Lower ball joint woes

[martym00se72]

Hi All,
I managed to get the ball joint out with the aid of chemicals and some "brute force and ignorance" (one of my old man's favourite tools  ) I cleaned up the socket etc where the new one is to go but I now find that the new one will not fully seat in the socket/cup. I have tried heat, lubricant and a solid beating but no movement is apparent. Any tips on what I can do? I have the nuts on either end so wondering if driving on it would seat it and what the risks are of doing that if no other ideas are forthcoming??
Cheers
Marty

[Cool Jesus]

I'm going t be replacing mine also, sounds like a mongrel job. Were the joints overly rusted at all? Once removed how clean did the socket look? The workshop manual simple has them pressed off and on with a puller. They also don't seat all the way in, there's a few mm between the socket bottom and that lip/ledge around the ball joint itself.

[GTVeloce]

I have just replaced the lower ball joints on both the GTV and the 75 and worked a method that made it easy.

To remove: I used a small cold chisel and just wedged it (with the aid of a hammer) between the lip of the ball joint and the lower face of the lower A arm. I didn't need any heat or lubricant but just worked my way around the ball joint many times (using a bigger cold chisel as I went) until it fell out. With practise its a 5 minute job.

To re-install: I used a two legged puller. I put a 17mm socket (seemed about a suitable size) over the upper spigot (i.e. on top of the A arm), then placed a few (I used 3) suitably sized washers on top of that (just to protect my socket) and then placed the driving arm of puller into the washers and the main two arms of the puller on the underside of the balljoint. Just make sure you keep it straight and then just crank it up until is seated.

Don't bother trying to use the weight of the car to drive it up (tried that and failed) and definitely don't try pulling it up using the top nut (will just thread it).

I can probably post pics if you need it to.

Cheers
Julian

[martym00se72]

If you can specify the size/brand of the puller you used that would be helpful - and pics too if you have them. I am guessing you need one with arms long enough to get the lip of the ball joint. I had been working on using a tube  with a solid base (much like a socket but bugger) around the ball joint and a socket on the top bolt to protect both and then using a suitable g-clamp to seat it. But I am yet to make that work 

[rowan_bris]

why don't you just use a press?

[martym00se72]

Because I don't have one and no real desire to spend 250 for one.... Plus I haven't taken the A arm off and would like to not have to.

[GTVeloce]

I will have a look today at my puller and take some pics for you. The puller from memory was around $70 from Super Cheap and I didn't have to remove the A arm.

[martym00se72]

Awesome, thanks Julian!

[Duk]

When I've replaced lower ball joints in the past, I've used a piece of water pipe that is a very similar diameter to the ball joint's steel flange.
I would fit the new (lubricated with Never Seize) BJ to the suspension arm and then position the piece of pipe under the BJ flange and lower the car (on the jack) so that plenty of the cars weight was sitting on the piece of pipe, helping to seat the new BJ in the suspension arm.
Then I would use a copper dolly and a 4lb hammer and drive the top of the suspension arm downwards, towards the pipe.
The steel flange of the BJ never seated snugly against the suspension arm with either the original BJs or the new BJs.

No need for a press, a puller and able to be done with the arm on the car.

[GTVeloce]

Ok, I am not ready to replace my last lower ball joint so I can't show it to you in action just yet, however, I have taken a pic of it set up off the car minus the A arm. All you need to do is visualise the A arm on top of the ball joint but beneath the socket (17mm). I put 3 washers between the puller and the socket just to protect my socket and make a smoother surface for the centre of the puller. The puller is a 4in device.

Once I get around to actually installing this ball joint I will take more pics of it in action.

Julian

[GTVeloce]

Well it has been a while, but I have finally swapped the last ball joint over on the weekend. I took a photo of it just before pressing it in so you can see the operation in action. I removed the A arm for other reasons no related to this task. It is no harder, in fact probably easier to do in situ as the A arm doesn't need holding steady during the operation.