Laguna II front lower ball joint not coming out :(

[tbeith]

I am replacing the drivers side front lower arm and have removed the 2 bolts connecting it to the subframe but I can not remove the lower ball joint. The nut is off but the ball joint will not come out.

I have tried to hit it out with a hammer etc and it is not budging at all.

Any advice as to what I should do nexT!?!?!

Thanks

Tom

[madnoel10]

The lower ball-joint is a taper fit to the hub carrier and you will need a ball-joint separator to release it. They can be darned tight.

[Phaeton]

An old trick that may work but needs 4 hands really, hold a lump hammer tight against hub carrier at one side. Then with another hit the other side sometimes the shock will loosen it.

Another way is to put the arm back onto the subframe, get a trolley jack under the disc so it's just taking the weight. Get a long bar 4-6 feet & pass over the bottom arm & wedge it under the car then force the bar down.

Please note, these are rough ar$e ways of doing things & I take no responsibility for damage to you, your property or your loved ones, they have however been very successful in the past.

That said a proper balljoint splitter is what you really need, there are 3 in my garage if you live near Worksop & want to borrow one.

Alan...

Edit:- Just to say if you try the bar method, put the nut back on the balljoint a couple of turns so the arm doesn't drop all the way, meaning the pipe/bar will have a mind of it's own.

[madnoel10]

Originally Posted by Phaeton

An old trick that may work but needs 4 hands really, hold a lump hammer tight against hub carrier at one side. Then with another hit the other side sometimes the shock will loosen it.

Another way is to put the arm back onto the subframe, get a trolley jack under the disc so it's just taking the weight. Get a long bar 4-6 feet & pass over the bottom arm & wedge it under the car then force the bar down.

Please note, these are rough ar$e ways of doing things & I take no responsibility for damage to you, your property or your loved ones, they have however been very successful in the past.

That said a proper balljoint splitter is what you really need, there are 3 in my garage if you live near Worksop & want to borrow one.

Alan...

Edit:- Just to say if you try the bar method, put the nut back on the balljoint a couple of turns so the arm doesn't drop all the way, meaning the pipe/bar will have a mind of it's own.

Strangely enough I have never owned a ball-joint splitter. As yet the rough ar$ed hammer method and a 5 foot crow bar has served we well although you do need to be realy accurate with your hammer blows. I have seen this method work where splitters have failed.

Oh the joys of the american shifting spanner

[tbeith]

I have tried a ball joint speperator but it just kept slipping off, all the rubber around the ball joint has perished and most of it has come off so I am not sure if this is why or if it just because the ball joint tool is a cheap one from ebay!?

I will try the lump hammer method tomorrow, unforunately I have grinded most of the arm off because it was getting in the way of my 'beating the hell out of the ball joint' activities.....

grrrrr

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