Well I put a new passenger side axle shaft in my G/Fs '93 Accord tonight and had alot of trouble getting the ball joint on the bottom broke loose. I had the puller that is like a C clamp but with the screw in the center instead of the end. It just wanted to turn and slip off the bolt it was supposed to be pushing out. Finally got it broke loose and the axle in and putting it back together and I am down to that last bolt on the bottom joint bolt and the puller mucked up the end of the bolt so bad I can't get the nut to thread. I tried to clean it up but the threads are just mushed up bad just on the very end. I have tried for two hours to get that nut to thread on. I have given up for the night before I sledge hammer the whole car to pieces. But I HAVE to get that on there tomorrow and be done with it.

How can I cut new threads into that bolt? Can I get a new nut that is like the opposite of a self tapping screw, like a self threading nut with really aggressive threads to bite into the bolt? Please tell me what I can do. I am really sick of this project. Thanks, Jfoster

 

Grind the bolt down around the end where its not threading on...


just lightly until you can get it to thread on..
later replace your ball joint..

 

Yeah it can be a biatch removing the lower ball joint from the lower control arm, but you didn't have to remove it. Its easier to remove the top of the spindle(with the upper ball joint) from the upper control arm and then you can just swing it aside, with the tie rod removed from the spindle of course.

What you can try is take a chisel and hammer and then gently chisel the threads and grooves until they're properly shapped otherwise your next option is to get a new ball joint. That involves the removal of the brake caliper, rotor and the whole spindle assembly then you'd have to take it to a shop to press out the old ball joint and then have'em press in the new one. Good luck and godspeed.

 

I am not very familiar with the accord front suspension. But I am very familiar with the civic front end. I end up replacing the lower ball joints a lot in the race car because of removing the axles so much. I would just replace the joint. they are very cheap and you can pound them in and out with a 3 lbs. hammer.

 

Well I got it done. I returned the old cv shaft to autozone for the core and asked if they had anything that would help and they did. I rented/borrowed this



thread restorer kit for an $85 deposit. I had to use the dremel to grind the bottom of the bolt to a taper as it was to misshapen to get the repair nut to go on. Once I got the nut from the kit on I ran it up and down a few times. I ran the repair bolt from the kit throught the castle nut a few times to clean it up as well and then coated both with WD40. Afterwards it went on with out much of a fight. Glad to be done. I think I could do it again without any problems now that I have done it once. I should have left the nut on the very end of the bolt while I used the puller on it. I wish I would have thought about it when I was doing it, but live and learn I guess. Thanks for the replies. Heres a pic of my help




Modified by jfoster at 12:34 AM 3/10/2004

 

I wanted to see pics of the stud...

 

Sorry, didn't take one. Nothing exciting, just the stud with a marred up end on it.