i have tried a pitman arm puller but the opening wasn't wide enough,i tried a tie rod seperator and the opening was too small as well

 

i used a 2 1/2 lb sledge, then used a gear puller and it came loose. it was a pain in my *** BTW

 

use a floor jack to put pressure on it so that it pulls on itself. while its under pressure, hit the side of it with a bfh and it should pop after 10 good hits or so.

 

Use the pit man arm puller. tighten it down just enough, then use a hammer and knock tha F^ck out of the lower control arm , near the tie rod area.
works for me EVERYTIME. dont worry about damaging the lower control arm. as long as your hitting the right spot lol !

 

do kinda like keebler65 said to do but raise your rotor up with a jack untill you can fit some thing inbetween the joint next to the boot (i used the middle part of a cro-bar) then make sure it is secure, lower the rotor back down then stomp on that bitch with both feet. it uses the way the joint works, against itself. trust me i have used this method many times and have found it way easier than any other ones. i also wouldnt recomend using a pitman because they have the tendancy to destroy the bolt because it is semi hollow. good luck man

 

I went to pep boys and bought a $20 ball joint fork. Then I pounded away like on it to seperate the joint.

 

i have removed the fork and shocks/struts already,should they be on when using this method?

 

Go to the honda/acura dealer and ask to rent the "special honda tool".(made by MAC tools).
I didn't have to pay cause my friend works there and he told them it was for his car. But they should let you rent one for a day or two.
HTH

 

i went out and bout a 5 dollar ball joint separator, looks like a pitman arm puller but it is made to seperate ball joints, tighten it down and then couple taps with the hammer. works every time. I used to used the regular ball joint seperators but they would end up ripping the boot.

 

balljoint puller/pusher worked forme a few times then it didnt grab anymore on the LCA.

so I use a better method now, loosen the castle nut a quarter inch, jack the arm up, slip a crowbar inbetween the LCA and the knuckle. lowe the arm and stomp on the crowbar.
POP~ its out, nice!

 

u should have the idea huh?... u just gotta hit that sucker.. if ur trying and its not working, get a bigger hammer then let someone else take a whack at it. oh ya.. and get some too. tends to help out everything.

 

yep hit the bastard till it goes out. prying or pulling dont help. well sometimes, but rarely for me.

 

heh, im lazy, i just use an air chisle with a ball joint splitter attachment, two minutes and im done on both sides .

 

hehehe.. <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by white99gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">heh, im lazy, i just use an air chisle with a ball joint splitter attachment, two minutes and im done on both sides .</TD></TR></TABLE> thats a good one. i shoulda try that way too...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by owen_the_soyboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">balljoint puller/pusher worked forme a few times then it didnt grab anymore on the LCA.

so I use a better method now, loosen the castle nut a quarter inch, jack the arm up, slip a crowbar inbetween the LCA and the knuckle. lowe the arm and stomp on the crowbar.
POP~ its out, nice!</TD></TR></TABLE>
this is the best one so far, i do it the same way except i use a ball joint fork instead of the pry bar. i'll be trying the pry bar, next time i do it again!

 

Pickle fork with grease on the ends so you dont tear the bushings and just wack it .. comes out all the time.

 

Ok. What if you're a ding dong (like me) and damage the boot. Any tricks to replacing it (i.e. how do you deals with the clips)?

 

If you mess up the boot ...try getting one same size from auto zone, etc.
Trust me using a big hammer is gravy, all the control arms have a flat spot... hit it good once or twice and it will drop out like butter.
Its like thats what they put those flat spots on there for, a ball joint splitter and the like almost always teat the boot or tear up the ball joint.
I have to replace the knuckles and 2 ball joints on my CX and that method worked awesome.
You would seriously have to be the hulk to bend one of those control arms with a 2lb hammer.
LATER

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BatuKing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Pickle fork with grease on the ends so you dont tear the bushings and just wack it .. comes out all the time.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was waiting for someone to say this!!

Aluminum pickle fork works wonders!

 

Use a SFH (Small Fuggin Hammer) and some elbow grease....lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by X2BOARD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Use a SFH (Small Fuggin Hammer) and some elbow grease....lol</TD></TR></TABLE>
IMHO I say get/use the honda special "ball-joint" tool. If you can't, then get one with a similar design. It's 2 pieces with a hinged fulcrum, and big screw attached to the opposite end, that acts on the fulcrum to spread the B/J apart without damaging the boots or the C/A or tie-rods or the threads on the studs. Pickle Forks
HTH.

 

My ex-girlfriend used a curb. Worked great!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4crx4me &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
IMHO I say get/use the honda special "ball-joint" tool. If you can't, then get one with a similar design. It's 2 pieces with a hinged fulcrum, and big screw attached to the opposite end, that acts on the fulcrum to spread the B/J apart without damaging the boots or the C/A or tie-rods or the threads on the studs. Pickle Forks
HTH.</TD></TR></TABLE>

c'mon... you don't need to spend the bling on the honda tool, a BFH will seriously do the job in under 60 seconds... prolly just need some practice...

 

i know it says "besides a bfh" so i am going to go with a regular hammer. i do this every day at work. couple good whacks on the arm and it pops that conical seal that the ball joint slips into. oh its such a beautiful thing when it pops.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by X2BOARD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

c'mon... you don't need to spend the bling on the honda tool, a BFH will seriously do the job in under 60 seconds... prolly just need some practice... </TD></TR></TABLE>
You don't NEED to buy the "Honda" tool. Borrow it or buy a knock-off.
!'ve seen the knock-offs for the same price as pickle forks.
$25-$45.00.