||>I've attempted removing ball joints behind the front wheels of my 92 Passat. ||>I'm having a big trouble dropping the ball joint loose from the wheel ||>bearing housing. ||>
||>I removed the nut that holds the ball joint to the ball bearing housing. ||>Unfortunately at this moment the bolt is still stuck there due to rust. I ||>also removed the bolt that holds stabilizer bar to the lower control arm. I ||>have not removed the 3 bolts that hold the ball joint to the arm yet. ||>
||>Are there any tools that may come handy in removing it? Do I need a hammer ||>to whack the thing off somehow? Any tips to help remove the ball joints is ||>appreciated!! || ||Yes, a ball-joint separator (shaped like a wedge that kinda looks like ||a tuning fork).
Sometimes referred to as a "pickle fork"
||Hammer on the end of that and it'll separate (and ||possibly destroy) the balljoint. Give the balljoint a shot of WD40 or ||some other lubricant. Once separated, remove the 3 retaining bolts.
Alternatives: Put the nut back on the end of the stud, and pop it with a hammer. Or... If you can reach the portion of the spindle/hub carrier where the stud goes through, and can rap it at that point with a hammer, that will release it. This works well on tie rod ends, but you often do not have the same access on ball joints. Rex in Fort Worth