Ball joint separator

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sansouci
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Ball joint separator

Post by sansouci »

Can you recommend one that won't bend or strip the screw threads. I only want to buy it once
Last edited by sansouci on Sun May 07, 2017 11:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
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olympia57
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by olympia57 »

I never use them Ken. I find two ball pein hammers the best method of shocking the two parts apart . Hit the ball case simultaneously 180 degrees apart and it should pop the taper after a few strikes.
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Don
1981 635 series 1
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tschultz
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by tschultz »

Always leave the nut on the threads (Flush) to push off of, since you usually get a replacement and it won't damage the threads.

I got the harbor freight kit which included this tool: Image

The kit also includes a nice tool for the rear shocks (the one on the right).

Image
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songzunhuang
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by songzunhuang »

tschultz wrote:Always leave the nut on the threads (Flush) to push off of, since you usually get a replacement and it won't damage the threads.

I got the harbor freight kit which included this tool: Image
This one above is the one I have and it worked quite well for me when I did the front suspension.
-----
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Ralph in Socal
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by Ralph in Socal »

tschultz wrote:Always leave the nut on the threads (Flush) to push off of, since you usually get a replacement and it won't damage the threads.
This and I will put a coin between the contact points so that the coin takes the damage. Works well with the units where a bolt end applies the force directly to the part.

Ralph
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Brucey
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by Brucey »

to work on E24 ball joints you need two different scissor-type separators. The difference arises because the throat size required is different (for some of the ball joints in the centre tie rod IIRC), if you wish to avoid damage to the dust boots. It is all very well damaging them if the joint is to be replaced but this is only some of the time, not all of the time. I found I could modify two basic scissor tools to fit both sizes on an E24.

IIRC OEM quality ball joints usually come with an unthreaded protrusion at the end so that any damage from a scissor splitter won't hurt the screw threads and can be dressed off if needs be. I don't recommend routinely using a nut on the end of a ball joint that you intend to re-use, because the contact point of the splitter may then be entirely on the nut with some splitters, which causes more damage, and anyway doesn't give the joint the straight push it really needs.

I also do not recommend using hammers to shock any of the ball joints in the traditional way if the steering box is still connected; given the price of replacement steering boxes these days, risking damage this way seems like a daft thing to do for the sake of a ten quid tool.

cheers
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olympia57
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by olympia57 »

I also do not recommend using hammers to shock any of the ball joints in the traditional way if the steering box is still connected; given the price of replacement steering boxes these days, risking damage this way seems like a daft thing to do for the sake of a ten quid tool.

cheers[/quote]
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Didn't say I didn't have one ,just that I preferred to use two hammers.
I find that these separators can sometimes split the rubber cover which down here in deepest SW Ireland 35 miles from my nearest auto supplier,can be a real pita.
I'm 62 and have used the two hammer method since I was seventeen on various cars ,vans and trucks . Most of these had balljoints changed more than once ,some many times over the years I seem to keep vehicles for.
Perhaps some frown upon it because it's perceived that you have to belt the living shit out of the component , not so .
I'm delighted to say that I have been very lucky in that I haven't inflicted any secondary damage to any of the steering components in any of these vehicles but will now take on board the possibility that the internals of the E24 steering box is just too fragile for such daft behaviour in the future .
Thanks Brucey.
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Brucey
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by Brucey »

I will enthusiastically use the two-hammer technique when I have the chance, too, just not with the steering box connected, not these days.

BTW if you have two different correctly-sized scissor action splitters to hand, there is roughly zero chance of damaging the boots IME, on a series two car, anyway. It has been a while since I worked on a series one car, maybe they are different enough to be a problem.

The boots do tend to damage themselves though.... I did manage to find a supplier of boots alone a while back and that works out a far more economic repair for that particular fault.

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Da_Hose
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Re: Ball joint separator

Post by Da_Hose »

I'm with Brucey. The scissor type separator is the way to go. On my M6, the joints must have been original parts because they were TIGHT!!!!! I broke a cheaper, cast separator on my first try because I was relying just on the screw tension to separate the pieces. I returned the cheaply cast item, and got a forged one instead. To use it, I turned the screw till it set, gave it a 1/4 turn more and tapped with a hammer. I then added another 1/4 turn at a time and tapped until the joint let go. As Brucey has found, the boots on the joints were intact when they came apart for me as well.

Jose
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