snatchbakman

im haveing a hard time removeing my old lower ball joints. any suggestions ??

MasterKwan

Each ball joint has a C clip. Make sure you take the clip off before pressing/pounding.

I was able to beat them out with a hammer and socket. I wasn't planning on re-using them. I have a press for installing them.

BukakkEK9

GO buy a 5 lb shorty sledge hanmmer........and pund the SHIEEEEEEET out of them....and when ugo to put the new ones in....get a deep socket that fits aound the outside...and just tap it in...but i have seen lower ball joints that had to be burned out. they are a real pain in the ****......BTY the go in from the top so smack them from the bottom. after you get them out use a wire brush and make sure that hole is nice and cleann (makes install easier)

WangChung

instead of banging the **** out of them and possibly ****** up the threads, just spend 16 on a loaner ball joint breaker from autozone. its 16 dollars and you get ur $$ back when ur done, so its actually free.

pdiggitydogg

like this hasnt been covered 10000 times.
Please search, there are lots of different tips and ideas on how to do it best.

hondadriver

Oh man I don't know where to start. But a month ago I did mine on my 98 civic they were a mother ******* bitch beyond believe. Well first of all you need a VICE. Ok so i rented the ball joint press kit from pep boys and it didn't work. DO NOT RENT IT, IT will not work. They are not made for hondas. The reason is, is because the ball joint is obviously pressed into the steering knuckle, and the problem is that the ball joint is to close to the bearing and the hole where the axle goes in. Becasue what your suppose to do is place a hollow piece of steel which is round like a pipe and has a cap in it(looks like a pop can cut in half looking from the bottom), so that when you press in on the threaded part of the ball joint it squeezes out into the hollow pipe. BUT the one that comes with the pep boys kit, the pipe is to thick which means that one side is on the steering knuckle while the other side is lying on the balljoint, which defeats the whole purpose of it. So me and my dad tried everything, different size piping and nothing so then we tried a HOLE SAW. A hole saw is a saw that you can put on a drill and it drills out perfect holes. well I forgot what size but find the one that fits perfectly around that top of the ball joint (not the threaded side). And put the hole saw over the ball joint and then put it in the vice, one side of the vice should have the threaded part of the ball joint and the other side should have the closed part of the hole saw on it. then SLOWLY start turning the vice and watch the ball joint start to sqeeze out. But do it SLOWLY and with a rag on top of the hole saw because it will crack and pieces might go flying. but it does the job, we ended up using 2 hole saws, well worth the $4 each. And installation is easy as hell just use the vice and press it in with a 2" pipe about 3" long and put that on the treaded side so that when to put pressure on the head of the ball joint the threaded side will just go into the pipe.
It was a bitch and YES you do have to take the steering knuckle off, I did it a million times, for motor swaps, changine axles, tie rods, shock and springs, upper control arms, so i'm 100% familiar with a honda suspension.

OR

you can take your steering knuckle to a automotive shop and they will pop your old ones out for you. I called and they wanted $30 to pull each ball joint. NOT bad considering what it takes to pull one out. And ask if they can just throw the new ones in. Becasue if you go to them with your car all together then labor will be expensive becasue then they have to take everything apart. So I don't know how mechanically inclined you are but the next time I have to do them I'll just take the steering knuckles to the shop and have then pull the old ones out and put the new one ins. So those are your options along with my experience on how I pulled them out.

IF anyone knows a better way then let us Know. Originally we tried put the steering knuckle in the vice and put a piece of wood on the blall joint and we started whaleing on it with a 30lb hammer and it won't move, so it definetly needs to be pressed out. HOPE this helps....

ek9hatch0WN3R

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pdiggitydogg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">like this hasnt been covered 10000 times.
Please search, there are lots of different tips and ideas on how to do it best.</TD></TR></TABLE>

no kidding, this is too common of a thread to be asking about again. besides, there is so many opinions on what is "best" so you're not gonna get a consensual answer anyways.

MasterKwan

While the Pep boys press won't work to remove them. It will work to press them back in. I don't mind beating the **** out of something I'm throwing away. Didn't want to beat on my new parts.