lower ball joint stuck?? replacing ball joints and steering knuckle

tomranger · Jun 11, 2016

so i am in the process of removing/replacing the passenger side steering knuckle on my 1993 4x4, i have the tie rod end out of the knuckle, the upper ball joint is completely free, and the castle nut is removed from the lower ball joint, so the whole knuckle should drip right off. but it WILL NOT budge. did i miss something? ice veen having a really hard time finding a tutorial for these years, 1993-94 specifically have a different knuckle and ball joint set up. I aim to complete the job today (hopefully), someone make this make sense please?? thanks in advance.

adsm08 · Jun 11, 2016

I feel like this is a really stupid thing to have over-looked, but you didn't specifically mention it.

Do you still have the axle shaft in?

I can't see how you could if you got the nut off the ball joint, but I can't see the truck so I have to ask.

Anyway, assuming you haven't missed something like that, put the nut back on the lower ball joint a few threads then take your best hammer and give the axle beam a few good whacks right around where the joint goes in.

The ball joints are coned, the cone gets pressed into the axle by tightening the nut. The vibrations from the hammer let it come loose. I have never seen one just fall out after taking the nut off. Sometimes a pickle fork is needed, but don't pry with a pickle fork. Get it driven in and then hit the beam if needed.

tomranger · Jun 11, 2016

adsm08 said:
I feel like this is a really stupid thing to have over-looked, but you didn't specifically mention it.

Do you still have the axle shaft in?

I can't see how you could if you got the nut off the ball joint, but I can't see the truck so I have to ask.

Anyway, assuming you haven't missed something like that, put the nut back on the lower ball joint a few threads then take your best hammer and give the axle beam a few good whacks right around where the joint goes in.

The ball joints are coned, the cone gets pressed into the axle by tightening the nut. The vibrations from the hammer let it come loose. I have never seen one just fall out after taking the nut off. Sometimes a pickle fork is needed, but don't pry with a pickle fork. Get it driven in and then hit the beam if needed.

well thats not a stupid question at all, because the axle shaft is indeed still in place, and i was able to get the nut off with an open end wrench. the spindle is removed from the knuckle, so the axle shaft itself is not in the way of the knuckle dropping off, its only the lower ball joint bolt. i have been hammering away like crazy with no luck.. keep in mind this is a 93 and considerably rusty. i was hoping to be able to do everything without having to remove the axle shaft, as i believe that requires cracking the front diff?? please correct me if im wrong.. and where would a pickle fork be used the lower ball joint is completely stuck in the hole in the axle.

black_demon69 · Jun 11, 2016

tomranger said:
well thats not a stupid question at all, because the axle shaft is indeed still in place, and i was able to get the nut off with an open end wrench. the spindle is removed from the knuckle, so the axle shaft itself is not in the way of the knuckle dropping off, its only the lower ball joint bolt. i have been hammering away like crazy with no luck.. keep in mind this is a 93 and considerably rusty. i was hoping to be able to do everything without having to remove the axle shaft, as i believe that requires cracking the front diff?? please correct me if im wrong.. and where would a pickle fork be used the lower ball joint is completely stuck in the hole in the axle.

just how big is you BFH? Try a 4 pounder might be overkill but usually works for me without a pickle fork.. also not saying you don't know how to use a hammer but it works better when you hold the handle at the end

i have on occasion used penetrating oil like wd40 or pb blaster not really sure it works but it seems to could also try a little heat on the knuckle. you just don't want to heat the ball joint too much. :icon_welder:

alwaysFlOoReD · Jun 11, 2016

IIRC the drivers side axle should come right out. The passenger side not so, requires disassembly. You want to have the hammer hit the knuckle as close as possible to the joint, and having two hammers one as an anvil on opposite side can help. Heavier hammer is better to a point, if you can't control the swing then its no good.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

adsm08 · Jun 11, 2016

The driver's side just pops out. The passeneger side can be taken apart at the slip yoke in the middle and the boot resecured with a zip tie.

Get the pickle fork started in between the knuckle and beam. It should fit to a degree and go in with some force. If you are careful it can also help to hit down on the knuckle every few swings.

You can also shoot some penetrating oil on it and it can help break things loose.

aspevacek · Jun 12, 2016

Another idea I have used is apply heat to the knuckle to help break rust loose. This is ok if you are swapping the ball joint out. Would not use the method if you plan on keeping the ball joint.

lower ball joint stuck?? replacing ball joints and steering knuckle

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