Stuck Wishbone Balljoint

[dogboy1066 2 1 Cars]

Replacing my wishbones at the weekend. The passenger side I did a piece of piss, but the drivers side is being an utter pain.

 

I can get the bolts out of the sub frame easily but the ball joint to the hub is fused in. I tried everything I had at my disposal, including a 4 ft long crow bar, lump hammers, my ball joint splitter (which split in half) and it won't budge!

 

I've left it soaking in plus gas until next week when I get the chance again to have a go at it.

Any tips?

 

Also, I'm pretty sure the drive shaft slid at least partly out, could I have ballsed up the drive shaft seals?

[welshpug 1,682]

got the bolt out right?

 

they can be a little stubborn if rusty, I would pop the inner bolts back in the bushes (not tight) place a lever bar over the wishbone and under the track rod end, and get an assistant to bump inwards on the hub.

 

 

if the driveshaft has popped out you'll need to check the oil level, but it takes more than that to damage the seals.

[pug_ham 245 3 Cars]

The drivers side shaft can't be pulled out of the box as the part which slides into the box is held in place by the intermediate driveshaft bearing housing L bolts.

 

Imo you need to be careful using to much force to split them as this is how the balljoint hole can become ovalled, ruining the hub.

 

Worse case, take the hub & wishbone off the car & work on it on the bench to give better chance of separating them with minimal risk of damage imo.

 

g

[dogboy1066 2 1 Cars]

I completely undid the bolt on the hub and hit it through, i then tried remove the ball joint, but it was stuck, i tried levering it both between the hub/wishbone and on the back of the pich bolt (not sure that was a good idea regarding ovalising) etc. After a while of trying, i unbolted the other side of the wishbone and spun it round to give me something to hit with a hammer (which again i really wasn't sure was a good idea).

 

It seemed like the drive shaft slid out a little (which i thought it couldn't do), probably as much as an inch, as when i tried to re assemble it (i didn't want to leave it on stands for a week and a half) the wishbone was an inch away from the sub frame. I had to force it back into place, like i was pushing the drive shaft back in.

 

That combined with the hammering made me worry i had damaged it.

 

The passenger side was really easy.

 

I don't know whether its related, but I replaced the suspension strut too, but this will not go into the last 10mm of the hub (unlike the passenger side which required very little persuasion).

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

I often place a bar (jack handle for example) sideways across the top of the wishbone and as close to the balljoint as I can get, hold one end of the bar with one hand and strike the other side downwards with a hammer.

[dcc 855]

I tend to find a little persuasion and a little push of the hub and it will drop out.

[pug_ham 245 3 Cars]

It seemed like the drive shaft slid out a little (which i thought it couldn't do), probably as much as an inch, as when i tried to re assemble it (i didn't want to leave it on stands for a week and a half) the wishbone was an inch away from the sub frame. I had to force it back into place, like i was pushing the drive shaft back in.

 

The outer section of the driveshaft will move between the inner cup & hub end, iirc it sits on a spring cup so you would need a little force to reseat it fully but nothing excesive but you can't pull it out of the gearbox side on the drivers side shaft as its held in place by the intermediate driveshaft bearing.

 

g

[dogboy1066 2 1 Cars]

The outer section of the driveshaft will move between the inner cup & hub end, iirc it sits on a spring cup so you would need a little force to reseat it fully but nothing excesive but you can't pull it out of the gearbox side on the drivers side shaft as its held in place by the intermediate driveshaft bearing.

 

g

Thats a bit of relief, thanks

[dogboy1066 2 1 Cars]

Finally got it apart, still required a bit of persuasion mind, but actually came a part this time. Made a noise somewhere between a crack and a clunk as it did it.

I probably should have sprayed Plus Gas a bit more liberaly first and not just on the bolts.

 

One thing i thought of after, was that i could have put my jack under the wish bone (i'm not using it again as the gaiter is now knackered) and jacked the ball joint up, pushing it through the clamp against the weight of the car, just to loosen it up. Or is that a bad idea?

[welshpug 1,682]

Sounds a good plan actually, shift it the easiest way to break the corrosion then move tother direction.

 

If the joint is still good you can get a replacement boot, well worthwhile doing these days given how hard it is to get a known decent unit.