Hi experts,

I am a 'as needed home mechanic' , working on my 96 civic EX only when it needs servicing like oil changes, tune up, or anything on an as needed basis. Recently I have noticed front end emits a clicking noise when I make turns, so I checked underneath and saw the outer cv boots are damaged. So I figured the cv joints will need to be replaced and attempted to replace the axle shafts myself. I have a Haynes manual and thought this won't be too hard....and out I went and bought reman. drive axles and did the following according to the manual:

loosened the 32mm axle nut
jacked up the car and sat on jackstands
removed tire
removed damper fork
removed the lower balljoint castle nut
***Tried to use a 4" gear puller to remove the lower balljoint. This didn't work as the clamp keeps slipping off the lower control arm as I apply pressure to the clamp and the clamp eventually got bent out of shape...

Then I went and bought a Pitman Arm puller hoping this will work.
But I can keep on turning the bolt on it but the balljoint just seems like a rock and not even moving a bit.

Afraid of screwing up the threads on this balljoint bolt at the lower control arm, I did what the book says, loosen but don't remove the castle nut and apply pressure to the nut. Well, I did and I ended up damaging the threads on the bolt due to the fact that the pressure applied by the puller actually pushed castle thru the threads. Damned...

Still, the stubborn balljoint still won't move a tiny bit as if it's all welded together in one piece.

I did not use a fork as I am afraid to damage the balljoint/or grease cap.

It seems like everybody can do this easily but even with pullers I can't take the lower ball joint/lower control arm apart. I am the most frustrated guy in the universe and am about to take it to a shop and have professionals deal with this....I don't mind paying someone to do it, but this certainly should not be this hard and I just don't know what did I do wrong? Why is the ball joint so hard to remove?

Thanks for any input....

Civicfan8 in San Francisco

 

If you've already destroyed the threads on the joint, you might as well use a fork to separate it. I'll need to be replaced anyway.

 

I got mine removed by using a good size hammer and hammering both sides of the control arm. Spray some WD-40 into the control arm where the joint goes through. I've also used a hammer to hammer upagainst the tip of the balljoint bolt.

 

i put castle nut flush to the bottom of the ball joint and hammer up. couple pops and it's out.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Do I have to use a jack to jack up the rotor an inch or so first then hammer? I read elsewhere in this forum that this puts pressure on the lower ball joint and aids in getting the ball joint out along with the hammering of the sides of the lower control arm. Is this how I should do it?

Thanks.

civicfan8

 

also, the hammering is directly on the lower control arm and not thru a piece of wood? thanks.

 

Here's how I always do it (probably mine you read before). Loosen the castle nut but don't remove it. Put a jack under the rotor and lift it an inch or so the weight of the car is on the suspension and not the jack stand. Take a good sized hammer and smack the LCA on the side of the ball joint (be careful to hit just the LCA and not the boot or castle nut, but take good sized swings). The LCA is cast so your not going to damage it and your not actually hitting the ball joint itself so it won't be damaged either. A little WD-40 never hurt nothing, so it's not a bad idea but I've never needed it but it does take a good few whacks sometimes though. Good luck.

 

I would just use a spreader(fork) and an air chissel. (if you have an air compressor of course) For both you are talking about $50, which happens to equal the cost of a tie-rod. This is the safe and correct way of taking it off. You will not damage the boot or cap with this if you use the correct size and follow the directions. If you need to hammer, use a dead-blow or brass hammer. This will prevent you from messing up the threads too.

 

get a fork. I've torn up my dust covers pleanty, and driven with them like that for years with no problems. Just slide it in, and bang the hell out of her! :naughty: Works like a charm, and like I said, NEVER had a problem with damaging the joint. Just the boot, and it has never caused any problems....

 

Like others have said the easiest and best way besides using a ball joint seperator fork is to use a good heavy hammer.

The bolt for the ball joint and the hole in the Lower Control Arm are tapered so that they are almost compressed together.

1. Loosen the nut enough so that there is a gap between it and the LCA and so that it is covering the end threads of the bolt so that if you slip with the hammer it won't F*** up the ball joint bolt.

2. Turn your steering wheel all the way to one side so that the LCA and Ball Joint are fully exposed. At this point it is optional to jack the rotor up an insch or two.... it won't help to get the ball joint out of the LCA but it will help you to see when it pops loose since it will drop more dramatically.

3. Finally just take a few good dead solid hits to the LCA knuckle where the ball joint is bolted up. Depending on how heavy your hammer is will determine how many solid hits it will take to pop it loose.