Control arm removal?!

anbran · Post by **anbran** » 24 Jun 2011, 20:11

Is there a neat trick to getting that bolt to budge after the nut has been removed?? Got to change the hub...cant get the lower ball joint-to-knuckle bolt to undo...

Help!

'99 XC70

begovic · Post by **begovic** » 24 Jun 2011, 22:38

Spray with liqid wrench or something. Try to lift control arm just a little up, hit bolt with hammer.
There is groove on balljoint stud and need to be aligned with bolt hole.
No neat trick just pure muscle.

Post by **erikv11** » 24 Jun 2011, 23:57

I find it much harder to disconnect the ball joint than to disconnect the two bolts at the subframe. I would leave the ball joint alone, but unhook the control arm at the subframe. This will allow you to do the hub replacement. Be sure to reinstall those control arm mounting bolts correctly, you need to make the control arm horizontal before you tighten and torque them. Otherwise you ruin the control arm bushings.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 25 Jun 2011, 03:21

I'm with erikv11 on this one.

The ball joint locking bolt is always difficult to remove. I use my impact wrench to spin it while pushing from behind and it eventually comes out.

Getting the ball joint separated from the steering knuckle is always my biggest problem. There are some, not me, that have the Midas touch and they can just tap the steering knuckle with a ball peen hammer and the ball joint just pops out. In every case I have had to use a fork and a 5 lb sledge hammer. It destroys the boot on the ball joint in the process which means the control arm is now junk. In my cases the control arms were junk anyway which is why I was replacing them in the first place.

...Lee

anbran · Post by **anbran** » 25 Jun 2011, 07:47

Is the bolt that goes through the joint threaded entirely, or just where it meets the nut on the other side?... once the nut is off...do you just start hammering on the end until it pops out?! I will try removing the main two bolts on the control arm at the frame instead, but I have a feeling that the ball joint might be tired too...might as well while I'm there...

Thanks

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 25 Jun 2011, 08:24

On the ones I've taken out only the last 3/4" or so is threaded. If you are going to start hammering on it leave the nut on, flush with the end of the bolt, so that you don't destroy the threads on the bolt.

...Lee