DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

[CitroJim]

All the best for full success today Mick

[NewcastleFalcon]

If you happen to tune in to this before you get started a few thoughts if your activity starts to frustrate.

I have seen YT vids of the struggles with Subaru ball joints. I'll shove one in the spoiler...starting at the bit where the ball joint gives in, where a pickaxe blade combined with the force generated by the cars own force by compressing the suspension on a jack and then releasing the tension with the pick axe blade wedged in a position to exercise the force in the right place.

Should all "on car" methods fail, its not much time or effort to remove the hub by slicing through the bottom arm with an angle grinder. You have a replacement arm. You would just have to hope that the driveshaft comes out of the splines of the hub with less difficulty than the one on the 6-bottles of wine clio.

With the hub out access is much better, and you can either take it somewhere for removal of the ball joint and its rusted in pin, or attempt a DIY with the arsenal you already have. If oxy acetylene cant remove it fairly swiftly then that ball pin and socket would have defied the laws of physics.

That to me is the least stress solution on body and mind...unless the driveshaft is stuck too of course

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I have considered removing the hub but I am not happy about the strut clamp or the abs ring so I'm hoping to avoid that if at all possible. I wouldn't have to cut the arm as it is already free from my first attack and will come away with the hub.
However today I am going to work on spreading the clamp more efficiently and seeing where I go. Don't wait up!

[NewcastleFalcon]

I see the ball joint is not a type I have come across, and its the "fat end" which pokes into a circular "socket" in the hub. Looks like even with the hub off you wouldn't have access to drift it out from the top due to the moulding of the hub carrier.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Yes that's right Neil. The top is closed so the only option is pulling/prying etc from below, which is why it is best to keep the lower arm attached for clouting puroses!!
Now that I have got the first lip down I can try a thin cold chisel workng round the perimeter a bit at a time and try to free it up enough to get some stilsons round it to try and twist it free. Then there is always the nuclear option!!

[Gibbo2286]

Couldn't really remember the set up there Mick so don't know if this helps.

[NewcastleFalcon]

That one is going on toolbag tales too....excellent find gibbo...like his style!
"hope I don't find one on the Snap-on truck for 80 bucks in a years time"

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Thanks Gibbo for the idea, it is exactly the same setup as mine so if I can take the principle and come up with something that won't need welding or a slide hammer but pulling on the stud it may be the way to go. This is my first thought comments invited:

Possible?

The main issue I can see is drilling the end of the tube to accept the stud and then that in theory the pulling force will be in an arc but the distance to pull is so small I don't think that will matter!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

With it being so stuck, the shock of the hammering which so far hasn't worked you would think would be more effective than the gradual pull, but hopefully your proposal will work.

I did say I would put in a spoiler the pickaxe method. I've got two of that particular tool lying around at chez falcon minus the handles!

Last resort-the pickaxe method

Spoiler: show

Method looks like....no recommendation from me but this is what they did to remove the ball joint.

Looks like it is Jack the suspension up to the max
Wedge the beautiful gradual wedge of the pick axe handle between the bottom arm and the hub carrier, drop the suspension off the jack. hammer the pickaxe wedge in some more, hit the blade of the pickaxe.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

That method separates the ball joint from the arm, that is not my problem as I am replacing the arm and ball joint. I just need to get the joint out of the hub. The other side came out with a few taps of the club hammer but this one has so far survived everything I have thrown at it!! However I have just borrowed a Dewalt battery powered hammer which is my next move to hammer all round the joint and hopefully free up the corrosion!! If that doesn't work by itself I am going to rig up that seesaw plan and then, once I have created sufficient pull, have another go with the percussion hammer!!

Watch this space!

[mickthemaverick]

Eureka!!!!

Who needs posh pullers when you have a battery hammer?

This is the offending bit, much cleaning of its socket before the new one goes on!

And the winning tool, applied to the exposed lip

So now after a celebratory glass of wine I shall go and clean it all up and fit the new arm, then just need to book it in for laser alignment and it will be ready for Wales!!

[CitroJim]

Magic! Good old DeWalt Always to the rescue!

Delighted to see success at long last Mick

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well done Mick! Nice to have a successful outcome, and a method that worked on obviously a very very stuck ball joint. I've had a look at the Leaf to see if it has those upside down ball joints with the fat end in the hub. Thankfully it doesn't.

Was all your "assisted hammering" directed at the lip you had exposed as mentioned, or some on the arm itself, and did it release within a couple of minutes or did it take a bit more persistence to give in.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I used the hammer around the casing of the knuckle with a blunt tip and then put on the sharp tip and attacked both the lip and the arm itself. It didn't actually give way during the hammering but I sensed it was loosened so I removed the inner pivot bolt and the back mounting so the arm was hanging on the ball joint. A couple of up and down wiggles and out she came!! 15 minutes in all!

I then cleaned the inner surface of the knuckle until it shone and applied anti seize copper grease inside. The new joint slid home by hand only and my temporary pinch bolt went in and secured it. I then installed the arm with the aid of my small jack to raise the inner end up to its pivot while keeping the hub aligned as necessary. Refitted the rear mount, installed the drop link and then the pivot bolt. Torqued as per the manual although I'm not sure my torque wrench is that accurate anymore, well it is 45 years old!! I have ordered a new one so I'll check the bolts with that when it arrives next week!!

I then took the car for a test drive and it is beautifully smooth although the steering wheel is 3 or 4 degrees to the right. Not surprising considering I have now replaced all the front bushes, both track rod ends and the ARB mountings and drop links front and rear! It will be booked in for laser alignment next week and I will fit the new air filter which still hasn't turned up so I'm going to go up to Cambridge on Tuesday to get the pinch bolt and hopefully the filter which is paid for but not delivered as promised. Words will be had!!

So I am now looking forward to a couple of days relaxation and general lolling on my re-upholstered sofa which I completed last night!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks Mick. Nice concluding summary well done!

Neil