removing the drop arm

[Tibout]

hi guys,

my steering has been awful since yesterday so i investigate sfter work and realised that all the guts of the drop arm balljoint felt apart on the street somewhere. the arm itself have to be replace as it's quite damage on the top. i've bee reading how hard it could be to get that arm off. try a puller, a big hammer and a bar and hit it hard. if these 2 methods does'nt work i'll concider cutting through the arm itself my question is can i cut it with the box insitu or will have to remove it from the landy?

thanks for any advice

thierry

[potato head]

I cut mine in situ. Bit of a pig to do but effective.

[western]

I used a ball joint fork splitter & a lump hammer to get mine off.

[potato head]

I cut mine in situ. Bit of a pig to do but effective.

[Tibout]

i'll try a puller and the big hammer first if not i'll have to cut it. did you use a small cutting disc?

thanks

[Anderzander]

I hack-sawed mine !

It took a while but reduced the risk of damaging the splines.

[Tibout]

i was thinking of that i might start with the grinder and finish with the hacksaw.is it hard to put the new arm on?

[Frax]

Cut most of the way through with a 1mm cutting disk then try pullers again, a little heat also helps but watch what you heat. I have even left the pullers on all night under tension and in the morning found that the thing has jumped off.

If you know any one with hydraulic pullers that will also help.

Good Luck - they are a pig to do.

Frax

[potato head]

i'll try a puller and the big hammer first if not i'll have to cut it. did you use a small cutting disc?

thanks

It was a small disc - maybe 2'' diameter - in an air tool on a smallish compressor. Took a while waiting for the compressor to recharge.

[voevod]

I was lucky enough to be able to just batter mine out with a big hammer and long chisel,had the option of putting heat on it but was unwilling to put it anywhere near the outer seal...just remember to slather the new one in copper grease before fitting it,thwen you won't have the same problem when it needs changed again.

[V8 Freak]

You can replace the balljoint in situ. Check out the tech archive.... Les Henson did anthread on it some time ago..

Neil

[will4x4]

to get my arm off in situ i used a solid bar and lump hammer took about 20mins of constant hitting..you think it wont come then suddenly it pops off.

[RustyNissanPrairie]

i took my first one off by removing the whole box completely from the truck and pressed it off in my works' 60ton press, it went with about 19/20ton of force IIRC.

The 2nd one I did with a 2 arm hydraulic puller which only just managed, the box had been removed again.

Whatever method you use-just bear in mind the needle bearings/seals in the bottom of the housing and any forces/heat you may end up applying.