[valbowski1980]

My left one is lose so I fugure since it has to be swapped anyway I may as well do the right also.

Question one: Is it really as simple as it looks?
Question two: Should I spend 40 bucks for the OEMs, or 18 for the Karlyn ones?
Question three: Anything I should be extra careful with?

 

[yaofeng]

I am cheap. So I'll go for the cheaper one.

It is simple and straightforward. Remove the front wheel. Loosen and remove the nut under the tie-rod end ball joint. Slip the nut back on to the ball joint stem. Place a vertical hydraulic jack under the nut and jack until the weight of the car pop the ball joint out of its tapered stem. Remove the nut.

Install the new ball joint in reverse steps of removal.

Do the realignment. Go to a professional.

 

[valbowski1980]

vertical hydraulic jack

I've been meanin' to get one of them . Works out better than bumming them off of people.

What I'm wondering is how to "pop" the ball joint back in. G-clamp maybe?

 

[yaofeng]

I noticed my mistake as soon as I hit "submit".

You don't pop it in. Just tighten the nut will do. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[valbowski1980]

I noticed my mistake as soon as I hit "submit".

You don't pop it in. Just tighten the nut will do. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for that, the pics from eeuroparts didn't show a ball either.

I'm still getting a hydro jack though, I really should have one with the amount of time I spend under the 4 family cars.

Thank your for your help, I'm gonna order the parts right now.

 

[yaofeng]

The ball is underneath the rubber.

I have you beat. I am taking care of six cars. Although one of them I am trying to sell.

 

[valbowski1980]

I'm also the family IT guy . It's actually not that bad anymore since I've taught them how not to get spyware.

I did see your list of cars though. Nice BMWs, I would love a 5-speed 5 series wagon myself.

 

[yaofeng]

I used to be the family IT guy. Now I just ask my two sons. They know much more than I do on anything computer related.


I am also dreaming occasionally for a 528it, in 5 speed.

 

[valbowski1980]

Bloody hell!

It's finally done (bad idea on the hydralic jack for popping out the ball joints. A Pickle Fork works much better ) and the rust was what killed me.

 

[benji9k]

I did mine a few days ago. Much much better. I do need to get an alignment now, it's just a hair off to the left now.

 

[yaofeng]

Bloody hell!

It's finally done (bad idea on the hydralic jack for popping out the ball joints. A Pickle Fork works much better ) and the rust was what killed me.

I thought Yankees don't use that phrase. Only Englishmen do.

Don't get where the hang up was using the hydraulic jack. It always works for me. I don't even have a ball joint remover.

 

[valbowski1980]

I thought Yankees don't use that phrase. Only Englishmen do.

Don't get where the hang up was using the hydraulic jack. It always works for me. I don't even have a ball joint remover.

I'm a Yankee who live in London for a bit . I tried the jack but the joint wouldn't budge and I didn't want to stress anything. That and Autozone rents tools for free so I went that rout.

I got the alighnment done today and it steers like a new car.

 

[johncc]

When I swapped my transmission with the assistance of a friend who worked as a mechanic for a while, he split the ball joint with a long bar. Can't exactly picture it, but I think he put it over the lower arm, and then put one end under the subframe, and applied his weight to the other end and it just popped apart.

 

[djtaylor]

You're a bunch of thugs I tell you, the lot of you!!! :cheesy:

Nobody ever heard of a proper screw type ball joint splitter??

David.

 

[yaofeng]

You're a bunch of thugs I tell you, the lot of you!!! :cheesy:

Nobody ever heard of a proper screw type ball joint splitter??

David.

You have to show me a picture as I couldn't in my head. My hydraulic jack works everytime except in applications where the stem is up and the ball is down. So it would not work on the ball joing at the 9k front control arm at the bottom of the strut but perfect for the tie-rod end.

Plus I do not remove the ball joint to replace it every time. A ball joint spitter destroys the ball joint.

 

[Basre]

I've noticed that Genuine mechanics use two small ball peen hammers to 'pop' the tapered shafts of ANY ball type joint.
Simultaneously hitting ether side of the cast momentarily deforms the metal slightly.. forcing the tapered shaft out neatly.
A joy to behold, pure skill, replacing ingnorant brute force, a trick well worth learning

 

[valbowski1980]

Nobody ever heard of a proper screw type ball joint splitter??

David.

I have but couldn't find one. The pickle fork was fine since I wasn't going to reuse the the tire/track rod ends anyways, and on top of all that it was free.

Yaofeng, here is a pic of the screw type splitter

Barse the two hammer method does sound cool. I'll give it a shot next time around.