Can't get tie rod separated from lower ball joint.

I have that one...worked great on the LBJ, but the smaller one I rented didn't fit the TRE; HF didn't have theirs in stock. I'll buy one and make it fit for the next time.

 

You can probably get a pickle fork to work then.

 

That will for sure mangle the boot though, at least it did when I used one lol. Just in case he plans on reusing the tie rod or LBJ. I couldn't get it to work without destroying the boots

 

sometimes you just cant swing hard enough and hit the mark without doing more damage. In those cases I will put one hammer on the side of the joint and strike that hammer with another hammer and that usually does the trick. Of course this is with all the proper saftey glasses, gloves and procedures... wink wink.

 

There are two rental sizes. You want the larger one



That said, it's still a tight fit around the boots and you really have to ensure you're aligning it properly.

 

I won’t revisit it on the truck now, but that looks like the one I bought from HF. It fit perfectly on the lbj, but I recall it was a non-starter for the tre.

I remember @Timmah! using a smaller size from an otc kit in one of his videos for the tre. That’s what I thought I had rented, but couldn’t make it work. Next time I’m wrenching I’ll give it another go with the HF one that I bought.

 

This is made for import trucks....



https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...-w83022/11931903-P?searchTerm=ball+joint+tool



Used dozens of times.....never failed me....and doesnt destroy the boot if used correctly.....

 

The above tool is the one i use it works great for me!1

To me When it is time for Ball joints time for outer tie rods as well .

In that case pickle Fork on the Air Hammer for the Win.

I think in my case every time a outer tie rod was removed a new one was installed then most all my Toyota`s are mid Eighties before steering Racks

 

Glad to know these work on our trucks, as I need this style for my other car.

 

This works every time, people usually hit it in the wrong spot.

 

Thats a good tip

The Great Liquid Brine belt. Never heard that one before haha

 

Well When the Penn DOT welder Shows pictures of what liquid brine does to the rebar in bridges while discussing another issue .

Then the Commonwealth reduces the weight on about all the bridges Yes Liquid Brine Belt works very well

 

Queue corny dad joke to this thread......."why don't you just untie it?" I'll be here all week.

 

That's what I used a few years ago.

And the picture shown in post #11 above shows exactly what happened to me when I used the tool .

 

When the truck is on jack stands and your hitting the ball joint down, the shock and other components are still absorbing the impact of the hammer.

What I do is get something solid to place under the control arm as close as possible to the LBJ then smack the top with a hammer. Or course with the castle nut on it. But works every time for me.