Ball joint nut removal pic - What the @#!* am I doing wrong??

[racemor]

Hey guys, I've read a lot of threads about how to take the old ball joint nut off that say to use a Dremel and chisel. "A couple of cuts and chisel 'em off" they say. Since I'm putting on new balljoints and nuts as part of my strut upgrade I don't have a problem with hacking away at the old ones.

But I must have missed something somewhere. Take a look at this photo, it is showing the place I'm trying to cut the nut, a verticle cut starting in one of the notches. Am I doing this right??? My cutting wheel won't reach all the way up the side of the nut without hitting the control arm, so I've gone as far as I can, here and on the other side, whacked it with the chisel and got no result. Just a big gash in the nut.

Seems that a lot of people here have done this before so it can't be an impossible job, help me please!

[Rob Markworth]

That is exactly where I cut mine. I also made a cut on the opposite side. You will not be able to cut it all the way (at least I could not get that high with the dremel tool). It took a bit of work with the chisel and sledge to get them off. One broke apart and came out easily. The other one losened enough to be unscrewed.

Best of luck.

Rob

[DPatterson]

There is a tool for that, fits an impact wrench nicely and the nut comes right off. I do not recall what I paid for the tool but is it better than a chisel and hammer.

[slope-nz]

I used a drift and a hammer.I'll also use a drift and a hammer to put it back on. the socket cost $50.00 to $60.00 . I'ts not that hard of a job. Randy

[Rob Markworth]

In most of the posts that I have read on this, the special socket should only be used to install the new nut. Using it to take of the old nut can damage the socket. I would think this would be more of a concern on an older car with more corrsion. The threads on my ball joints looked pretty bad after 30 years of corrosion.

I also do not know about using the hammer and chisel to put the new nut on. How can you be sure you have the correct torque?

Rob

[RickM]

Would this work? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40929

[slope-nz]

Rob, I also would not recomend the use of a chisel for the instlation on the nut.A drift has a flat edge not a cutting edge. I dont think that 180 lbs is a hard # to come up with using a hammer and a drift.after you tighten it up there is a nut locker to keep it there. All this aside, a socket would still be best. Randy

[yeuporsch]

I did it by heating it up first. Be careful you will burn the rubber and can suffocate on the fume. Ask me how I know.

John

[Evans, Marv]

Rob is right. Cut up as far as you can in a couple of places. You can use a chisel & tap it up vertically through the cut to separate (or split) the nut. When you put the new one on, you might see if you can borrow the socket from somebody. I don't like using a chisel or drift to tighten them, although if you don't have anything else, it works.

[slope-nz]

Please don't anyone think that I don't think that a socket would be best because it is.As a matter of fact if there any Pelicans in the Cinti.area I would love to use your socket.My a-arms are off my car . Thanks Randy

[racemor]

Well, sounds like I'm on the right track, just need to work harder with the chisel I guess. Marv and Rob are describing my plan, I'll use the tool to do the installation. Pelican has it for $47.50.

[frogers911]

Just got mine off last weekend. just like yeuporsch said:
Heat heat and more heat. I used a propane torch and it took me about 2-3 cycles of heating and cooling to get them off. i also used a chisel and a small sledge. The special socket tool should only be used for the install.

[jtf914]

I picked one of these up at a FLAPS, it was about $10 (4WD bearing locknut socket):



It wasn't a perfect fit, but it worked when nothing else would. I used it on an impact wrench with about 90psi. And at $10 I wasn't too concerned about damaging the socket.

-Justin

[jyl]

Easier to chisel the nut apart with arms off the car and strut wedge pin disconnected. Then you can put the arm upside down on a hard surface and chisel away. The way you have it, the suspension cushions the nut against your chisel blows. Using the special tool to remove a particularly stubborn nut will damage the tool.

[Noel]

I used a propane flame to heat the nut after soaking it with penetrating oil and then used a large pipe wrench. It came right off. I also used the wrench to reinstall using the length of wrench X weight applied to calculate the torque.

Noel

[john70t]

If you use a half-eaten cutoff disk, there should be enough clearance to get 75% of it by going at an angle, and another 10-20% can be done with a dremel(and their way-overpriced dinky wheels) and then a chisel/punch to gouge the corner.

Theoretically, with the right aplication of heat on the nut to expand it, you should be able to twist it off by hand(ouch).

Just don't whack on the A-arm too much. Working smart is working lazy.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Noel
I used a large pipe wrench. It came right off. I also used the wrench to reinstall using the length of wrench X weight applied to calculate the torque.

ditto

it's painless and brainless

[aigel]

I oppose cutting around your suspension components with a dremel. An impact wrench and the correct tool will do the job perfectly. Make sure you didn't cut your A-arm.

What's wrong with you guys. You shy away from buying a $40 tool to do a job correctly?

George

[Speedy1]

Plasma cutter

[KFC911]

Tom, I had the same issue (and bent the tool in the process), but used a pipe wrench and a 4-5' breaker bar which coaxed them off with no problem. Although there's only 1/8" or so of the nut exposed beneath the control arm, that is enough to get a good grip with the pipe wrench, and with a long enough breaker bar, they broke free quite easily. I've got the tool (that you can borrow for the installation) if you need it...I'll be down in your area next Sun. (for the car show), or I can send it to you if you need it sooner than that. Good luck!