Bulletproofdirt242

Ive been banging at my upper ball joint for an hour now with the biggest hammer ive got, nothing, i have a ball joint press but i broke my breaker bar trying to turn it.. Its stuck in damn good and its soaked in PB blaster for 2 days now, for the love of god i need help please!

DJKnightmare

I did the same thing, make sure the press is working in the right direction. One presses from the top, another from the bottom. Or at least on mine it did.

Bulletproofdirt242

Im working the press correctly, its just that the ball joint isnt budging

Bulletproofdirt242

Sovled my own problem, i tighted the ball joint press on as tight as i could then hit the press with a hammer up n it popped out nudge by nudge

96_xj

Great to hear! i used a 4' breaker bar on my BJ press and it was a loud pop when they released

jth877

I've changed two sets of ball joints in rust belt D30s. Use a quality press (not HF although it will work) and a 2lb mini sledge. Tighten as much as possible, BEFORE you drop a nut, then hit it the press in the direction the joint comes out. Hear the loud pop, then repeat.

Note: Be observant on where the force of the press is going. Make sure it is pressing on the joint and that the flip side is clear to go into the cup.

Bulletproofdirt242

Thats wat i got is the HF press, it makes me nervous to use but its gettin the job done for now. Quick question tho, Any tips on pressing the new joints in? It seems un-even to press back in compared to wat ive seen in videos where others are having no problem

caged

just grease them up and giver, they'll eventually seat in straight.

FWIW, i always use an electric impact on my press. the hammer to tap the press works well too when under pressure.

96_xj

yup. read this:

Bulletproofdirt242

Sweet thanks guys i got em pressed in. Is there a specific amount of lbs of torque i should be setting the joint nuts at?

jh8073

98 classic, 185k, stock ball joints, I need to replace all joints and tie rod ends and the piece that attaches to the steering linkage. I would appreciate any advice, videos, pic's. Thanks

deekay911

it's a good idea to hit the side of the ball joint with a FBH while applying seperation pressure with a breaker bar - they often pop right out.