Lower Ball Joint removal help.

Hey all,
I went to do my lower ball joints today, and I could not for the life of me get the steering stop bracket to separate from the ball joint end, first I used a pickle fork with a hammer and it would not budge, I went down to AutoZone and try to use their ball joint separator tool but it kept slipping off. I hammered and hammered and hammered away at different parts of the bracket but it still would not budge.
Can someone recommend a good way to get the bracket separated from the lower ball joint? Perhaps a special tool I can rent from an auto parts store?
I have the ball joint Master service kit from advance Auto parts which should get the ball joint now of the lower control arm but I'm stuck at getting the steering stop bracket off of the ball joint.
Here's a picture of a video I found on YouTube not my truck but it's where I'm stuck.
Unfortunately I had to put everything back together, I'll need to try next weekend any suggestions thanks in advance.

 

Ok maybe a dumb question but I can’t tell from your picture, did you remove the cotter pin and nut on the bottom of the ball joint?

 

Good question, yes the castle nut and cotter pin are removed.

 

that’s good to know haha.


i would spray the shit out of it with kroil or PB blaster, and since that ball joint is getting replaced anyway, heat will always be your friend.

try and hit it equally on both sides simultaneously to get more of a shock load affect. Maybe bolt a piece of metal or wood across the steering stop and try hitting that with a sledge.

 

If that doesn’t work, maybe a 2 jaw puller upside down with the forcing screw pressing into the ball joint

 

Leave the bracket attached (bolted) to the knuckle. Then hammer on the ball joint with your pickle fork. The way you have it (free floating), the ball joint flexes (moves away from the impact) when you hit it. It takes several really good wacks to break it free. Got a 3 lb hammer?

 

I was using a 20oz Hammer, I'll pick up a 3lb and give it another go, that's probably why it wasn't budging. I have a torch somewhere and I'll add some heat to it too.

 

Get 10lb sledge hammer the 3lb will be the same as the 20oz. It's a lot easier if you take the LCA off. Just mark your bolts and take pictures. I just did this on my taco and it's way easier with them off.

 

I’m in Lakeside. If you need tools or other assistance, let me know.

 

Put the torch to it…

 

Thanks Chuy, I appreciate it.

 

and…


isn’t it like a billion degrees in CA..? Why you beatin’ on the truck in an oven..?

 

It was hot here in San diego but it was about 85 deg last night, I started when the sun went down, still hot though. Gonna work on it next week when it's cooler.

 

I’m doin’ my pre-season furnace check this week……

 

Hit with a bigger hammer and hit harder once the fork is in a good amount start heating it up if it hasn’t come off yet. Don’t use a small torch. I have a benzomatic ts8000 and it works well. Or use something similar that throws a lot of heat. As it get heated either it will finally pop off due to the load from the fork or your next good hit with a hammer will get it to come right off.

 

When I did mine, I did not have to disassemble as much as in the pics.
Try this. When you start over again … after removing the wheel, back off the BJ castle nut about half way. Bolt up the rotor and use the jack to lift it upward, about an inch, using a 2x4 under the rotor. This puts some tension in favor of separating the BJ. Strike the side of the BJ with progressive force; this should separate it and the castle nut will prevent the LCA from swinging down too hard. After that remove two bottom bolts and the tie rod to swing away the knuckle. You don't have to remove the CV shaft. PM when you plan on re-attempting this and I’ll see if I can swing by.

The one issue I had was separating the BJ from the LCA. My BJ Chinese-made C-clamp could not remove the BJ. I had to use the C-clamp in conjunction with an air hammer to push it out. A couble sledgehammer blows on top of the BJ should do it also.

 

Here's the FSM recommended method, I now recall helping a friend when I did one, I took the whole LCA off, put it upside down on a vice with the steering stop resting on both jaws, and then smacked the ball joint threaded portion until it separated

 

You need to keep trying various pullers like the one 6 gear posted

Do you have an air hammer? With a rounded pencil tip? Put it right in the depression at the top of the threaded BJ stud

 

The factory ball joint tool is a beast. I made a video of it, but its too large for TW to post

A big ass pickle fork as preload then a sledge hitting down with a jack stand bracing works. But it takes fine tuning.