stuck on lower ball joint | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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stuck on lower ball joint

E-rock

Well-Known Member
Joined
January 21, 2007
Messages
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City, State
virginia beach
Year, Model & Trim Level
2001 xls 4wd 4dr
i removed everything i needed to remove but the knuckle wont come off the lower ball joint. i already took off the castle nut and the pin holding the told of the ball joint. the zerk fitting broke off when i was unscrewing it. ive been hammering and hammering on the knuckle but it wont budge at all. i think its rusted to the ball joint. the tie rod, axle, upper bolt on the knuckle, upper balljoint, and abs sensor have been removed. i dont see anything else holding the knuckle on. does anyone have any ideas? im limited to resources -- im doing this in my school parking lot. thanks
-erik
 



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Try using some PB Blaster, or liquid wrench on the knuckle and ball joint. Let set for a day and try it again, this time with a bigger hammer. It will come off. :hammer:
 






yeah ive been sprayin it with pb blaster every couple hours for the last day or so but ive only got one size hammer.ill let it sit while im in class and at work but i really need to get this off today.
 






I had the same problem when I was changing the ball joints And like Ray Lobato says just keep hammering, thats what I did, its going to take a few hits be patient.
 






i took your advice and hammered away. i finally popped it out and it was shot to ****. i got the new one installed and put everything back together. then i went for a test drive. for some reason the truck is still shaking at high speeds. im gonna have to get the weights checked on the tires tomorrow. i have no idea whats causing the vibrations now. im gonna have to check every wheel and see if somethin else is wrong.
 






A big pickle fork helps with that - bang it in with a sledgehammer, then work it up and down until the knuckle comes loose.
 






Isn't it usually a good idea to get an alignment after doing suspension work?
 






yes, but i had the truck aligned less than 3 months ago and the shakes were persistant prior to that, and still have not gone away.
 






Bad tire wear from previous incorrect alignment?
You did do both balljoints right?
 






if you drove on bad ball joints your tires are ruined. they wont wear back to normal, i had my ball joints done a year or so ago, my cupped out-of-round tires wiggle and shimmy my explorer even on the newest, flatest, straight stretches of pavement.
 












i only did one ball joint. the passenger side. i didnt adjust the tie rods or anything. the truck is running smoother that it was before but still shaky at 65+ mph. i dont think my tires have worn unevenly. the tread looks unaffected. i didnt do that much driving on them.
 






the shaking was present before i even put my 31's on the truck. Shortly after (a day or two)i replaced the shackles, twisted the torsions, and new tires on, i had the vehicle aligned and the tires were balanced at a repair shop down the road. One of my friends thinks the shaking is coming from the rear but i can feel it up front. im going to check a few other things today after class.
 






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