How to use ball joint separator

[IN 05 NT]

these things are a pain in the arse!, all you need is a BFH!..and a couple of big hits to the BJ,

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Well, tool works a treat. That's the good news. Sadly, I have three to remove, and one is too big for the tool. D'oh!

Hammer not working. Solution, get a bigger hammer. Bigger hammer not working. Le sigh. On a side note, I've f'ed the ABS sensor (actually, it was corroded into the carrier), not happy

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Oh, and I modified the tool for bigger opening, but alas, it doesn't fit over the actual joint itself because it's too wide. Fun fun fun.

[cambelt]

No Supra and soarer ball joints are nothing but a pain in the arse. Dave

[barned01]

try and transfer the blow of the hammer into something solid.
it could simply be a case of wedging another hammer on the other side of the joint to a point that is solid or a solid piece of metal resting against something solid.
the trick is trying to have a solid object on the other side of the joint so the force from the hammer doesn't transfer to nothing.
about 5 (reasonable) taps should do it if the joint is secured from the other side.

[allencr]

try and transfer the blow of the hammer into something solid.
it could simply be a case of wedging another hammer on the other side of the joint to a point that is solid or a solid piece of metal resting against something solid.
the trick is trying to have a solid object on the other side of the joint so the force from the hammer doesn't transfer to nothing.
about 5 (reasonable) taps should do it if the joint is secured from the other side.

+1
If it is being hit towards the suspension mount/pickup, then there is usually enough resistance that the hammer blow will distort the taper enough to release the tapered pin, and you would not have to use a opposing weight/bucking bar.
That tool or a 'pickle fork' work nice, but they F'up the boot which is very bad if it is only being disassembled & not being replaced.

[WDE_BDY]

Just remember though if you do wreck a boot they can be bought separately and were fairly cheap last time I got some.

Callum

[Lex400]

Some people use a 2 jaw gear/pulley remover to remove ball joints. As this is adjustable it can be used on various sizes, and i think there is less chance of damaging the ball joints/boots.

I did purchase a large balljoint remover but didn't fit so now I'm looking for a 2 jaw gear remover.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

Well, grabbed a 3 jaw gear/pulley remover, as that was the only thing I could find when I got home from work. No amount of tightening and/or hitting on the side with a hammer is proving useful. I forsee a pickle fork in my future, and a big hammer.

On a side note, both ABS sensors are now farked. Housing had corroded around them. Yay!

[JustCallMeOrlando]

If at first you don't succeed, modify your original tool to satisfy the requirements, complete the job then cackle like a hyena.

My particular ball joint separator had quite a bit of meat in it. I modified the distance between the forks to fit the 21mm ball joint, requiring a couple of mm removed with the grinder. Took some meat off the back of the handle, so the jaws could open further. Took some meat off where the "foot" sits on the end of the ball joint, and angled it up so it couldn't slip off due to the wider angle of the jaw. Tighten tighten tighten and bang One removed axle carrier so I can properly clean up where the ABS sensor was, and get the bearing swapped. I'll do the others later on when I have some light. I'm at the mercy of the sun without a proper garage.

[IN 05 NT]

dont hit the ball joint itself......hit the part the that ball joint slides into..............just incase you smaking the BJ itself ;p

[Moppitt]

My trick with the separator you have is to install as mentioned, then tighten up the bolt until there is tension on the ball joint to come out - then hit the hub with a metal hammer/mallet around the area where the balljoint goes in.... tighten a little more, then do it again.

Hitting the hub with a hammer whilst there is pressue to push out the balljoint will make it come loose really easily, as opposed to just tightening up the bolt and hoping for the balljoint to pop out purely from the force of the separator.

It all else fails. Use more hammer.

I was about to write something but then Witzl wrote that^^.

As an aside, I'll often experimentally give them a hit with the hammer just while pulling the ball joint by hand to see its loose and going to come out easily, to save the hassle of getting the tool out and setting it up. Its always a bit strange to have one pop with one turn on the bolt, leaving you thinking "I could have shown everyone (ok, the dog) how masculine I am by doing this by hand"

More hammer, always the solution

[JustCallMeOrlando]

dont hit the ball joint itself......hit the part the that ball joint slides into..............just incase you smaking the BJ itself ;p

I know, that's what eventually cracked them, but they all refused to budge without having any tension in the other direction too.

[Draven]

what did the bearing look like? mcfucked?

[JustCallMeOrlando]

It was intact, but wasn't moving very free at all. I decided I'd do them early to avoid any massive failures, and I'd only started hearing it in the last month or so.