CNY_Dave Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 The snap-on works juist like the homemade one's listed, single-screw with m,ale and female threads? Here's a great set of pics of a homemade tool: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1989958 With a MIG welder (or stick) you could easily weld the ball joint so it couldn't spin, but the hardest part of the homemade tool is only finding the right tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Looking at the snap-on tool, how the heck does it work? It threads to the stud, but then also threads into the outer cup with reverse threads (maining the ball-joint stud has to spin with the central piece)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) I don't think it matters if the ball joint stud spins with the snap-on tool, because the threaded rod in the tool is still going to apply tension as it is turned to pull the ball joint out. Trying to find anything already tapped to M12x1.25 is tough, 1.25mm thread spacing is considered extra fine thread pitch for an M12 I think. Most stuff out there is threaded 1.75mm thread spacing in M12. I was hoping to find a piece of threaded rod that was alerady tapped to M12x1.25 but I haven't seen that kind of thing anywhere. Looks like the snap-on tools is fairly new, this was from June 2012: New Snap-on Specialty Tool for Subaru Vehicles Makes Ball Joint Removal Faster, Safer KENOSHA, Wis. – June 4, 2012 – In the never ending quest to make life easier for its customers, with the help of some technicians, Snap-on has developed another specialty tool to save time and perform more jobs during the course of a day. The new Snap-on® Ball Joint Remover (BJR1) for Subaru® vehicles makes removal of stubborn ball joints on select Subaru models a lot simpler. The previous removal methods were costly, dangerous and in many cases would cause unnecessary damage to other parts on the vehicle. “We received some important feedback from technicians about what they were looking for in a tool that would help them remove ball joints on Subaru vehicles,” said Mark Knapp, product manager for Snap-on. “Using that information, we designed a specialty tool that helps service technicians beat the flat rate by getting the job done faster with less effort which can result in lower repair costs and less repair time.” The new Snap-on Ball Joint Remover (BJR1) for Subaru vehicles is made with safety in mind as it helps deal with low clearance and heavy corrosion. It is perfect for use on a variety of Subaru models: Baja (2003-2006), Forester (1998-2010), Impreza (1993-2010), Legacy (1990-2010) and Outback (2000-2010). Edited March 14, 2013 by porcupine73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 why is the M12x1.25 thread important? I was hoping to find a piece of threaded rod that was alerady tapped to M12x1.25 but I haven't seen that kind of thing anywhere.: For a ball joint tool or something else? Subaru lug studs are 12x1.25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) For the ball joint tool. Hm I think that would work, if a M12 x 1.25 bolt can be found to go with it. Then thead a lug nut onto the M12x1.25 bolt, place it through the washer. Then screw a lug nut about 1/2 way onto the ball joint stud. Then place the pipe/tube over the ball joint, then thread the bolt/washer combination onto the ball joint stud end. Then use a wrench to hold the lug nut outside while turning the bolt to pull the joint out. Basically the same as the other homemade tools, except you wouldn't have to drill and tap a bolt. | M12x1.25 bolt |lugnut|washer|tube|lugnut|ball joint stud end| Hm threaded rod in M12x1.25 well even the cheap stuff isn't cheap. I have this local farm shop near me that has a wide selection of cheap hardware, I'll have to see if they have anything like that. Or some other Subaru bolt that is fairly long and has that thread, maybe the camshaft socket bolts? Edited March 14, 2013 by porcupine73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 One old nut welded/brazed into the end of a piece of pipe that's welded/brazed on the the end of a bolt/threaded rod? Or would 'one nut' worth of threads just pull out? Still don't see clearly how the snap-on tool works, once the center piece is threaded to the stud, how do you then 'thread' the center-piece relative to the external piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 why is the M12x1.25 thread important? For a ball joint tool or something else? Subaru lug studs are 12x1.25 One lug-nut brazed/welded to the end of a piece of all-thread would sure work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 what material are the lug nuts...they seem kind of soft? i have all thread and lug nuts so i could easily weld one nut to the end. would one bead of weld on the edge of the lug nut hold it to the all-thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) The lug nuts are metal. Haha just kidding. I don't know must be steel of some sort. They do seem a little soft, especially in the tapered portion. Interesting, the all-thread, do you mean you have that in M12x1.25? I was just thinking that a M12x1.25 bolt or threaded rod would let you couple it directly to the ball joint stud using say a lug nut, rather than have to drill out a larger size bolt and then tap the inside to M12x1.25. The snap-on tool from what I can tell, the external 'shell' tube part, has a female threaded hole through the end. Into that is threaded the 'coupler', which then has M12x1.25 threads to mate up to the ball joint stud. Then when you turn the 'coupler', it threads against the female threaded hole and puts tension on the ball joint stud, thus pulling it out of the bearing housing. It doesn't matter if the ball joint stud actually turns at this point - there will still be positive thead displacement against the female threaded hole to generate the tension. it's not entirely unlike the FWD wheel bearing tool kits. Edited March 14, 2013 by porcupine73 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 OK, so my previous guess was correct, the center part external threads are reverse (left-hand) threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 (edited) after, drilling out the pinch bolt, I think I didn't quite get it all out, and the residual metal was holding the pinch joint closed a bit. probably not holding the pinch bolt closed, but still locking the ball joint in place. the base of the ball joint has a groove cut in it. when the ball joint is seated correctly and the bolt is inserted the shaft of the bolt rests in the grove on the ball joint. if some bolt is left behind, especially if it is in the middle where the opening is for the ''pinch'' is, it will not allow the ball joint out. next time you have a knuckle with the ball joint out, insert the bolt and feel inside of the BJ seat. you will feel the bolt shaft. the bolt is not just applying pinch pressure. Edited March 15, 2013 by johnceggleston 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 probably not holding the pinch bolt closed, but still locking the ball joint in place.Thanks, yes I think that was part of the problem. I assumed/thought the whole bearing housing was tapered like the ball joint to help hold it in. I was surprised in some photos to see the bearing housing is actually smooth at the exterior, and it's just friction and the pinch bolt that hold it in there. Seems a bit odd but apparantley it works, unless you're trying to climb rocks maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Finally got the new one in. I have to say off any car work I've done, this is the one I thought would take the least amount of time but has ended up taking 10 times as long as I estimated. Wrangled the new ball joint into place by unhooking the sway bar link and those huge bolts on the a-arm to shove it down really far. I was trying to jack up the rotor, but once the ball joint is out, wow that thing just becomes a wobbling mess and wants to move out away from the vehicle. Then I ended up getting in a hurry and frustrated at the same time and ended up with a nice gash on my head. I have to finish fixing the threads in the pinch joint. I had it all tapped, but when I drilled it out, something got messed up, and the threads don't line up with the other side of the pinch bolt. I messed up the new bolt for the ball joint by sticking it in the hole and since it wouldn't start, I put the impact wrench on and spun it really fast. It rounded most of the threads over against that indent on the pinch bolt. So I put a 3/8" drill bit into the hole and started drilling, and the bit caught in the hole and snapped it right off. Fortunately the bit came right out of the hole. So I put what was left of the drill bit back in the hole, it caught again, except this time my face was right next to the battery on the cordless drill. It hit me in the face and pushed my head into something sharp under the vehicle leaving a nice gash. So I quit the job for that day and just relaxed a bit. Being both frustrated and in a hurry is a bad combination on any job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) wow. yeah rust does that - makes one bolt take 3 hours. so frustrating.... last ball joint i had to get out was crazy...i ended up needing to remove the hub and drill it multiple times into pieces before it would all come out. that sucked. of course hindsight says get another hub...but you just never know if it's going to take 15 minutes or 2 hours, can't just replace parts every single time! Edited March 19, 2013 by grossgary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 you need to drill it out from the backside works way better also whynot put a slde hammer on the post and hold it to ball joint with castle nut and hammer downward i have a large slide hammer for removing hubs whould work for thiss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Finally got the new one in. I have to say off any car work I've done, this is the one I thought would take the least amount of time but has ended up taking 10 times as long as I estimated. Wrangled the new ball joint into place by unhooking the sway bar link and those huge bolts on the a-arm to shove it down really far. I was trying to jack up the rotor, but once the ball joint is out, wow that thing just becomes a wobbling mess and wants to move out away from the vehicle. Do not jack up on the hub while it's a wobbly mess. You are compressing the spring on the strut and are creating a lot of potential energy just waiting to come loose and seriously hurt you. With the swaybar disconnected, stick a long prybar between the control arm and the engine crossmember, then lever down so it forces the control arm down. That is winding up the rubber control arm bushings, but they store a heck of a lot less power than the spring. The ball joints can be a nightmare, but wait until you have to do rear wheel bearings and have to take the lower lateral link bolt out. That's the worst job by far on a subaru. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Unless he's in the 2000+ year range, then it's just slide-back the axle and undo 4 bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 The rear berring are nasty i take the whole assembly out i dont even try the big bolt anymore two on the xmember and on on the bottom 2 on the strut and abs conector.Thanks for reminding me have two rears to do this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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