Originally Posted by
nonbox
How do you get the ball joint loose from the lower control arm without damage?
Which tool works to separate the ball joint from the lower control arm?
I have used a pickle fork before and it destroyed the ball joint.
CLIFF NOTES: RTFM
NOVEL: nonbox, several if not all of the different methods have already been covered in this thread. But I will list the methods again in order of easiest-to-biggest-PITA. Use any of these 4 methods with the details others have shared, and you won't have to replace anything but the axle and a cotter pin. If you don't use one of these methods, instructions are also in this thread for replacing what you broke. :P
1) pry down on the LCA with a pry bar and beat the SIDE of the LCA with at least a 3-lb hammer. This method sorta needs 2 people but it's usually only 1 whack and you're done. Alternate sides if it doesn't, because the stud from the LBJ that goes through the hub is tapered. It's a piece of cake.
2) jack up the rotor to lift the hub assembly, and beat the SIDE of the LCA with at least a 3-lb hammer. This is a great 1-man method, but you have to be more cautious than to just avoid hitting your friend with the hammer, because the jack can make the car unstable if you're not paying attention.
3) ball joint separator. too much hassle. Use only in a pinch. It's like the three bears... This separator is too big, this one is too small. this one mushroomed the bolt anyway... They're clumsy, tedious tools that are harder to find than what's needed for options 1 or 2.
4) leave it connected and disconnect the whole LCA/hub/strut assembly. This really is the most difficult and time consuming option. It's heavier, and requires removing 3 bolts instead of just 1 nut. Putting it back in without help sucks bad, but it can be done if you put down your purse and bleed on it. By the time you've had to resort to this method, there's usually a small crowd gathered and laughing at you so help should be easy to find.
You already have the hammer if you're using a pickle fork in the first place... so you should never have to use the pickle fork on good parts. A pickle fork always destroys the boot, and once the boot goes, the grease leaks out allowing dirt and water to get in it. This causes the joint to fail. Hondas don't come with grease fittings anywhere on their suspension parts to flush that junk out, so it's toast. Unless the boot is already torn, or the joint is already failing, never use a pickle fork.