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I’m gearing up to change the lower balljoints in my 2005 Jeep Liberty. I’ve never used a balljoint press before, and the instructions included with the one I’ve borrowed aren’t exactly clear, so I’d like to clarify – when removing the old joint, the press is applying its force directly to the balljoint stud rather than the body of the joint?
Secondly, I’d like to replace the lower control arm bushings while I’m in there, and I know that a balljoint press, while not the ideal tool, can be used to do that. I just want to be reasonably sure that the bushing will come out in one piece, I don’t want the rubber to come out and leave the metal sleeve inside the arm.
If it happens that the sleeve does get left inside the arm, are there any tried-and-true ways of getting it out using regular hand tools?
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Usually you will be supplied with different sized sleeves. to push a joint out you need to use the smaller sleeve to apply pressure directly to the ball joint body. On the opposite side you must use a sleeve that is larger than the ball joint so it can be pushed through. I have had cases where the smallest sleeve is too large for the ball joint and have pushed a few ball joints out by pressing on the stud, just be very careful and make sure everything is lined up straight.
worse case if the metal sleeve in the bushing does not come out you could get a hacksaw or reciprocating saw and cut the sleeve then give it some good hits with a hammer and punch.
EX: my control arm bushings when i was swapping to poly [URL=http://s289.photobucket.com/user/bloodlust182/media/20130815_221837_zps6925c2bc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/bloodlust182/20130815_221837_zps6925c2bc.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Thankyou for the clarification B)
I’ve been looking at lots of YT videos about balljoint replacement, and they all seem to set up the press so that it’s applying pressure to the stud. That just seems to carry the risk of pushing the stud up into the joint body rather than breaking the whole joint loose.
No problem, you are replacing the BJ so if the press damages the joint it wont matter. The steel cage around the ball can take a lot of abuse so I don’t think you need to worry about not getting it out.
Thankyou! I spent some time at the kitchen table with the press kit and one of the new joints, experimenting with different arrangements of cups and tubes for getting the old joint out. I was getting confused, because I was trying to use a removal tube as well as receiving tube, plus the two cups that go on each end, and there wasn’t anywhere near enough space between the jaws of the C-frame to do that. Eventually I realised that I only needed the receiving tube and the removal cup, which fits over the stud and presses against the joint’s body.
It is a bit confusing the first time around. Take your time, make sure everything is lined up well, that the receiving tube is big enough for the ball joint to fit into, and away you go.
Most of the time, when I change bushings, I don’t bother with a press kit, I find them to be more aggravating than just doing the job without them. I remove the control arm, lay it down over the open jaws of my vise (open wide enough for the bushing to fit between them, and lined up so it will) and find myself a deep socket just a bit smaller in diameter than the outside of the busing sleeve. Line it up, and whack away with your favorite BFH. Installation is the reverse of removal, but whack a bit more carefully so you don’t push the sucker too far. Don’t want to spend all day turning the control arm over to push the bushing back just that little bit that you went too far hahaha.
As the previous poster said, if you should manage to remove the rubber from the sleeve, cut a groove in the sleeve with a hack saw (be careful NOT to go all the way through the sleeve, and into the control arm). I then use a chisel and hammer to get between the sleeve and control arm right next to that groove, and start bending one edge of the sleeve in. The metal in the grooved area will crack as you do this, and release the tension on the sleeve, and then you can grab that bit of it that you bent in with a pair of needle nose vice grips and pull it right out.
It’s best to push on the ball joint body if you can. You get the maximum force on the joint. Make sure the press is applying equal pressure so you don’t stretch the control arm outta shape.
Without air tools the control arm bushings are a bit more work but can be removed by placing a good chisel behind the steel part of the bushing and hammering it toward the rubber part until you can punch it through. With a hammer and socket or similar on the outer steel part you can drive the new busing into the control arm. Make sure it’s straight and that you’re not damaging the new bushing.
I hope Eric does not mind, but this is a pretty good video on removing and installing bushings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUaM2tagIX4[quote=”Raistian77″ post=75372]I hope Eric does not mind, but this is a pretty good video on removing and installing bushings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUaM2tagIX4%5B/quote%5DI don’t mind useful information that helps people one bit. One day, I hope to make a video demonstrating this procedure. Until then, this one looks pretty good.
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