Fork balljoint separator made a mess of rubber shoe

you cant prevent that with those type of separators, nor can you just buy the rubber dust cover on its own, the type i use in the workshop is a hinged one with a screw down bolt that uses pressure rather then beating 10 tons of s**te out of it.

one trick is to whack the actual housing that the ball joint sits in, this shocks it and it should pop out.

Indeed. A lever type separator is far less likely to damage things as it needs no sideways movement.

A new trackrod end will be required - I doubt you'll find the rubber sold separately.

Like Reg says, you've got the wrong tool. Something like this

the wordwrap, may need to copy/paste the URL) will do the jobwith less effort and is unlikely to damage the rubbers.

(watch the wordwrap, may need to copy/paste the URL) will do the job with> less effort and is unlikely to damage the rubbers. ================================== Shocking the joint loose is best done with two hammers. Hit opposite sides of the joint housing simultaneously with the two hammers. A few sharp taps rather than a big bash seems to work best.

Cic.

As reg said. It's the wrong type of separator to use unless you intend to replace the ball joint. Sometime it will need to be replaced, but there's no great urgency. It'll be months before any noticeable wear takes place. Mike.

Tim formulated on Sunday :

Those are more of a last resort tool, certain to damage the joint. I use one which a little like a G clamp. Hook under the ball joint then you gently screw a bolt in to apply pressure.

I usually start the operation by slackening the nut a few turns, then using two hammers - one to act as an anvil, on the sides of the taper. Often this alone will be enough to break the joint- if not I use the clamp combined with more tapping with a hammer.

What does happen is people get the proper tool for the job. Those fork type balljoint splitters are only useful if you plan on binning the balljoint you're splitting because as you found out, they shaft the rubber boots.

The one you wanted has a threaded bolt running through it and works like a clamp, pushing the bolt downwards whilst levering up on the hub.

They can be bought, but are very hard to find.

The shop had one of those in, but the guy behind the counter said they were fiddly and often slipped off. He recommended the fork and it was a few quid cheaper. Gutted, I would have been more than happy to pay the few quid more if it was the right tool for the job.

Live and learn eh?

Regards,

Tim

I had a look at the track rod end, it is total seized on and I mean totally seized. Oh well, time to book in at the local garage and hand over the cash. 1 hour labour minimum charge I suspect (£50 + VAT no doubt), 1 track rod end and probably another £20 quid for tracking. Bit of a costly mistake then. Interesting job mind you, but probably cheaper to have gone to the cinema ;)

Regards,

Tim

Was was hoping you could just replace the rubber at the bottom. If not I guess it's going to be a new track rod end. I'm sure somebody could service the ball joint, but it would probably cost as much in labour as the cost of a new track rod.

Regards,

Tim

John

Looks about right. The ball joint itself looks like it's still protected. It's the cover on the connecting bolt between the ball joint and the hub that's a little torn and pushed up. Again not too bad, but there is exposed metal on the bolt, whereas the other side if fully protected.

I was thinking about just putting some rubber in place, but wasn't sure if this was sufficient. It doesn't look like the joint has a rubber bush running all the way through. If not I might get away with the dust cover.

Regards,

Tim

OK, just done some searching for ball joint dustcover. Is this just a simple dust cover or is it an integral part of the ball joint which it appears to be attached too? I probably wouldn't cut away the existing damaged rubber and just add this cover (or similar) to protect the joint between the track rot end bolt and the hub (now exposed metal). Would that work?

The good cover on the other side appears to bulge out at the top and then is closely attached to the bolt. Does this provide any resistance to movement for the joint. The reason I ask is the Haynes manual states the nut goes on with 40nm of torque. After reattaching the track rod end, I tapped in place with a wooden mallet. This left a reasonable visible gap between the hub and ball joint. The bolt attached with 40nm of torque. A little less thread was visible under the bolt as on the good side. So I tightened a little more to even out. What I noticed was if I loosened the nut, the track rod stayed in place. This means I had to tighten again to 40nm of torque, but now at the new point. If movement is now possible, this means the nut will be under 0 - ??nm torque depending upon the where the track rod end is. My guess is movement is acceptable and that is why the dust cover is balloon shaped.

Regards,

Tim

bloody hell ! you reading the HBOL word for word.

1.remove joint

1. buy new joint
2. fit new joint
3. the jobs a good 'un !

The best type are the lever sort rather like a pair of pliers as there is nothing to turn and possibly slip on the parts you're separating (the screw is at the other end). Available in several sizes. Unfortunately the most expensive option.

Did you try heating it with a blowlamp? Usually shifts most things.

sad results that are commom of a balljoint fork. with a ball peen hammer hit the arm on the knuckle where the baaljoint is attached. hit it hard and shock it out of the whole.

IMHO an urban myth. And whacking steering components is to be avoided anyway. Buy and use the correct puller.