Ball Joint Nut Removal

[72ITB]

I could use some advice on how to remove this ball joint. 

 

TIA tim

 

[72ITB]

may be one of these in my future

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/11857682385432280914?lsf=seller:8740,store:3083942319694429102&prds=oid:5635248095096198428&q=dremel+tool&hl=en&ei=wVlDWIPyL4jbmQGC7KiYCg&lsft=gclid:CjwKEAiA94nCBRDxismumrL83icSJAAeeETQVbgUjYK3YdEsl6_rHsrKkT3yLM8UzFmZTaNpo30BWRoCDXLw_wcB

 

[Guest_anonymous]

Fill the cavity with your favourite penetrant for a few days. Heat it up, tap a socket on it with a breaker bar.

[jgerock]

Cut the cotter pin off (when you find it) before trying to remove that rusty castle nut.

[ranjag]

No point wasting your time trying to remove the nut .. way I did it was to grind the nut off using a dremel or cutting wheel... them just hammer the stud back thru the arm.
Good luck.

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[Danz3]

I cut mine and split it with a chisel then hammered it out.


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[TobyB]

Or drill through the remains.

Or drill first, then chisel.

 

Heat doesn't hurt, either- don't get it red, though.

t

 

 

[NYNick]

I JUST did this Friday. Yours looks a little worse than mine, but still quite similar. The first one came off no problem. The second one....well, I couldn't even find the cotter pin, and when I finally did, it just broke off.

 

I tried two different 14 mm sockets, a spanner, a circular spanner...everything. Finally, I tried a dremel. I couldn't get it down low enough to cut all the way through the nut. I tried lots of propane heat, lots of PB Blaster...nothing. Worse, the whole ball joint started spinning inside my vice.

 

I finally got out my drill and just went at the nut at an angle towards the bolt part of the ball joint. I drilled pretty deeply on both sides. I then hammed at it with a screw driver and then jammed a 9/16th's (I forget, but it was slightly smaller than the 14mm) onto the nut. I got a large cheater bar 3 feet long and slipped it onto my ratchet handle. Then I angled the pittman arm and the ball joint in my vice so the pittman arm was held, but also when the ball joint flange tried to spin when I tried to turn the nut, it would jam inside my vice and not spin. I then leaned into the cheater bar...hard.

 

It finally came off. It was quite the battle, but it's off.

[Mike Self]

I actually had one that looked worse than yours--some soaking over a period of a couple of days, alternating with a tickle or two with a propane torch and much to my amazement, the nut actually unscrewed from its stud.  I believe I used one of those "deformed nut" sockets from Sears.  I was prepared for much more Drastic Measures but they turned out not to be necessary--at least not on that side.  They were on the other side, which wasn't nearly as rusted.  BTW, don't worry about the removing cotter pin if it's rusted in place.  Its steel is much softer than either nut or stud, and will break off when the nut starts to move.

 

For the next time:  clean the two mating surfaces of that recess, and pack the whole area around the new nut with wheel bearing grease.  A subsequent owner will thank you, or maybe years from now you'll thank yourself.

 

mike

[jimk]

How about dipping this into a bucket of deruster (a little baking soda and a battery charger) and pull off the rust then you can see what you are working on.

[calw]

Excellent Idea, Jim.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE... Just like wiring up the battery to the car, polarity matters!  Get it backwards and you'll be depositing more on the rusty object, the opposite of the desired effect.

 

There are numerous sets of instructions in the net, including       http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/

 

There's nothing critical about the process.  IF you get the polarity right, the worst case situation is that nuthin' happens because you don't have good contacts.  Unless you play "toaster in the bathtub" with the power supply. 

[NYNick]

What is the torque setting for the new ball joint nut? It's a non cotter pin self locking nylon nut btw. Got them from Blunt.

(I've got them on nice and snug. They just seem to stop when tightened down) Will be filling the pocket with grease when I'm done)

Edited February 3, 2017 by NYNick

[roadhog0]

Mine looked worse than that! Air chisel worked good. The other I cut an X in then air chisel. I spun both those nuts off with it.

 

[Guy Cocquyt]

I agree, fill the void with grease on reassembly.

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