have I mentioned I hate balljoints?

Working on the front suspension on the e30, and whaddya know, the front control arm balljoint nut came halfway off and then started spinning the joint. About 1/2" of the joint shaft is now accessible and I've tried holding it with vise-grips, channel-locks, etc while my wife cranks on the top nut both with a wratchet and then with an impact gun. I simply can't hold it tight enough apparently, and there's not enough space in there to get anything bigger....

I knew eventually I'd find something on this e30 that was stupidly designed.

So anyone have any tricks aside from getting out the sawzall and cutting off the shaft....which I'm sure will be a major hassle cosidering the hardness of the metal........?

thanks BMW....way to make balljoints permanently pressed into the control arm, so now I'll need to buy a whole new arm (and maybe two if the other side does the same thing)....

Weld a small piece of scrap (or just some big weld blobs) to the shaft so that the vice grips can keep it still while you crank on the nut?

Winston wrote: Weld a small piece of scrap (or just some big weld blobs) to the shaft so that the vice grips can keep it still while you crank on the nut?

no welding stuff here, and getting it here would be more work than just cutting it off, lol.

I"m thinking maybe cut a slot in the threaded shaft end and try to hold it with a big flathead, though I doubt that will work either....

How about using a Dremel and cutting wheel to cut the nut itself off of the shaft. The new ball joints came with new nuts, right?

First and foremost, if you drop the car on your head, its your fault.

Use the weight of the car to hold the taper- set a jack under the ball joint and push it back up into the knuckle. Don't lift it so high you knock the car over and kill yourself. (See above) The retighten the nut. Now chase the threads, so all you are fighting is the nylock, instead of the nylock and rust. Now, with the weight of the car still pushing the taper together, hit it with the impact wrench. If it starts to spin, retighten and loosen until it comes off. When you can't get the new one to tighten, use the same technique. Do not use any sort of lubricant, since it will go down into the taper and make it slip.

If the threads are just too galled up, you've got to cut the nut somehow.

I can usually do it just using a crowbar to hold the taper together, but I still have to use the weight of the car sometimes.

Winston wrote: How about using a Dremel and cutting wheel to cut the nut itself off of the shaft. The new ball joints came with new nuts, right?

that's the other option, though it's a bit of a cumbersome location to get the dremel to. I'm assuming the new balljoints come with new nuts, lol.

this project just got $200 more expensive

I would suck at building a GRM challenge car, lol.

36" prybar pressing the nut into the spindle via holding the control arm down. That puts the stud in tension and the friction won't turn the stud. BTDT.

And here I thought it was something about the crappy $129 HF C-arm press that couldn't press out a 4 wheeler ball joint without breaking.

Winston has it right. Split the nut by cutting it on both sides with a Dremel, then stick a chisel or screwdriver in the slot and twist. Be careful and you can still reuse the balljoint. Or like others said I've also put pressure on the joint to put the taper back in contact (maybe put a jack under it and jack the car up?) so that the shaft won't turn, then finish cranking the nut off.

irish44j wrote: thanks BMW....way to make balljoints permanently pressed into the control arm, so now I'll need to buy a whole new arm (and maybe two if the other side does the same thing)....

They are not "permanent". I replace only the balljoints in all my steel BMW control arms. You can get the individual ball joint parts from any worldpac dealer. I use bimmerparts.com (Zygmunt's in Doylestown, PA) They are racers and sponsors with NASA.

I can tell you the secret way to remove the old ball joints from the arm if you promise not to laugh.

thanks, yeah I tried the jack trick already and no dice. I guess this car isn't heavy enough, lol.....

and there is some PB blaster that is surely in the shaft area now...

If the gap is big enough, jam a pickle fork between the nut and the knuckle or between the knuckle and the balljoint to keep it from spinning then use an impact gun to loosen the nut.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

irish44j wrote: thanks BMW....way to make balljoints permanently pressed into the control arm, so now I'll need to buy a whole new arm (and maybe two if the other side does the same thing)....

They are not "permanent". I replace only the balljoints in all my steel BMW control arms. You can get the individual ball joint parts from any worldpac dealer. I use bimmerparts.com (Zygmunt's in Doylestown, PA) They are racers and sponsors with NASA. I can tell you the secret way to remove the old ball joints from the arm if you promise not to laugh.

I promise indeed. ....

I like that site already, and if the balljoints can be pressed out and I can put Moogs in there, I would be a happy camper....

When I ran into this problem with my e30, I hammered the balljoint in as hard as I could, put a block of wood on my floor jack and lifted the car by the base of the balljoint. I then very very very carefully, slowly, but forcefully loosened it with a ratchet.

If you break the press fit you have no chance. That's why the impact wrench doesn't work.

I also promise to not tell the secrets of balljoint removal. I'd like to rebuild my other control arm instead of dishing out $100 for one. (Although, it seems like a pretty good deal)

In reply to irish44j:

Take the arm off with the balljoints in it. Note the position of the installation and mark it. (remove rubber and note the slot). They are directional - they are designed to articulate in only one direction. Place balljoint over vise, stem up, spanning the jaws. Take 5 pound hammer and drive the stem out the bottom. It will push right thru the softer material with a few stout hits. Take a hacksaw and run the blade thru the hole. Slice thru the soft ball socket all the way to the arm. Push it out with your thumb.

Go to Autozone and get the balljoint installation kit. The one for Mustangs works. It is a free rental with deposit. It is a huge C clamp and some cups. Press in the new joint. Be careful - recall they are directional and will snap off if you put them in rotated 90 deg.

To get the nut off (your current problem) put the jack under the joint and push it back into the taper using the weight of the car to keep the nut from spinning. Remove nut.

thanks, will give that method a try. I do have a big C-clamp and large sockets - will that work as well, or best to rent the tool?

btw, will the Mustang tool work for the outer balljoint too? Might as well do that one while I"m at it...

I had the same problem the first time on my E36. I made a big mess cutting it up, but I did get it off. It happened again this last time, and I just pushed it back in with a jack and was able to loosen the nut. I am going to have to try a ball joint tool to swap joints. I bought the cheap Dorman control arms and the outer joint on the left arm already feels a little too loose.

yeah motherberkeleyer....

this is why I own an ancient nutsplitter that my father "liberated" from the navy

mad_machine wrote: this is why I own an ancient nutsplitter that my father "liberated" from the navy

my dad was a 27-year Naval engineer, and currently owns a marina. I may need to inquire.

Woohoo!

A guy who worked with me used to say 'a combination of brute force and gross ignorance will get you through anything!'

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_34573_34573

COOL!

Must have tool? I wonder who makes a nicer one...

That same hardness that makes the shaft hard to grip or cut makes it easy to break. Once it is loose enough to spin, you can set a quality (or easily replaceable) 6-sided wrench on the nut and pry back and forth over the top to break it off. Never had one fail to snap on the second or third pull.

Same trick for the top of stud-type shocks. Grab the end, rock back and forth, and just break them off. Way quicker and easier than trying to figure out how to hold the shaft.