Practical Automotive Maintenance: How To Use A Ball Joint Seperator
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How To Use A Ball Joint Seperator
02.57
| 00:00 | Before jumping into the bushing replacement process itself, there are a couple of less common tools that we're likely to need to do the job that are worth learning about first. |
| 00:08 | Let's start with the ball joint separator which, as the name suggests, is used to disconnect the ball joint from the stud from the lower control arm or upright of a vehicle. |
| 00:17 | Something that we're going to need to do in order to remove a suspension component and replace a bushing. |
| 00:21 | There are a couple of different designs out there for a ball joint separator, which is sometimes also known as a tie rod end lifter. |
| 00:28 | But the screw type is the most common as it's the least likely to do damage to the joint, so this is what we'll be focusing on. |
| 00:35 | Its operation is very simple. |
| 00:36 | Essentially it's two arms, one forked, that pull away from each other when a threaded rod is wound in, separating whatever is on either side of these forks. |
| 00:45 | In this case, that's the ball joint stud and the controller. |
| 00:48 | Once we've got the car off the ground and we've removed the wheel, the first thing we need to do is loosen the nut on the tie rod end. |
| 00:55 | This will probably have a split or cotter pin that needs to be removed with pliers before this can happen. |
| 01:00 | It's a good idea to spray some penetrating oil on the nut, especially if it looks like it's never been apart before. |
| 01:06 | We don't want to take the nut all the way off, just five or, so full rotations, so the top arm of the separator has something to sit on and pull against. |
| 01:13 | There's a good chance that the vehicle will also have a pinch bolt clamping the control arm to the ball joint stud, so we need to loosen this off too, using a socket on the front and a breaker bar on the back. |
| 01:24 | Again, spraying some penetrating oil here is going to make the job easier and reduce the risk of something going wrong. |
| 01:30 | Next we want to spray some lubricant onto the concave side of the lower fork of the separator and then slide it concave side down between the top of the boot and the tie rod end. |
| 01:40 | It'll take a little bit of effort to push it into place, but it'll be obvious when it slots in. |
| 01:44 | Now, we can wind the bolt of the tool up until it snugs up against the lever side of the top arm and then grab our socket and start tightening. |
| 01:51 | All we need to do now is keep winding until we hear the two parts separate with a pop or a bang. |
| 01:56 | Once that's done, we just need to back the separator bolt off, remove it and then finish unwinding the nut on the tie rod end. |
| 02:03 | Now, we're free to push the joint down and out, which may require some wiggling or a gentle tap or two with a mallet or similar. |
| 02:09 | Refitting the parts won't require any special tools, it's simply a case of aligning the ball joint stud back up with the hole in the control arm or knuckle, threading the nut back on and tightening it up following the torque specs found in the service manual or online. |
| 02:22 | Lastly, we need to resist the urge to reuse the cotter pin and fit a new replacement instead, as once they've been bent and unbent, they're much more likely to shear off. |
| 02:31 | Let's summarise, a ball joint separator is used to safely disconnect the ball joint stud from the control arm or steering knuckle. |
| 02:38 | After removing the cotter pin, the process involves loosening the tie rod end nut and pinch bolt if present, fitting the separator and tightening it until the joint separates. |
| 02:47 | Reassembly is straightforward with no special tools needed, but it's important to follow the torque specs and always replace the cotter pin with a new one. |
