So I go to replace the axle on my car and as I'm unbolting things and hammering at more things, I notice that the lower ball joint is almost welded into place. Or at least it might as well have been since hammering it at from all angles didn't do jack. So I wind up unbolting the fork and working around that ball joint and think nothing of it until I have to put everything back together.

I hammered at the thread so much that I mushroomed it pretty bad. So bad in fact that the cotter pin hole was no longer really a hole. I wind up grinding away the mushroomed part and I put the castle nut on and tightened it to 60 lbs since I can no longer put a cotter pin in.

I figure that since that ball joint is stuck in there and that I haven't had an issue of a nut backing off a thread ever before that I should be fine. I don't think there's any way of drilling a new cotter pin hole into the stud.

But I can't help but wonder, is there a way to re-thread the ball joint thread without removing it? The ball joint itself is perfectly fine; no noise or play whatsoever. Otherwise, I might wind up replace that sonovagun later when I get the money for it.

 

You can't hammer it out. It requires a press. Oreilly's rent the press and an adapter to make it work with this particular knuckle. But you'll need to take the brake rotor off to make it work. Just remove the whole knuckle, it will go alot easier.

 

My issue was trying to pop it off the LCA so I can replace the axle easier. I wasn't trying to remove the whole ball joint at the time.

 

You don't need a press. There's a good thread posted in this section, as well as a good video on YouTube on how to do it. I heated mine from the backside with a propane torch and used a hammer on impact socket from the front and beat out the old one. I cooled the new ones in the freezer overnight, and they almost dropped right into the heated knuckle, with only a couple of light taps to seat them. 10k later, no issues.

 

Oh, trying to separate it...Pickle fork from the auto parts store and a bit of pipe over the handle. Yeah, it can take alot of force.

 

I read youre trying to seperate the knuckle from the ball joint? I normally use a 6-8" 1/2" drive extension. Theres a small gap inbetween the knuckle and the joint, drive in the extension about half way..may times this will get it. If not, then smacking the side of the joint, while under the strain of the extension will get it.

 

You should replace your lower ball joints. They are cheap and a regular maintenance item so don't sweat it.

To separate the knuckle from the lower control arm, jack up the lower control arm. Place the handle of a ratchet (or something similar that fits snug) between the knuckle and the lower control arm. Then release the jack. It may take a few tries but that should pop it loose.

To remove the lower ball joint from the knuckle, I used a short 1" steel pipe and hammered it out. I used a ball joint press to press the new lower ball joints in.