Birty Dastards Jeep Club
Tech Forum => Workshop => Topic started by: vitman on February 03, 2011, 09:00:51 PM
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ok got to do front upper and lower ball joints on my xj this weekend and was wandering how people get out old ball joints out of axle? :017:
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Ball joint press & an oxy torch. Last ones I did were a bitch to get out & needed plenty of heat even with the press.
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This is a way of doing them
This is not the best way of changing them - but is A way (without use of presses or expensive stuff :oops: )
Top one took me 5 minutes to get out, bottom one 10 minutes - on previous attempts I was expecting 3 hours for them :oops:
Remove wheel, hub and knuckle.
Then get a jack, apply load to the top ball joint and hit around it with a hammer :roll: - it then popped out :D
(https://birtydastards.com/frm/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi219.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc124%2Fmds-houses%2Fjeep%2F8972e8bc.jpg&hash=e93e620dceb8e8f00260be04d5c4b3b2b9531983) (http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc124/mds-houses/jeep/?action=view¤t=8972e8bc.jpg)
This did not work on the bottom one :(
So out came the 9" angle grinder, cut into the top of it, as far as you can without cutting the axle part.
Then cut through the bottom of it. It generates a lot of heat and when cut through all of the ball and inards fell out (it had melted the plastic liner)
The top was then hit with a small hammer (probably only 10oz as my other hammers are on a job I'm doing and the next size up was the 14lber - which did get used later :roll: )
The whole lot then came out :D :D
(https://birtydastards.com/frm/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi219.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fcc124%2Fmds-houses%2Fjeep%2F56404006.jpg&hash=dc1df8f5be0b9e315d181aa9f0234a8c151344e2) (http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc124/mds-houses/jeep/?action=view¤t=56404006.jpg)
The insides were then cleaned to remove ruat etc and the new ball joints tapped into place.
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[attachment=1]
press with 8 ton hydraulic ram
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ohhh, where do you find one of those?
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The hydraulic ram is quite widely available, the one I borrowed was a Sealey branded one. The frame work is called a Kingpin Press I believe and is used on mid sized lorries. I borrowed it from the mechanic at my Father's factory and have looked for one a few times to buy but only ever seen 1 on eBay. It's very slow travel but high force and does the job easily. The big bang scared the crap out of me the 1st time though!
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get the correct tool from manchestertools
look for jeep ball joint press in this link
http://www.manchestertools.co.uk/neilsen-ball-joint-service-tool-10pc-p-34194.html (http://www.manchestertools.co.uk/neilsen-ball-joint-service-tool-10pc-p-34194.html)
there is a bid on youtube that shows you how to do it,real easy with the correct kit for the job
once you have done top and bottom ball joint on BOTH sides just sell the ball joint press on ebay again
i did one side on mine,took a couple of hours but it was pissing with rain,but an easy job and worth doing
if you really want to improve handling redo the drag links and rubbers and put poly bushes on the fron top and botton control arms,the diffrence is night and day.
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yeah i got a kit bit like that it does up to dana 70
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yes,its one of the most handy bits of kit i have bought,,,saved me a fortune of garage fee,s i reckon
regards