Ball joint remover recommendation's

[toopy]

I have new tie rod ends and ball joints to fit, but i've never done it before on any car!

I have one of the fork type removers, the ones you whack and are almost guaranteed to damage said ball joint, not that that matters so much in this case.



There are plenty of various design screw type remover's on ebay




So, who's used what, and any tips gratefully received

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Last week I did another job on my lad's Clio Cup 200 - bottom ball joint on the hub carrier.

Saved him £hundreds but what a nightmare, bit like the Brembo calipers a couple of weeks back.

I had access to the fork type splitters, the middle type and two and three prong pullers. I contemplated the last type of the 3 that you show but they tend to be expensive and may not fit.

The first issue is how much room have you got between the two components. Secondly what is the dia of the 'pin' you have to fit around.

It's quite difficult buying these things if you can't see them so I would try your 'fork' tool first (if you have a new rubber boot).

I find the really tight joints require heat and that ruins the boot too.

Try not to damage the nut and thread when hitting it because they can be difficult to undo when not 'fixed' in the taper.

Sometimes hitting either side of the female part at the same time with hammers can 'spring' the joint apart.

Which ever method you use it's best to apply constant pressure and then use a hammer to 'jar' it apart rather than applying more and more pressure.

 

[uk66fastback]

I used the one with the big bolt that you wind down and it should crack. The problem is, mine didn't on one side. I took at back to the shop as it bent!

I had to take it off, get it on the bench and use some heat and I think I actually used a cold chisel on it or something, I can't remember, but it came out eventually. They were the original ones - 45 years old.

Pray that your have been replaced before!

 

[jonbills]

I’ve got 1st and 3rd type, plus a butane torch and big hammer. Normally some combination of them does the trick - it does seem to depend on the dimensions of the specific ball joint.

 

[dav118118]

Hi,
I replaced my steering rack gaitor on my z the other week and tried using the 3rd tool in your list but it just doesn’t fit around the tapered pin and the steering knuckle. In the end I gave the steering knuckle several sharp blows with a lump hammer and that broke the tapper. That’s would I would do if I were you having experienced it recently