I'm trying to change the ball joints in my 88 CRX and am having a real hard time getting the Hub Nuts off of the front axels. Anyone have any tricks or pointers on doing ball joints? my first time.

Thanks,
Vince

 

with the car on the ground and in gear use a 1/2" drive to get the nut loose. or if you have an air gun, the tool used to remove lug nuts, you should be able to remove them with the car in the air.

Also remember to pop out the indent on the nut otherwise it makes it harder to remove

 

you can go to autozone and rent tools to make it easier, ball joint seperator, big breaker bars and stuff. when you return the tools, they return your $$

 

if u have a breaker bar just put a large open-ended pipe around it. I have a 4 ft lead pipe for this exact purpose. 3-4 ft will give u enough leverage to get it off. a 1/2" drive by its self won't break the seal unless it has been loosened recently.

 

It is kind of simple first remove the cotta pin(obviously) the push the dent out like said above then use the braker bar but remember push down dont try to pull it up or it will be alot harder sometimes you need the put an extra pipe pver the braker bar if it is really being a pain but it should go well.....Gotta love air tools

 

Air tools.

$160 - air compressor
$80 - air gun
$5 - oil
spending half the time to do everything on your car compared to hand tools - priceless.

 

i picked up a craftsman butterfly for about $35, that works great on the smaller stuff where you dont want to try holding the gun.

and a used air compressor can sometimes be just as good as a newer one

 

may sound silly but make sure someone is pressing the brakes down.

 

Or just leave the car on the ground. I broke two 1/2" breaker bars (Craftsman thank god) trying to get mine off. They were the original hub nuts. Stockies are always a bitch to get off. I borrowed my neighbors 3/4" breaker bar and socket and a 3 foot cheater bar, and I just jumped up and down on it until they finaly gave out. And yes I did remove the notch, and even the entire outer thin crap.

 

Hands down the best tool if you dont have access to air tools

Acetalyne torch.... heat that ****** up till its nice and red.. stickon a socket and breaker and just break it off.

Heat does wonders.

 

How easy are the lower ball joints to replace? That's why i'm trying to get the stupid hub nut off. I have a ball joint seperator...is this the right tool? or will i need something else to get the new ball joint in.

How about greasing them up or any other info i may need.

Thanks,
Vince

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AgentJam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How easy are the lower ball joints to replace? That's why i'm trying to get the stupid hub nut off. I have a ball joint seperator...is this the right tool? or will i need something else to get the new ball joint in.

How about greasing them up or any other info i may need.

Thanks,
Vince</TD></TR></TABLE>
Out, easy.

in, a bit harder, but still easy.


Out:
Get a big hammer, whack on the ball joint until it pops out the other end.

In:
Clean the area where the balljoint sits. i'd use steel wool. put a small dab of grease on the balljoint edge so it can slide in easier.
Get a socket and use that to help you whack the balljoint in.

5 minutes later, you're done.

 

This is probably a dumb question but do they go in and out from the top or from the bottom?

 

Breaker Bar and Big *** Pipe method works every time (poor mans route).

Air tools are always good though.

 

"Air tools.
$160 - air compressor
$80 - air gun
$5 - oil
spending half the time to do everything on your car compared to hand tools - priceless"

you must be the guy that i heard assembled a whole motor with an impact

 

buy a breaker bar and use a 4' pipe to extend the leverage, with the car on the ground and hte parking brake on, just push down. should be no effort to break em loose.

to loosen the balljoints, you can rent a pickle fork. that should do the trick. but it ends up destroying the boots. obviously doesnt matter if youre replacing the lower ball joint, but you dont want to leave the others with a hole for the grease to leak out either. so be prepared to have to buy new boots for them too. this is the method i used until i was taught another way.

using a big effing hammer. yep, the way honda mechanics do it is just pounding the side of the ball joint area where theres a bit extra meat. with the castle nut loose and a bit of pushing upwards, whack it a few times and it just comes out. you wont believe it until youve seen it and you need to use a good 3lb sledge.

once you have the knuckle completely loose, you can remove the ball joint. first take out the circlip. needle nose pliers work if you dont have the right tool. you wont need the circlip again, the new balljoints dont use them. then just use the hammer and pound the old one out. then just pound the new one in. you can pound it form the bakcside with no problems. space is a bit tight, so becareful.

if you happen to hit the hub ring loose, just press it back in using a round oil can or something, because itwill only secure properly with ven pressure aroundthe circumference.

tighten it all back together and stick a cotter pin in and dont forgoet to torque down the axle nut when you have the wheel back on and on the ground. spec is 132lbs/ft, but just put as much pressure with your breaker bar as you can, within reason.

 

save yourself trouble and get a heavy pipe like everyone says...i struggled with that thing for about 2 hours trying to work it with just a breaker bar...then rolled to the junkyard and grabbed some pipe....took care of my problem in about 2 seconds.

 

Exactly, you would be amazed at how much easier it will come off with a pipe for more leverage.

 

What exactly else do i have to remove besides the axel hub nut to get access to the lower ball joints for replacement? Do they pop in and out from the top or bottom or where they are seated?

Thanks

 

use this pitarm tie rod puller. The balljoint thread will pop up. Then pull it up and out of the hole. Then u can swing the hub assembly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Driven &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Air tools.

$160 - air compressor
$80 - air gun
$5 - oil
spending half the time to do everything on your car compared to hand tools - priceless.</TD></TR></TABLE>
u my man..... jsut read my mind....
and hes 200% right!!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 91sleeper &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"Air tools.
$160 - air compressor
$80 - air gun
$5 - oil
spending half the time to do everything on your car compared to hand tools - priceless"

you must be the guy that i heard assembled a whole motor with an impact
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Who told?

don't ***ume.

 

Half the time? It took me 4 hours to get that nut off the axel on the side of the road with hand tools when I broke an axle. When I got the car home and changed the other axle, air tools had that nut off in less then 30 seconds!

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Driven &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Air tools.

$160 - air compressor
$80 - air gun
$5 - oil
spending half the time to do everything on your car compared to hand tools - priceless.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Doctor Zagato &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

use this pitarm tie rod puller. The balljoint thread will pop up. Then pull it up and out of the hole. Then u can swing the hub assembly.</TD></TR></TABLE>

So i don't have to bother with the hub nut at all!? Can someone confirm this for me cause i don't want to spend time on the nut if i don't need to...THANKS DOC!

 

If all else fails you might try heating up the nut a bit before you go at it with the breaker bar. I had the same problem when doing my first swap. Be carful though because too much heat and you will fry the bearings.