ball joint removal

[johnkatepages]

hi, need some help here. I have taken off the wishbone but how do you actually remove the old ball joint.......

[Driver+Passengers]

Three main options in ascending order of preference:

1. Hammer it out
2. Cut it out (cut the back/bottom off, hammer the ball and plastic insert out, thread a hacksaw through the body and carefully cut through the sidewall, then tap the rest out.)
3. Press it out

For options 1 and 3, you'll need appropriately sized backers. I can give you measurements if you want, or easy enough to measure. I went around my garage and the drill press, bike stand and exercise bike are now all 3 inches shorter.

I opted for number 2 the first time I did the job. I built a press so now, always option 3. A garage should charge you no more than 1/2 hour labour (£20-30) if you take the wishbones with the old balljoints still in, and new balljoints).

[johnkatepages]

thanks for that. I went with option 2 got the ball joint out but not to sure on cutting the side wall. Do i cut the 6mm sidewall away totally, that looks like the only way the new balljoint is going to fit.

[Driver+Passengers]

I used the largest socket I had (32mm, I think) to hammer the joint out (towards the bottom) once I'd removed the ball. You might not have to cut all the way through the wall, just relieve some of the stress and you should be able to tap it out. You don't want to cut into the wishbone obviously, so with the ball itself removed try tapping it out, then remove some meat from the sidewall with a hacksaw and repeat. I doubt you're far from getting them removed.

As for fitting the new ones - I'm assuming you don't have a press handy. Some folk have hammered them in - not the best solution. Using a large G-clamp, others have fitted theirs. You might take a file round the leading edge of the knurled surfaces to aid getting them centered and started. The wishbones have two surfaces, and I found that when the knurled bit contacted the second skin, progress stopped and I had to revert to a local garage with a press.

[chipvan]

mine has to be done,but can you get joints that are any cop?..thought you have to change the whole wishbone?

[Driver+Passengers]

You can press joints in and out. Being a cheapskate, I bought the cheapest replacements I could. Now having built my own press, I don't mind doing the job again, so don't mind if they go sooner than they might.

I had BIG problems with one profile of rubber boot supplied with the new joints, but replacements are proving better now.

If you're getting a garage to do it, the price of wishbone replacement is likely not too much more than balljoint replacement - it's probably a little less labout to replace the lot and you'll get a genuine Mazda ball in it, perhaps.

[chipvan]

[johnkatepages]

job done. Thanks for your help. I managed to get the old ball joint out by cutting a slit delicately with an angle grinder and hacksaw then knocked out the sidewall. Then to get the new ball joint in I filed down the edges of the wishbone placing a short scaffold bar over and hitting with a club hammer, was a very tight fit. I am curious of the press you built though. I wouldn't mind making my own ready for when i do the other wishbone next week.

[Driver+Passengers]

Well done!

You can buy a 6 ton press on ebay for £75 delivered, though I've seen one at £60 in the past.

Here's mine...



No idea what sort of force it will contain, but it does balljoints happily. There's more 4x2 dadoed behind the outer ply skin and then a bunch more ply above and below. Bottle jack is 8 ton, but LIDL or ALDI did a 3 ton at £10 recently, may still have stock...

[johnkatepages]

WOW very nice. I might have a go at making one at some point.Thanks for that