UCA ball joint removal '23 OR

I cant figure out how to separate the ball joint from the UCA for the life of me. Ive tried hitting it with a hammer - nothing. Any tips?

 

You got to remove the circlip and press it out. Or you want to separate the spindle from the uca?

 

Whack the top of the spindle with a hammer (the big chunk of metal right above the castle nut) to get the bj to pop out of the spindle. It's popped off first time every time for me on every Taco I've replaced them on lol. IDK why you'd need to remove the ball joint itself already on such a new truck, but that would get pressed in after the UCA is removed.

 

I’d you’re talking about separating the spindle from the UCA ball joint, then you need to beat the spindle with a rubber hammer.

 

Im uograding the suspension and replacing the front coilovers. Removing it to give me more room. Is there another way? Also, Yep. Ive been beating the hell out of it.

 

Second gen is the same as far as suspension goes - and this vid shows how to remove/replace them. I've lifted a few third gens and they all came apart as easily as in the vid with a 1lb deadblow ball pein hammer.

How to install UCA's and Coilovers on a Toyota Tacoma in 14 min - YouTube

 

Spray some pb blaster and keep beating on that flat spot on the spindle til it comes loose. It will eventually drop away from the ball joint.

 

Thank you! That vid helped. I think the others I was watching were dealing with a lot of rust and stuff, so they were hitting it at angles that werent working for me. Came right out. Stupid simple. Im just stupid stupid!

 

You don’t need to remove the uca to replace shocks. Cheers

 

Nah don’t say that. you just didn’t have the right info. Cheers!

 

If the hammer doesn't work then use this to separate from the spindle.

$21 Powerbuilt 648692 Tie Rod Puller - 2 Piece Press Screw, Silver

https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-648692-Small-Tie-Puller/dp/B0015UWW1O?keywords=ball+joint+separator&qid=1681498533&sprefix=ball+joint+sep%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-52&th=1


After its seperated, I usually loosen the 19mm long bolt on the UCA so that I can tilt the UCA fully upwards to squeeze the shock in too.

Be really carful of the ABS line. give as much slack as possible along with the brake line too.

 

If you have a second person have that person place another hammer against the backside of the spindle while you whack it.