How do I break this joint

[AlCapone]

After much thumping and swearing this bottom joint on 11 plate Transit will not break apart

 

[AlCapone]

Better picture

 

[Paul E]

You need a MUCH BIGGER hammer.

 

[AlCapone]

You need a MUCH BIGGER hammer.

 

[Phil P]

Can you not get a set of pullers on it? Then hit the end of the arm, the shock usually breaks the taper.

 

[AlCapone]

Should be big enough

 

[Nearly]

 

[AlCapone]

If I hit too much it could come down

 

[Sausage]

You haven’t said what you have tried so far. Just hitting it, or ball joint splitter, or what?

 

[Yale]

Soak it in easing oil overnight?

 

[BrianV]

Soak it in easing oil overnight?

Nothing loosens things as easily as break fluid strangely enough far better than WD 40 etc.

 

[AlCapone]

Can you not get a set of pullers on it? Then hit the end of the arm, the shock usually breaks the taper.

Just tried
Can’t get puller arm on properly

 

[Magnus Oyke]

an HGV ball joint splitter will get that off. or this sort of thing

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No man ever had too many tools

 

[YELROM]

Put a jack under the threads on the ball joint which should hold it solid, so when you whack the arm it won’t spring and then should come off

 

[Wesley]

If you’ve got two hammers & (most importantly) the co-ordination to use them both at once hit either side of the solid bit it fits in. Thats if you’ve got enough room to do it. They pop out far easier when hit from opposite sides.

 

[yoki]

Keep tapping it solidly, not huge welts, just good solid hits all around it.

If it's wobbly hold a sledge or such like behind it to make sure the joint is getting all the shock.

Eventually it'll let go.

*edit* - just to be clear, I mean tapping the arm that you want to remove the joint from.

 

[clbarclay]

Keep some pressure trying to pulling the taper apart and then give the casting side on to the taper a bloody good snack.

Track rods are gerally a lot easier to apply the steady pressure to. With a strut joint like that then wedging a bar in usually works, but takes a bit of sorting some times to get it right so the bar levers up on the strut and down on the lower link. Probably help to have one person levering with a bar while another hits the side of the taper.

Those wedge splitters can leave a bit to be desired, especially when you don't want to damage the rubber boot on the ball joint. It would probably do to apply some separating pressure though while you swing the hammer side on at the taper.

Make sure the nut is still on the threads a few turns. The whole lot and fly apart with a single good hit.

 

[Nearly]

Even a plumbers' blowtorch can be a useful source of heat to expand things.

 

[335d]

I find this type works much better than those fork type tool. Can wind it up to get a steady pressure on it, then if it still doesn’t shift, hit the side of the hub and it’ll usually pop

 

[Macsky]

I find this type works much better than those fork type tool. Can wind it up to get a steady pressure on it, then if it still doesn’t shift, hit the side of the hub and it’ll usually pop

Do not just tighten it until it gives tho! Because sometimes they let go all of a sudden, fly passed your face and put a dent in your wife’s car!!

My experienced advice would be to tighten and tap with a hammer, tighten and tap, tighten and tap…