NEED HELP KNUCKLE BUSTING Grrr

[xjnco]

Working to get the jeep's front end a little ( lot) tighter (390K+ mi.) I am replacing the ball joints in the D30 . I borrowed a space heater for the garage, got all the tools including a ball joint press, put the xj on stands and proceded to take things apart following MADXJ guidelines. Well I'm down to bare knucles and cannot get the knucles broken loose from the yoke. I've pounded and pounded with my engineers hammer (3lb), and even tried heating the knucle joints up. My handheld propane torch, but it just isn't enough. I don't know what to do. Wish I could use this ball joint press to break the knuckles loose. Anyone have a great big hammer (G-BFH) I could borrow? Do I need to get (borrow) a welder to heat the knuckles up more, then pound them off?
Suggestions are needed from everyone.
Well, back to pounding, I'll break every hour or so to check for messages.
party1:Merry Christmas to all...party1:

Merry Christmas to me!! The new ball joints just arrived via UPS (as I'm writing), :yelclap:

Think, where's Mead?

[Skully]

Okay let me get this straight you got everything off right but the hub assembly and the axle shafts right? or you can not get the spindle off the axle?

If you are talking about the hub assembly make sure you have taken out the three bolts on the backside of the spindle and took off the big nut shaft?

GO to advance auto parts or similar shop and rent a SLIDE hammer. It is this big funky looking thing that attaches to three of your lug nuts on the hub assembly and a big pole with a weighted handle that slides back and forth. That is the easiest way to get the hub assembly off. It still takes a lot of slide pounding but you will eventually get it. :lecture:

If it is the spindle itself you can not get off the axle to replace the ball joints I believe there is a puller you can also rent.

[xjnco]

I've done that, got the tools at advanced auto parts,
The knuckle needs to be pounded down, off of the yoke, and has a 1/2" x 1/2" impact area to pound on.

[Skully]

Do you have a pickle fork (Tie rod removal tool) big enough you can put between the ball joint and the spindle to pound out?

I remember my CJ7 D30 once I removed everything I put one good slam on the spindle and it came off. I believe though that older designed 30's had the ball joints slide in the spindle the newer 30's XJ's up the ball joints go in the axle side?

I am thinking that pickle fork in a bigger size right were you want it will eventually break loose.

[Kittrell]

Off the yoke? Are you trying to say that you can not get the outer knuckle to release itself from the ball joints?

[Rockken]

I saw this very same issue when Terry was doing your (Kittrell) gear/locker install at one of the tech get together. One of the guys that showed up was doing a ball joint job. I think he ended up cutting up the top of the ball joint with a cut off tool and then pounding it out with a big hammer. It was the top ball joint that was stuck, if I remember correctly.

[Skully]

I put the scenario in my head and looked at my Heep and what DJ said if you are trying to get the knuckle off the axle the motion is down and it looks a pickle fork would do the trick. Got mine at Checkers for $30.

http://seven.three.superdutypsd.com/images/BJWU_pickle%20fork%20upper.jpg





.......but do not get one of these cause it won't work ........unless your hungry. :rolleyes:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/707783465_bbc7f55823_o.jpg

[xjnco]

"Are you trying to say that you can not get the outer knuckle to release itself from the ball joints?" Kittrell, Yes, that's my problem. :wow:

Skully, Thanks, I'll try using he pickle fork between the ball joints and the knuckle to break the knuckle loose fromf the ball joints
Hasta

[philip_g]

harbor freight has them for about two bucks.
when frank and I did my balljoints he didn't have one and I believe we heated it up with a torch and just beat the thing into submission with a 5lb hammer. Where the heck is mead? You can have mine but I think it's too far.

[Skully]

harbor freight has them for about two bucks.
when frank and I did my balljoints he didn't have one and I believe we heated it up with a torch and just beat the thing into submission with a 5lb hammer. Where the heck is mead? You can have mine but I think it's too far.

Harbor Freight scares me..........I had a wrench that lasted me two hours from them. The pickle Fork from Checkers I still have after 9 years. (Although Checkers stuff is scary as well.)

I don't remember Ball joints being that tough although different year 30 but that is crazy. Hopefully a pickle fork will work and no drastic cutting torching off is required ;)

[xjnco]

Yahoo!! and not the portal. Thanks guys, :smootch: using the knuckle buster as suggested, I got both knuckles to break loose, In addition I did slip once and broke skin on a hand knuckle! yup, it did hurt, but neo and a bandaid took care of that. Now on to removing the ball joints, :doh:
Thanks....

[philip_g]

Harbor Freight scares me..........I had a wrench that lasted me two hours from them. The pickle Fork from Checkers I still have after 9 years. (Although Checkers stuff is scary as well.)

I don't remember Ball joints being that tough although different year 30 but that is crazy. Hopefully a pickle fork will work and no drastic cutting torching off is required ;)

their (HF) pickle forks are really soft, I've bent mine up pretty good already. I have random odd tools from checker, ie inverted torx sockets I'll never use again, but they work and they're lifetime guarantee.

Glad you got it off, now make sure you press the joints the right way, they come out real hard the wrong way

[Kittrell]

I saw this very same issue when Terry was doing your (Kittrell) gear/locker install at one of the tech get together. One of the guys that showed up was doing a ball joint job. I think he ended up cutting up the top of the ball joint with a cut off tool and then pounding it out with a big hammer. It was the top ball joint that was stuck, if I remember correctly.

I think that was Terry with an I, who got his Y back...................:shhh:

Silver '00 Limited?

[YELLAHEEP]

I think that was Terry with an I, who got his Y back...................:shhh:

Silver '00 Limited?

Yeah, but the knuckles came right off no problem. It was the lower ball joints that were giving us fits coming out of the inner "C's". IIRC, we used the dremel to cut "X's" across the top to allow the ball joint case to collapse easier and then pounded them out.

[Rockken]

Yella you are correct, after seeing Skully's picture, it all came back to me. Did Terry have his Y back when we did that tech session?

[xjnco]

Well, I got one(driver's side) top ball out, by using a sleeve that was to short and putting the castle nut back on and pressing the stud out the top with the plastic and the spring. This loosened the shell up enough I was able to then press it out.
Now the lower ball joint is giving me a real pain-it's not budging.
After a :smoker: and some rest (I'm 54), I'll try another castle nut trick and see if I can physically break the lower ball joint the same way. :dunno:
Then the othe!r side...:gag:

[xjnco]

Sh..t, Still a no go. Any more suggestions?:confused:

[Frank Z]

If i'm reading your post correctly, your pushing the lower joint the wrong way. You should be pushing it down to remove it from the inner c.

If I missread your post...nevermind.

[JJacobs]

Yeah Mike, those are a pain in the patoot- especially since the centerline of the press ends up not being on center with the balljoints. There are tapered press adapters specifically for these axles, or you can shim one side of the standard press collars and stay the hell out of the way in case one decides to play 100 mph tiddlywink. Be careful!

[Hypoid]

If i'm reading your post correctly, your pushing the lower joint the wrong way. You should be pushing it down to remove it from the inner c.

If I missread your post...nevermind.
X2
First side took me a half day, second side took an hour. Seems like I had the screw to that press situated in the upper hole??? I've repressed the memory.

[Frank Z]

Long receiver on the bottom, screw on top.

[xjnco]

My bad,:doh: I was pushing the wrong direction on the lower ball joint. :cry:
Well, I'll fire up :greensmok the space heater in the AM (kerosene =$9/gal.= 3-4 hrs) and heat the garage back up from 35 degrees to 60 degrees.:flamemad:
I will then reverse things and push downward to remove the lower ball joint, not upward.:yelclap:
Frank, thanks for pointing this out, I owe you one.:cheers:
If things go good and I get it all back together today, I'm gonna :party: tonight. Actually, go shoot some pool.

[Frank Z]

No worries, we've all done the same thing....kindasorta.

[philip_g]

now make sure you press the joints the right way, they come out real hard the wrong way


:)

[xjnco]

New ball joints installed. :rof:
No zirk fitting on my grease gun, don't know where to find it (which toolbox?). Oh well, I'll get to that later (sure...).:anon:
Now to turn pages in my Chiltons to gather torque specs, onward!!:wave:

[Frank Z]

Don't forget to grease the lower ball joints and replace the zirk with the supplied plug BEFORE you put the shafts back in.

[xjnco]

ALL DONE!
Frank, there were no zirk for the lower and no place to put it. :eyes:
The top of the ball joint was flat, with no indention for a zirk grease fitting. :eyes::bawl:
Also the lower castle nuts were smaller in size(3/4"?) :confused: so I put the older nuts back on 'cause I bought a socket just to fit them. :dunno:
Could have used a pipe wrench to take them off, they were not very tight., not the 100 ft lbs asked for in the Chiltons. :huh:

Now to clean up then take it for a test drive,:explosion
I hope I don't need an alignment right away....:repair:

"BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN..... " :guitar: