Ball joints

[denguy]

How do you get your steering rack ball joints out of the spindle arm?

[GenevaDirt]

How do you get your steering rack ball joints out of the spindle arm?

take the nut off and use a 3# sledge and rap the end of the spindle quickly and sharply....it may take a couple of hits but if you do it right it will pop right out.
If you are replacing the ball joints then it does not matter and you can just hit the ball joint stud itself and break it loose, or use a fork tool to separate it.

[georgeb]

How do you get your steering rack ball joints out of the spindle arm?

They are called tie rod ends.

[Bert]

Tie rods often pop loose through application of a sharp smack with a big hammer. But make darn sure you spin the lock nut partially back on before you do this or the tie rod end threads will for sure be damaged.
Sometimes tie rods are seized in place so tightly that a 'separator tool' (looks like a C clamp) will have to be beg/borrow/bought. Now if the tie rod is already toast (meaning the boot is ruined) then a "pickle fork" (the real name!) is just the ticket. If'n you can get replacement boots this is the quickest way to go.
And...good luck!

[WmWatt]

Standard practice is to use a 2-prong puller to apply pressure then tap with a hammer to pop it free. If you are going without the puller a hammer and a punch might knock it free without damaging the end of the threaded part, or leave the washer on.

[denguy]

So the hammering won't bend the spindle arm?

[WmWatt]

To bend the "spindle arm" you'd need to heat it in a forge.
There are some photos at...

http://www.photobucket.com/Festiva-frontwheel

Look at photos 53-57.

[GenevaDirt]

take the nut off and use a 3# sledge and rap the end of the spindle quickly and sharply....it may take a couple of hits but if you do it right it will pop right out.
If you are replacing the ball joints then it does not matter and you can just hit the ball joint stud itself and break it loose, or use a fork tool to separate it.

should have said tie rod end and not ball joint

[GenevaDirt]

Tie rods often pop loose through application of a sharp smack with a big hammer. But make darn sure you spin the lock nut partially back on before you do this or the tie rod end threads will for sure be damaged.
Sometimes tie rods are seized in place so tightly that a 'separator tool' (looks like a C clamp) will have to be beg/borrow/bought. Now if the tie rod is already toast (meaning the boot is ruined) then a "pickle fork" (the real name!) is just the ticket. If'n you can get replacement boots this is the quickest way to go.
And...good luck!

Bert....you do not need to leave a nut on to pop the tie rod out when hitting the spindle, No reason the threads should come into play. Hitting the tie rod itself if you are trying to reuse it should never be done...with or without the nut...just asking for trouble. If totally replacing and you want to remove it...then why leave the nut on it at all....won't matter.

Have never had one so seized that it would not pop out when hitting the spindle arm, if you are doing it correctly.

[Damkid]

^^ive screwed up threads on tie rods before from beating them out of the knuckles, so leaving the nut on would protect the threads on the tie rods

[GenevaDirt]

^^ive screwed up threads on tie rods before from beating them out of the knuckles, so leaving the nut on would protect the threads on the tie rods

no no no....not talking about hitting the tie rod itself....you hit the spindle....maybe you have tried and had a deflection of some sort, this I could understand messing up the threads I guess.

[Damkid]

Lol I had no plans to re-use the tie rod so I was beating on it directly lol

[nitrofarm]

^^ive screwed up threads on tie rods before from beating them out of the knuckles, so leaving the nut on would protect the threads on the tie rods

I have seen many people put the nut back on a frozen OBJ.Then beat the piss out of it & when it finally broke loose.They couldnt get the nut off because the BJ just spins.:nono: The best method I've found is to place a 5 lb. mini sledge on the top of the knuckle,directly adjacent to the BJ. Then beat on the BJ stud with a heavy plastic mallet. Try "Backing UP" the knuckle next time you do it. You'll be pleasantly surprised

[scitzz]

no no no....not talking about hitting the tie rod itself....you hit the spindle....maybe you have tried and had a deflection of some sort, this I could understand messing up the threads I guess.

I have deflected and ruined the threads myself, using a larger hammer makes this less likely, as I can control a slower swing better.

I remember learning that trick from Festyboy. Same madness I met you, IIRC.

[denguy]

Actually i have popped out the bj from the sa by heating the sa with a propane torch and smacking the bj with a hamber. Always seemed kinda crude to me, but I was too cheap to buy the proper tool.