Quote:
Originally Posted by scubacat
I'm not sure you'll have enough room to use the separator tool. Mine was pretty well stuck in there at first. How did I get it out? First spray some penetrating oil on the top of the ball joint. Next, go to home depot, buy a 10' piece of steel pipe, and have them cut it into 6' and 4' seconds for you (so you'll have 2 different size "tools"). Then, position that 6' pipe over the control arm and under the subframe, and push down. It'll come right out. I tried a 30" wrecker bar first, but it just bent. (I guess I wrecked the wrecker bar...)
|
LOL - You wrecked the wrecker bar. LOL I like that.
Well, I'll do the oil. I dunno why I didn't use oil to loosen stuff over so many years of work, but I have some Aero Kroil and I love the stuff... has worked great when I have used it before.
Pipe over the control arm and UNDER the subframe??? Do you mean under the knuckle??? I guess I'm not seeing how a 6' piece of pipe would reach to go under the subframe?
I'm thinking I'm going to hammer the ball joint left and right until it loosens up enough to come out.
This van has 135k... but I have to say..I cannot believe how well preserved this van really is. It looks like it has only EVER contacted pavement roads. The original PAINT is still even on the base of the wheel STUDS!! The cowl had never been removed before (I broke a piece of foam that was sealing it on driver side). I vacuumed all of it out and found out where the cabin air filter is too.
Anyway, I'm dead tired tonight and the van is just sitting right now. I didn't have it in me tonight to continue the struggle. Until tomorrow.
Oh and the control arms I'm putting on are new. I will never again go through pressing out and pressing in ball joint unless I have some very expensive automated tool to do it.