Splitting Ball joints

[tony.branson76]

Does anyone have any thoughts on splitting ball joints. I have one of the scissor type splitters which usually does the trick straight away, especially if the bolt is tightened with an air impact wrench. When this hasn’t worked taking the chill off the joint with a blow lamp usually results in a satisfactory bang as the joint comes apart. Until today that is.
I am fitting poly bushes to the eyebolts at the end of the torsion bars. I usually de-tension the torsion bars by compressing the suspension with a jack under the trunion, breaking the top swivel joint and then lowering the jack before dismantling the bottom arm. I find this less fiddly than the Haynes suggested method. The nearside joint split with a little bit of attention from the blow lamp but the offside has proved recalcitrant, I have nearly stripped the thread on the splitter bolt, used lots of heat, hammered the top of the splitter and cast doubts on the marital status of the joint’s parents all to no avail. I’ve left it soaked in plus gas with the splitter done up tight more in hope than expectation.
I have used the Haynes method to dismantle the lower arm so I don’t really have to split the joint but I have a stubborn streak and don’t like the idea of a bit on my car I can’t take apart if I need to.
Does anyone have any experience of the wedged fork type of splitter that you hit with a hammer? Or any other ideas?

[scott h]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

The usual way to remove a taper ball joint without the proper tool is this. Remove the nut then use a long bar to provide as much pressure as you can on the end where the nut came off. The next bit is the secret. Strike the SIDE of the part with the tapered hole with a good heavy hammer. I'm not familiar with the specific part that you talk about but this usually works with trackrod ends and bottom balljoints although it is a bit rough.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

Try to let the PlusGas do its job, patience is a virtue, apparently. It sounds as though you have done everything reasonable to do the job. I prefer the scissor type over the fork. Give it time......

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

The wedged-fork tool works well...it's quite satisfying to be able to give it a few big ones with the lump hammer.
The downside is (in my experience) that it invariably nicks the gaiter on the joint meaning you have to replace the tie-rod end...of course that's often why you need the tool...but not always.

[b_caswell]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

A club hammer one side and a good size ball pane hit the other applied as per Scott.H.

[tony.branson76]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

I'm afraid I gave up and re-assembled without breaking the joint. I left it for several days with penetrating oil, tried the hitting the sides trick and the fork splitter but it still wouldn't budge. I'll take the upper arm off some time and apply some ultra violence. I have been looking on ebay for spare mini upper arms in case I knacker the existing one in my efforts to show whose boss. The ones I have seen have a drilling through the thickened bit medial to the tapered hole. This seems to have a stud I assume to mount something. Mine don't have a drilling for this are the two compatible?

[stevejgreen]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

The two different upper arms are for either the wet or dry suspension set ups. Dimensionally they are both the same, so in a Roadster either will be fine as the suspension fittings are very different.
If you do consider changing them it's worth looking for a new pivot pin.
What I have found though, and not got to the bottom of completely is that on installation the arm has up to 1mm of free travel front to back. This seemed to me to be excessive so I turned the pivot pins down in size to get about 0.1mm of clearance and then greased them well.
There is an article in Pitstop that showed my findings.
If I can find it I will PM the details.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

Can't find the relevant page in Pitstop

I did have a thought though. If you have soaked the taper in PlusGas or other penetrating oil, has it leached down into the ball beneath and degraded the grease within? It might be worth a little extra maintenance lubrication if you are going to leave it for a while.

[b_caswell]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

You're not hitting it hard enough!!

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

what Ben said. I have a sykes pickavant one which has never failed - even on landrovers - as long as you can get it in it never fails. this sort of thing. (of course if anyone wants to borrow it...
sykes-pickavant-ball-joint-separator--lever.jpg

[tony.branson76]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

Can't find the relevant page in Pitstop

I did have a thought though. If you have soaked the taper in PlusGas or other penetrating oil, has it leached down into the ball beneath and degraded the grease within? It might be worth a little extra maintenance lubrication if you are going to leave it for a while.

All nipples well greased

[stevejgreen]

Re: Splitting Ball joints

Found it in a 2010 copy of Pitstop

Small pic but that's a 40thou feeler in the gap, with the pivot pin fixing bolts tightened to the correct torque. All new parts.

4077833664_5a409f5963_m.jpg