Ball joint not removing from knuckle

[Jadu108]

So title says it.

95 legacy.

Ive done the obvious attempts. The ball joint just wont pop out of the knuckle. Control arm no problem.

I saw some people make a tool but that requires a drill or drill press, neither of which i have access to atm.

Would a bolt style wheel puller work?

[Mike104]

Only thing I have found that works is either a oxygen/acetylene torch or a special ball joint puller.

http://www.company23.com/products/subarutools/532

You can try soaking it with AeroKroil or other rust penetrant but your  success may vary.  Sometimes using a chisel to open up the split assuming you got the entire pinch bolt out.

Some have had good luck using an air hammer.

[ocei77]

What has worked for me is putting the castle nut back on and hitting the control arm with a BFH.

Have also used a 4-5 ft cheater bar and pried the control arm down.

 

O.

[idosubaru]

It depends how bad it is.  Might want to go get a used knuckle.

jaw puller won’t work.  Sometimes no tool will work. The tool will break or it’ll apply enough force to pull the ball out of the ballpoint socket and leave the socket remnants rust welded into the knuckle - I don’t know of any tools that will apply that much force before breaking. 

Did you open up the pinch area of the knuckle first?  That needs to be done.  

do you still have it attached to the strut?

Here is how it works - 8 out of 10 will come out by *seriously* pounding the $@¥{+* out of it.   You need heavy blunt force directed directly down.

1 out of 10 you’ll need heat or to work the circumference  of the ball joint right where it enters the knuckle with a chisel   Work all the way around and bash the life out of it. Go back to pounding down. If yours ears don’t feel the banging you’re not hitting it hard enough.  

In a very few cases nothing will really get it out until you heat the hell out of it and/or give it so much force that it rips the ball out of the socket and then go in and drill and chisel the remaining rust-welded-fossilized bits of the ball shell out from inside the knuckle piece by piece.

it just depends how bad it is that’s why some methods work and others don’t and online commentary is so varied. Some people haven’t seen hard ones ever, some have seen a few levels...etc.    We don’t know how bad yours is so it’s hard to say but I’d increase your efforts, attack and Arsenal very fast in case you have a beast   

 

[montana tom]

To build the tool to pull ball joints , you need a few pipe fittings ,a piece of all thread some nuts and a lug nut .

You do need to drill one hole and weld the lug nut on the all thread. That's it. 

Its about a half hour job.  If you don't have a drill or a welder , pay someone who does.  A teenager in high school can build one of these.  

[idosubaru]

50 minutes ago, montana tom said:

To build the tool to pull ball joints , you need a few pipe fittings ,a piece of all thread some nuts and a lug nut .

You do need to drill one hole and weld the lug nut on the all thread. That's it. 

Its about a half hour job.  If you don't have a drill or a welder , pay someone who does.  A teenager in high school can build one of these.  

Yeah good idea, take a new ball joint and picture of the knuckle to a local machine shop and they can do this with their eyes closed. 

A machine shop in the rust belt should know, but if they’re real bad these things bend rods, strip threads and sheer metal. So use appropriate stock.  Ive got thick bent solid steel digging rods and sent sheared and stripped tools to the scrap yard broken from ball joints. 

Use generous grease on all the threads to reduce friction tp help keep threads from strip or shear. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by idosubaru

[89Ru]

Bull pin always works for me.  Will usually destroy the boot but you are replacing it anyway.  It wedges into the gap between the pinch joint and the control arm.  Keep the castle nut on, whack the end of the bull pin with a copper hammer and it pops the head of the ball joint out of the knuckle right out.  

1-5/16" X 12" Standard Bull Pin

klein-3259

Ordered from the tool barn...

Edited May 13, 2019 by 89Ru

[carfreak85]

Company23 makes a pretty slick ball joint removal tool, I've needed it once or twice in the last 6 or so ball joint replacements.  I always grease my ball joints and their counterbore in the knuckle before installation to avoid having them rust in place.

[uniberp1]

Tap a chisel into the slot and soak with oil. It will wiggle eventually. 

Are you sure the bolt is out, not broken off?

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by uniberp1

[john in KY]

"You can try soaking it with AeroKroil or other rust penetrant but your  success may vary.  Sometimes using a chisel to open up the split assuming you got the entire pinch bolt out."

 

That's the technique I used to remove the last ball joint I did.  Took a couple of three days but that Kroil will eventually "eat" that rust. 

 

Had the knuckle off the car.

 

 

Don't know what your time is worth but new knuckles on eBay for around $80. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by john in KY

[Mike104]

What side is it?  I have a rebuilt drivers side including new bearing, seals, ball joint and wheel hub.  Also has ABS tone ring installed.  Should fit 95-99 for sure

Edited May 14, 2019 by Mike104

[brus brother]