Ball Joints removal trick

[Johnr352]

Hi. replacing the ball joints on my '84 911. No trouble getting the castle nut off and getting the ball joint to release from the control arm. I am, however, perplexed as to how to remove the wedge pin/ bolt. I don't have an air gun (yet), thinking I could pound it from the bolt side to move it out. I loosened the nut to the end and beat on it for a while, effectively smashing the end of the nut down a bit. The wedge pin did not "unwedge" itself.

Am I missing a step, other tricks? PB Blaster? Heat (I wouldn't have thought so, as the bolt would expand...) Your advice is much appreciated.

[Mark Salvetti]

No help on the pin, but air hammers are amazing. I had to replace a wheel stud on my RAV4, and also thought I could just pound it out. No dice. A five second burst with my air hammer had it out like butter.

Mark

[walt]

Second for an air hammer. They sell for cheap at Harbor Freight.

[Johnr352]

Thanks, might be the ticket. I also need a bigger torque wrench that musters up to 184 ftlbs...

[Johnr352]

Separately, what Air hammer did you buy?

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by Johnr352

Separately, what Air hammer did you buy?

Harbor Freight would have probably been fine, but when I can I like to buy better. I went with this basic Ingersoll-Rand: Air Hammer

I also have one of their impact wrenches that I really like.

Mark

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by Johnr352

Thanks, might be the ticket. I also need a bigger torque wrench that musters up to 184 ftlbs...

I have this one, I think it is a great tool: Precision Instruments 40-250 ft-lb

It is a split-beam, meaning you don't have to reset it to zero after every use like the micrometer click-type wrenches. There is a little knob on the side that is rotated to set the torque on the dial. Made in USA too. I have read they make the Snap On split beam torque wrenches.

Mark

[Johnr352]

Thanks for this

[Locker537]

Hit it harder. They like to get stuck.

Leave the nut on like you already did to prevent it from sailing across the shop. I like a big brass punch for stuff like this as well. It damages the parts less.

[Johnr352]

Originally Posted by Locker537

Hit it harder. They like to get stuck.

Leave the nut on like you already did to prevent it from sailing across the shop. I like a big brass punch for stuff like this as well. It damages the parts less.

Thanks!

[Bill Douglas]

I couldn't get it out on my SC and had to send the car to the Porsche place. They had to take the strut out and use a bench press.

A bit late but I thought I could have fabricated up a jig where I place a small bottle jack in it with the right sized pin to force it out, so strut removal wouldn't be necessary.

[wi54545]

I just did this with mine. One side worked with air hammer. The other side I put in my HF 20 ton press. Came right out with a bang.

[mikesarge]

I just did mine. They required a little heat. I used a propane torch (so relatively low temp) focused right on the pin. Not even red hot, but a minute or so with heat and a couple taps with a punch and they both came right out.

[Johnr352]

Originally Posted by mikesarge

I just did mine. They required a little heat. I used a propane torch (so relatively low temp) focused right on the pin. Not even red hot, but a minute or so with heat and a couple taps with a punch and they both came right out.

This is helpful. I can use an induction tool on the bolt side but would have thought getting it red hot would make thing worse. I can try a torch on the pin end.

[Johnr352]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I couldn't get it out on my SC and had to send the car to the Porsche place. They had to take the strut out and use a bench press.

A bit late but I thought I could have fabricated up a jig where I place a small bottle jack in it with the right sized pin to force it out, so strut removal wouldn't be necessary.

Ugh. Hoping this is not the case - and I can’t envision what the bottle jack scenario would look like.

[walt]

If you use a hammer and punch use a 4 lb. sledge. Forget the 16 oz ball peen, you'll be at it all day and night.

[smadsen]

Air hammer $19 today at Harbor Freight.

If it's roll pin, won't a matching diameter punch with the BFH work just as well? Get a piece of scrap lumber, drill a hole 1/2 inch diameter, one inch deep, and work horizontally on the garage floor. Safety glasses for this one just in case.

[Alan L]

I have always managed to get them out - but with the sort of difficulty you are having. Bit of heat and a sharp crack. But for all these hard jobs, I always reinstall with some never-seize coating. At least some future owner (if not me) hopefully won't have quite the same struggle. And it only costs a few cents to slap a bit on. And who knows - it might be you sometime in the future.
Alan

[PeteKz]

Related question: Once you get the pin out, how do you get out a stuck ball joint stem? I ran into this on one of my ball joints a couple years ago, so I left it alone because the ball joint and boot were still okay. But at some point I will need to get them separated. How do you deal with stuck stems?

[Alan L]

The splitter tool?
Alan