OK, I'm putting a new drivers side driveshaft on and I cannot seperate the lower control arm from the steering knuckle. I have removed the nut holding the ball joint to the arm, but the arm seems to be seized. Do I need a special tool to push it out? I dont want to damage the ball joint, but I need to get it separated asap. Any suggestions?

 

Stick a tuning fork between the two and gently pound on it with a mallett and it should seperate slowly.

 

Yes,

This can be a ROYAL PITA...

You have several options:

1) Use a hammer to hit the lower control arm and seperate it. (This is supposed to work, it didn't for me)

2) Buy a fork type ball joint seperator, put it in between the ball joint and the lower control arm and pound away with a hammer. Be prepared though because you WILL ruin the ball joint's rubber boot and you will have to order a new one from Acura. (This worked for me)

Here is a link for what these look like

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...38649

3) Buy a puller and turn the bolt to seperate the whole thing. (Easiest, and it worked great for me)

Here is a link to one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...36861

 

Use a 1/2" drive ratchet, jack up the suspension, stick the ratchet in b/w the knuckle and LCA, release the jack, and jump on the brake rotor or lug studs if necessary. It might pop loudly or maybe not, but you should be able to feel it let go. Then go down to lift up the knuckle to see if it worked.

I used to dread separating ball joints when I first started working on cars, but not any more.

 

Thanks guys, looks like I will have to get one of those seperators. I hope Autozone will have one.

 

The pickle fork separators will more than likely tear at least one of the ball joint boots. I only use the pickle fork on the UCA's. Zero chance of tearing a boot with the wetoddid method.

 

I think (hope) he meant that he was going to get the puller type. I've had GREAT results with the puller. I've never tried your method... I'm trying to visualize exactly where you are putting the 1/2 ratchet and how jacking up the suspension would cause it to break loose.

 

Well I got it seperated using the 1/2 ratchet method. I put it between the lca and the knuckle/brake assembly, then extended it with a 18in breaker bar and stood on the end of it. Then I juumped up and down on it and BOOM it seperated. At first I thought I had snapped the ratched or something, but I was releived to see it worked. Thanks again for the help.

 

No problem. I may have to try that method next time.

 

I don't jump on the breaker bar. I jump on the hub. I never would have thought that you could fit a breaker bar in there at the angle it needs to be at. But hey, whatever works.

 

The BEST AND EASIEST way that i have found is to use a breaker bar(we used back side of pickle fork) to put pressure on the lca, then we used a air hammer on the joint and it popped off in 3 seconds.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by integra15 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well I got it seperated using the 1/2 ratchet method. I put it between the lca and the knuckle/brake assembly, then extended it with a 18in breaker bar and stood on the end of it. Then I juumped up and down on it and BOOM it seperated. At first I thought I had snapped the ratched or something, but I was releived to see it worked. Thanks again for the help.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The way people on here do it w/ the 1/2" drive ratchet, it uses the downward force of the suspension spring to help push the LCA off the knuckle. Since the ratchet won't fit between there when the suspension is at full droop, you jack up the suspension and stick it in there, and then when you lower the jack, the spring pushes down on the LCA, which separates the knuckle because the ratchet is keeping the knuckle from going all the way back down w/ the LCA. Works quick n easy almost every time. All other methods I've ever seen or tried risk damage to either the ball joint boot or the stud.