with? You mentioned threads

It is not the outboard ball joint that is the problem, the one at the hub is quite straightforward to split, there is a second ball joint on the inner side of the wishbone that seizes in the chassis. If you look at a wishbone on ebay you'll see what we mean.

Graham

[wullie480]

I did mine at the tail end of last summer and had similar problems with it being seized in.

I used as several members have mentioned is place a jack under the ball joint and a few heavy blows with the hammer loosened it off.
You could try using a big cold chisel as a sort of wedge in against the subframe.
If you can't get back to working on car till Wednesday may be worth spraying some penetrating oil in and around ball joint area.

[Steady-Eddie]

Thanks guys. The outboard joint comes out really easy. It's the central pivot joint that's set solid.
Have tried hammering a tapered splitter between the arm and sub frame but it didn't want to know. Had a look through previous posts on this and one member says to attack it from the front and not the side.
Will give it a spray tomorrow and attack it on Wednesday and yes, it will be Steady-Eddie. I'm on Warfarin and not allowed to knock or cut myself :D

[David Lawrence]

David,

From your original post did I understand that its the ball joint bolt you're strugging with? You mentioned threads

It is not the outboard ball joint that is the problem, the one at the hob is quite straightforward to split, there is a second ball joint on the inner side of the wishbone that seizes in the chassis. If you look at a wishbone on ebay you'll see what we mean.

Graham


Oh I'm with you now. Don't think I had any trouble with this one myself, just popped out from what I remember.

[Steady-Eddie]

Finally got it done this afternoon!

Tried everything from driving round with the nut loosened (don't try this at home children) to putting the jack under the bj and leaving the weight of the car on it while I went for a cuppa while my blood pressure came down.
In the end I just lay on my back whacking it with a lump hammer until it finally gave. 4 hours it took me and 15 minutes to put the replacement on.

Feeling quite please with myself now. Bet I'm stiff in the morning though:D
Thanks again to everyone for the advice

[graham2230]

Well done Eddie, no loss of blood I hope.

Other side will be far easier now that you've done one.

Graham

[tvpcop]

Finally got it done this afternoon!

Tried everything from driving round with the nut loosened (don't try this at home children) to putting the jack under the bj and leaving the weight of the car on it while I went for a cuppa while my blood pressure came down.
In the end I just lay on my back whacking it with a lump hammer until it finally gave. 4 hours it took me and 15 minutes to put the replacement on.

Feeling quite please with myself now. Bet I'm stiff in the morning though:D
Thanks again to everyone for the advice

Hahaha well done mate, that highly technical big hoofing hammer came into play :D

Glad you got it sorted

[rossocorsa]

heavy duty fork type that you hammer in

never like those prefer the ones with a nut on top that you gradually screw up tighter until the joint comes loose

[Steady-Eddie]

never like those prefer the ones with a nut on top that you gradually screw up tighter until the joint comes loose

Tried one of those first and there was no way it would fit. The fork type was next to useless as the fork was too narrow to fit around the joint. In the end I just hammered it end on until it cracked loose. Even tried drilling a hole up the centre of it. All that did was polish the drill bit:) It had too come out because the threads were well belled.

In the end the "birmingham screwdriver" prevailed

[rossocorsa]

I have a small pile of Fiat/Lancia tools and have their joint splitter it has a very thin flat area to go between the joint withshileding to stop it slipping and long arms it tackles most joints with relative ease:} much better than most tools from motor factors

[graham2230]

Rossocorsa,

The problem is that the inboard ball joint on the wishbone is recessed so getting any tools onto it al all is quite difficult. Best methode is to jack up the car on the inner ball joint thread which points downward, remembering to slacken the nut off of course. Hitting the subframe with a hammer shocks it loose as the weight of the car is sitting directly on the tstud from the ball joint.

I've never managed to split one with anything else.

Graham

[rossocorsa]

Rossocorsa,

The problem is that the inboard ball joint on the wishbone is recessed so getting any tools onto it al all is quite difficult. Best methode is to jack up the car on the inner ball joint thread which points downward, remembering to slacken the nut off of course. Hitting the subframe with a hammer shocks it loose as the weight of the car is sitting directly on the tstud from the ball joint.

I've never managed to split one with anything else.

Graham
yep it may well be one that beats that tool I'll take a look when I'm having an idle momemnt under the car!!

[guinness]

hi guys usall problem.
can remove the the lower suspension arm bolt from the sub frame.
tryed all info in the post except heating up.
have the ball joint under pressure with a bottle jack and plenty of wd40 but no movment .
have used a big lump hammer but still no sepration of the ball joint.
any help please as running out of ideas.
many thanks

[cusm]

hi guys usall problem.
can remove the the lower suspension arm bolt from the sub frame.
tryed all info in the post except heating up.
have the ball joint under pressure with a bottle jack and plenty of wd40 but no movment .
have used a big lump hammer but still no sepration of the ball joint.
any help please as running out of ideas.
many thanks

I know how it feels. it took me over 6 hours to release the bolt from the sub frame.
Just persevere it will come.

here is my saga and another solution. http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=100714&page=2

[Big boy]

Have you tried a scissor spiller , got mine from machine mart for £15.00.Worked a treat.