BAll Joint Hell!

[04SR54me]

Well, guys. I tore into replacing my lower ball joint, drivers side today. First my compresser belt shredded with just 90 lbs of air available. Then I got the ball joint ready to remove, including the snap ring, and could not get it to budge.
I tried hammer, I tried ball joint press: harbor freight, I tried my impact gun and my air hammer...nothing. I soaked it with pb blaster, put some butane heat on the casting that surrounds it for about 20 seconds, then tried hammer...nothing!
Right now, it's sitting with the ball joint press on it, soaked with pb blaster and I used a breaker bar to tighten it to my max, letting it sit.
This is my daily driver, of course. I'm getting a new belt for the compressor tomorrow, but I wonder if it, (one of those free standing ones about 5' tall, will generate enough pressure with my gun. I think the max it has is 120.
I also tried my dewalt 1/2" stubby with the big battery and no luck.
Any suggestions? Maybe while the press is on it, hit it with map gas ? Maybe that will expand it enough for it to pop?
Then there's re-installing it!
I'm all ears...

 

[Drcoffee]

What you need to do is compress the ball joint press as tight as it will go. Then hit the control arm next to it with a hammer. The shock will break the corrosion. Tighten the press some more and hit it again repeatedly until it breaks free. Dont hit the press or cups. An impact usually does the trick but adding the hammering should motivate it

 

[04SR54me]

Thanks, I'll try that and report back.

 

[rdruss]

Buy an inexpensive LCa from 1AAuto and install it while you work on yours, or look for a low mileage used on ebay, I did both. Replacing my ball joints was an experience like yours, didn't happen!

 

[SocalSam]

My LCA's are long gone. I'm not going the ball joint route. How are the cheapo LCA's or should I get OEM?

 

[Runnin on E]

Buy an inexpensive LCa from 1AAuto and install it while you work on yours, or look for a low mileage used on ebay, I did both. Replacing my ball joints was an experience like yours, didn't happen!

This is what I did also. Now I have a spare set that I already have new ball joints installed. I have an FJ and T4R so it is handy to just swap out A arms for whichever vehicle needs them next. I did have to use a 20 ton press to get those BJs out after removing the A arm. I have one of those BJ removal C clamps and it didn't do a thing to move the BJs. I used all the tricks, heat, hammering.....If you keep your old A arms you can also replace the pivot bushings if they are removed for that issue.

 

[04SR54me]

Okay, guys...I hit paydirt. it appeared that the ball joint was slightly off center, so I readjusted the ball joint removal tool and placed the screw threaded part on the high side. I cranked, struck the housing, cranked a bit more, hit the housing and it finally let go. Then I used a honer to clean up the opening and was very careful seating it, then used a breaker bar to get it going. Oh, by the way, before I did that, I heated the Lca with a propane torch for about a minute, just where the new ball joint was going, and I had the ball joint in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes prior to kind of shrink it. I think that made installation easier. I also put some copper antiseize on the inner surface I was installing it in. All went well and i used a greasable TRW balljoint. I torqued it to 166 but the holes in the ball joint shaft were too low for the castle nut to catch, so I put a hardened washer under the castle nut and bent the head of the cotter pinup to kind of catch the castle nut.
That being said, I was far from amused when I saw the upper ball joint boot's back half was missing! So, I am going to bite the bullet and replace the control arm rather than go through this hell again, lol!