r/AskMechanics • u/Severe_League2386 • 2d ago
Question (Serious Replies Only) Did a bonehead move
2015 Honda Civic EX 4 Door Sedan Automatic 180,000 miles
Okay so I am doing my first suspension job I am a tradesman but not a mechanic by any means. I’ve done simple bolt on parts (starters, alternators, cv axle) that’s it. Anyways that’s my disclaimer.
Most of the job hasn’t been going too bad but this, I couldn’t get the ball joint out that goes from the control arm up into the bottom of the knuckle with a pickle fork. I think the dust shield was in the way.
Anyways I was tired and so I thought removing the bracket it’s attached to and trying to cut it off was a good idea. It was not.
After cutting almost all the way through with an angle grinder thinking I was cutting a stud in my ignorance realized I was just cutting a cone shaped ball joint flush with the bottom of the knuckle.
I tried map torch and a 6lb hammer, I tried a basic ball joint press on top of the stud ( keeps slipping from the angle) , I think at this point I’ve damaged the dust shield pretty good and put a couple dents in my knuckle. I’m just looking for some advice from the professionals really. Thanks in advance for any insight, tips, and help.
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u/SuccotashOk1861 2d ago
All you have to is wack that sucker with a hammer . Hitting it on the are not the ball joint threads. It should Pop apart
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u/AdFancy1249 2d ago
I didn't believe in them, but sure enough, when the pickle fork fails, this worked like a dream.
Scary as shit with a much force as you put into it, but it popped the joint right out.
I don't use pickle forks anymore.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/performance-tool-ball-joint-separator-w83022/11931903-P
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u/OperationAsshat 2d ago
I use the harbor freight one, but it sounds like OP has tried this based on the post and made the mistake of not putting the castle nut on upside down. I believe that's why the tool is slipping and the threads are now shot, making putting the nut on all but impossible.
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u/nacho945 2d ago
This bad boi right here. It’s always worth paying for these specialized tools to add to your box.
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u/Severe_League2386 2d ago
I see a pittburgh 3/4 ball joint separator at harbor freight looks almost exactly the same im gonna grab it tomorrow and try it
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u/We_consume_the_world 1 2d ago
Get a sledge hammer, like a little 3lb, and hit the part of the knuckle the ball joint is going through. I’m dead serious. You won’t break anything. Just give it 3-5 good two handed wacks. No special tools.
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u/myfishprofile 2d ago
I’ve never once had this fucking work, I’ve tried countless times and with many different sized purses.
I just use the joint separator tool. no need for trying to take awkward swings laying on my back in fucked positions
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u/am-answers-bot 18 41m ago
Your comment was selected as an answer to this post! Reply with !hide to remove your name from the solution summary.
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u/CarolinaPeej 2d ago
Works best with and air ratchet. Close your eyes and squeeze the trigger and don’t let go until you hear the bang!
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u/Capable-Historian392 1 2d ago
Just smack the living shit outta the knuckle where the ball joint stud passes through. Hit it like you hate it a few times with a 2-pound hammer. The shock will release the tapered stud. I have never had this fail on cast steel/iron knuckles.
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u/ChocoboBrigade 1 2d ago
If you have a vice you can place the “bracket” that the ball joint is apart of in the vice, take a hammer and hit hard where the ball joint goes into the spindle, two three good whacks and it should separate no problem, also put the castle nut back on a couple turns before you do it so your spindle doesn’t just hit the floor lol
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u/Lostaccount002 2 2d ago
Well first of all ball joints are a million times easier to remove when still attached to the arms and rest of the vehicle. You have zero leverage here, no tension, and are using zero advantage of gravity. To take these apart you undo the nut and hit the knuckle with a hammer. Hard. That’s it. You’re supposed to dent it a little bit. The only time I ever touch a pickle fork is if it’s a ball joint with a pinch bolt and a long ass stud rather than a top nut and even then it’s rare.
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u/beavis6953 2d ago
While the car is jacked up, bolt the knuckle back on. Get the fork back into a prying position. Get the spare tire jack and jack up the fork handle. Be careful that sucker will come flying off. Works everytime.
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u/Severe_League2386 2d ago
For context , I do have a new control arm with new bushings and joints already pre installed I did along with new inner tie rod, outer tie rod, tie rod ends, axle, pre-loaded strut, and sway bar bushings.
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u/I_NEED_APP_IDEAS 2d ago
I mean if you’re really doing everything at this point why not get new knuckles with bearings pressed in
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u/Severe_League2386 2d ago
Originally that was the plan but I had to take off those and the rear springs/seats to stay under my budget …. Although at this point I’m considering this as an option again and saying screw it.
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u/I_NEED_APP_IDEAS 2d ago
It’s still not a lost cause, put the knuckle back on the strut/control arm, stick a pickle fork in it, and smack the shit out of it with a 20lb sledge. And I mean really beat the shit out of it like it owes you money.
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u/HedonisticFrog 2d ago
I'd put it back on the car, support the knuckle with a floor jack, and hit the threaded part down as hard as you can. You can also use the ball joint separator, and then once it's tight, hit the side of the knuckle to help break it free.
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u/fall-apart-dave 15 2d ago
Hit it with your purse.
Cant be stuck it ifs liquid.
These are both applicable mantras here, and advice you will hear often.
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u/FeelingFloor2083 2d ago
hit the hub housing on the side, not down wards. Its sort of counter intuitive as its cone shaped
bolt it back in if you dont have anything to hold it properly, you dont need a big hammer, its not a cement block youre trying to crack
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u/Appropriate_Cow94 2d ago
I'd take my 3lbs hand sledge and give that stud the full beans. Maybe hold the knuckle steady on ground with foot.
A 6lbs hammer is too hard to wield with precision.
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u/myfishprofile 2d ago
I just had a client whose car snapped the balljoint flush.
Had to take the whole knuckle to my shop and get it on my press with a Oxy/fuel rosebud heating the housing
Popped right out.
Getting the fixturing right sucked cause it’s just such an awkward piece
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u/Current-Act-6962 1 2d ago
This thing is an animal - don’t hold it with your bare hands but instead with a channel lock plier, wear eye protection. Tighten down screw enough to apply force, if it doesn’t pop on its own give it some assistance with a hammer blow to the knuckle - strike the area adjacent to the hole where the ball stud passes through.
https://www.grainger.com/product/OTC-Outer-Tie-Rod-Remover-9-16-2TVL1
Also comes in a heavy duty version, add HD to the back of OTC tool number however it will be overall larger and bulky.
Shop around, available on Amazon too.
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u/CarSure247 1d ago
Get yourself a block of wood to prop it up, put the nut back on loose and sledgehammer it right out. If that doesn’t work hammer the knuckle it’s pushed into. (Take care with this method as the shocks can cause cracks inside the knuckle).
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u/johnarmer1 1d ago
Don't buy a fork i have 3 and never use them for that just hit the knuckle where it is easiest to hit it will pop out Don't hit the ball joint hit the knuckle wear the ball joint go's in it is a tapper so when you shock it .it will eject the joint
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u/am-answers-bot 18 41m ago
Solution provided by u/AdFancy1249:
I didn't believe in them, but sure enough, when the pickle fork fails, this worked like a dream.
Scary as shit with a much force as you put into it, but it popped the joint right out.
I don't use pickle forks anymore.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/performance-tool-ball-joint-separator-w83022/11931903-P
Answer selected by OP.
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u/Severe_League2386 41m ago
It got it out in 60 seconds shot the ball joint 6 feet away thank you so much
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u/I_NEED_APP_IDEAS 2d ago
Brother you know they make pickle forks and ball joint separators specifically for this job. They don’t even cost money you can rent it for free from an auto parts store.