ball joint giving me lots of trouble
 

The patient is my 2000 S40. I am trying to replace the (right) cv axle but I am not getting very far. I have successfully removed the center nut (36mm) and then failed on the lower ball joint. I tried to unbolt it but the bolt is facing up towards the axle. Therefore I cant get the bolt of all the way. I loosened the joint from the strut to have more room to remove the nut but now the joint turns and I can't get it off or on. I cant get vise grips on anything because there is not enough room. I tried to lock it with a joint separator but the result is only that I damaged the rubber cap of the joint and now I have to replace the whole control arm because the joint does not come separate :(
I managed to get it back together for now but I am lost on how to continue.
Am I even taking the right parts off? Should I have removed the control arm to begin with instead of trying to loosen the ball joint? If I unbolt the control arm, am I unbolting the whole lower frame on that side?
I could use some help quick since I can't run highway speeds right now which means 1 hour dirt roads to work every day until its fixed.

Edit: I might have to add that the nut on my joint is a stopnut. I have watched a few youtube videos to get ideas and noticed that they are usually secured by a cotter pin which means after removing the pin and loosening the nut its easy to take it off by hand. Not so mine.

resolved
 

After lots of trial and error (mostly error) and lots of frustration I figured it out. The magic trick is long reach vise grips. They are like a cross between vise grips and needle nose pliers, available at auto parts stores or home depot (~$12). After loosening the nut as far as the cv shaft lets you, split the joint and hold the bolt on the conical part between the ball joint and the strut. This way you can remove the bolt completely without the joint turning. Don't worry about possible scratches on the bolt because for one it is a tough bolt and wont scratch that much and when reassembling it, tightening the nut will press the bolt back into the strut.

I have run into this problem, I used some needle nose vice grips too, if you try to turn the bolt with a socket the vice grips can't hold the bolt well and it slips. So you impact that motha, the bolt still slips but the impact smacking the nut zips if off in a second or two :D

I couldn't get a socket on the bolt because the cv joint is in the way. I used an open wrench and got it off without any problems.

I know this is an old thread, BUT...

I'll be replacing my lower control arm next week for a bad ball joint.

Couldn't you just remove the brake caliper, rotor, and unbolt the axle and swing away the steering knuckle? You'd have unlimited access to the bolt for the ball joint. I've seen it done this way with front wheel drive vehicles...thinking this is the route I'll be taking. Then while the axle is out of the knuckle, I can put some more grease where it goes into the knuckle as well.

You are right, I have come across that method looking at the Haynes manual for this car as well. By now I have done it soo many times with the needle nose locking pliers that the other route seems more complicated. I have recently replaced both driveshafts on a S40 in under 90 minutes including cleaning up the oil spill from the transmission when removing the driver side axle (oops)

The balljoints goes out to top?
 

Hi, there Imhave the same problem with my sons car, we are using a balljoints extract tool from autozone, but the balljoint came out pushing it to the top (going to the strut direction) or down (going to the ground)?

If you are referring to the control arm ballpoint, you force it down from the spindle not up. If you were using a ball joint fork you would put the fork under the spindle just above the rubber joint.

On a related note there is no need to remove the lower ball joint if you are simply replacing your axles. Turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction as the side you are working on and pull the axle out from behind the hub assembly. You don't even need to remove the brakes. However removing the strut altogether will give you more working room when reinserting the axle.

Thanks
 

Great thanks,

I think this one is too rusted to use the simple balljoint remover from autozone, then we took off the entire lower arm and send it to the machine shop to remove using the heavy press.

It needs a special tool...ball joint remover

Resurrecting a five year old thread to give the same advice the last poster did (five years ago)?

Yes...there is some difficulty just to change the ball joint...as it is sorta welded or stamped in...I bet it needs some grinding ?

I did it. All the small vibration is now gone in the steering wheel.

I did not remove the whole arm.