General wrong ball joint seperator????

[Dan]

Am slowly replacing the bushes with powerflex ones.

So far have managed 1 rear and 2 front in about 10 hours.

All 3 done without taking the arms off.

Was trying to seperate the ball joint on the ns front and the 2 prong seperator tool seems too thick to lever it. It just slips out because the gaps not big enough. Have undone the nut. Is there an easier way as i really want to take the arm out for the os front. Am i being thick or are they complete bastards.

Will something like this work better:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-75mm-3-JAWS...tZUK_Hand_Tools_Equipment?hash=item3a52e4a4fc

This is what im using at the mo:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ball-joint-se...tZUK_Hand_Tools_Equipment?hash=item483746247b

 

[dave]

isnt it non tapered type, that needs no splitter? just widen the gap with screwdriver and leaver wishbone down

 

[Dan]

Did try but was not budging. The guide and lots of other threads say to use seperator?

 

[dave]

didnt the bloke in the guides only use that because he took track rod ends off?

 

[fingers99]

It is tapered type.

The bash it wiv an ammer kinds of seperators are utterly useless if you want to use the joint again. If they don't destroy the joint they destroy the seal.

Always, always, use this type:

Even so, access is an issue unless you remove the driveshaft. (With the shaft removed it may even be possible to use a long bar on the nut on the end of the balljoint.)

To my mind, fitting wonderful new bushes to nasty old wishbones is a false economy. Chasnces are they're fubar, even if you don't reaslise it yet.

 

[Dan]

He uses it for that as he has it to hand.

"Next is to split the ball joint with a splitter, for these joints you are going to need a small Ball Joint splitter as there is not much room between the top of the threaded bar on the end of the ball joint and the stub axle/hub."

He does say use a small one however, but a small one would not go either side of the middle of the ball joint? Maybe just try harder with a screw driver?

 

[dave]

be careful you dont split the rubber, unless you are taking the advice above and fitting the uprated bushes to a new wish bone

 

[fingers99]

Nah.

The force required to crack taper joints is pretty extraordinary. Sometimes you can crack them by putting a little load on the joint (so as to push it down and out) and rapping on both sides of the joint fixture simulataneously with hammers, but it's a dying art, not practiced outside of the W.Midlands and shipyards for many years.

FIAT use a slimmed down version of a long screw type splitter (similar to that in the pic) -- if you ask nicely and leave your girl freind as deposit, maybe.........

Otherwise, out with the driveshaft and a long bar..............

 

[Dan]

Cool. Thanks. At least i can get the powerflex back off easily. Will see what fluffy can do on the price of the front arms. Rear arms seem very good condition. Dan