Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get 2,000+ tool plans, full site access, and more.

User Tag List

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Use a Torch to Remove Control Arm Ball Joints

  1. #1
    Supporting Member projectswithrich's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2021
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    34
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 137 Times in 20 Posts

    projectswithrich's Tools

    Use a Torch to Remove Control Arm Ball Joints

    From the factory the parts are press fit. One part must have been heated and the other frozen before being pressed together. As the parts warm and cool, they become so tightly fitted together that a hydraulic press cannot press them back apart.

    With the torch technique, cuts are first made so that the ball can be knocked out of place and then relief cuts are made in the bottom of the socket to relieve stress so it can be hammered out. With practice, this can be done without damaging the bore on the arm.


    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    My Youtube Channel:
    Projects with Rich - YouTube

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to projectswithrich For This Useful Post:

    nova_robotics (Sep 28, 2021)

  3. #2
    Supporting Member NortonDommi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    North Island, New Zealand.
    Posts
    990
    Thanks
    1,800
    Thanked 524 Times in 315 Posts

    NortonDommi's Tools
    When did things change? I usually drive them out with an air chisel if a press is not available. Sometimes need a bit of gentle heat on the arm. I lube the new one before fitting as well.

    2000 Tool Plans

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to NortonDommi For This Useful Post:

    nova_robotics (Sep 28, 2021)

  5. #3
    Supporting Member projectswithrich's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2021
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    34
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 137 Times in 20 Posts

    projectswithrich's Tools
    He actually did lube it, I just didn't get that part on camera. I'm not sure when it got to the point where you couldn't push them out. He has a really cool 25 ton arbor press that I figured he would use but he said he has to cut the 4Runner ones out. I hadn't seen it done like this before so we worked together to film it.
    My Youtube Channel:
    Projects with Rich - YouTube

  6. #4
    Supporting Member NortonDommi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    North Island, New Zealand.
    Posts
    990
    Thanks
    1,800
    Thanked 524 Times in 315 Posts

    NortonDommi's Tools
    Well if he does a lot of these and has trouble with a 25 ton press then only the gods know how they are put together. I can't see heat being used at the factory but maybe a big dead blow ram. Given that it is a bearing such a tight fit seems strange.

  7. #5
    Supporting Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    1,113
    Thanks
    25
    Thanked 345 Times in 242 Posts

    old kodger's Tools
    There is an inherent problem with this vid. IF the factory required that the ball joint be fitted THAT tight then his repair is substandard. It's not tight enough.
    But then, the diameter of the arm hasn't changed substantially, and the new ball joint is (hopefully) factory standard size, then he shouldn't be able to press it in with what amounts to a G cramp.
    I suspect that his 25 ton press is cactus delecti.

  8. #6
    Supporting Member projectswithrich's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2021
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    34
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 137 Times in 20 Posts

    projectswithrich's Tools
    We actually did talk about that and it is a very good point. The new ones are definitely slightly smaller than the originals otherwise the arm would have needed to be expanded to get them in. The company making the new ball joints could have made them that way so these arms could be repaired. The new ones are press fit and are tight, they are just not as tight as the factory ones. So do they need to be as tight as the originals? It's hard to say. It is common to replace these like we did with ball joints that do press back in and in pretty much every other vehicle the originals can be pressed out fairly easily. They cannot physically come out of the arm because the large retaining clip on the bottom and the ball and socket itself is the weak point versus the socket and arm connection.
    My Youtube Channel:
    Projects with Rich - YouTube

  9. #7
    Unkle Fuzzy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Near Monkeytown, USA
    Posts
    149
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 88 Times in 51 Posts
    The factory parts are not larger for a tighter fit.

    This bond is caused by rust. 150 years ago it was common practice in industry to chemically weld metal parts together by inducing a level of corrosion using a mild acid.

    Drift keys were locked in place using this method in early steam powered machinery and water mills.

  10. #8
    Supporting Member NortonDommi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    North Island, New Zealand.
    Posts
    990
    Thanks
    1,800
    Thanked 524 Times in 315 Posts

    NortonDommi's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by projectswithrich View Post
    We actually did talk about that and it is a very good point. The new ones are definitely slightly smaller than the originals otherwise the arm would have needed to be expanded to get them in. The company making the new ball joints could have made them that way so these arms could be repaired. The new ones are press fit and are tight, they are just not as tight as the factory ones. So do they need to be as tight as the originals? It's hard to say. It is common to replace these like we did with ball joints that do press back in and in pretty much every other vehicle the originals can be pressed out fairly easily. They cannot physically come out of the arm because the large retaining clip on the bottom and the ball and socket itself is the weak point versus the socket and arm connection.
    More than likely the entire arm is supposed to be replaced not refurbished. I'm old enough to remember when the ball joints on some vehicles were welded in.
    A modern vehicle is a wonder of engineering in materials and build but are made to break. They, like all things made today have a designed finite work life.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to NortonDommi For This Useful Post:

    bigtrev8xl (Oct 3, 2021)

  12. #9

    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Fillmore, Indiana (USA)
    Posts
    26
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts
    Gotta watch using torches on those things. Stay clear everything. Cut the edge off and get the stud out quickly. I was cutting the rivets out of a control arm to remove the ball joint while I had the frame out replacing the transmission assembly. The heat transferred into the joint and it couldn’t expel the pressure fast enough resulting in a broken fusion weld and a boom so loud my ears still ring. The hot grease cup was propelled through my PPE and it imbedded itself in my eye socket. I now only have one eye, a crushed nasal cavity, and nerve damage. Be careful everyone.

  13. #10
    Supporting Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    352
    Thanks
    207
    Thanked 41 Times in 35 Posts
    Does the factory service manual sggest this method?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •