Disconnecting the balljoints

How do you disconnect ball joints so a half-shaft can be changed?
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There are a number of methods of removing the balljoint. Some of them are better than others. The primary problem is not only having a terrible time getting the joint to let go, but also the very real possibility of doing damage to the joint's rubber boot. And once that boot is torn, the joint is junk and must be replaced.

Below, in decreasing order of price, and increasing order of frustration, futility, physical force and cussing, are four of these balljoint removal methods, entitled in green.

The most expensive, but by far the easiest, fastest and most effective way, and one that will not damage the rubber boot:

If you want the real McCoy and are not afraid to spend the money for it, jim beam has discovered you can get this.

jim's text is below. (Personally I don't think it's actually made by MAC. The "MAC" in the part number might just be a coincidence.)

"It's the genuine Honda tool - per my 2000 Civic workshop manual [currently packed for moving so I can't give you the official part number]. I believe it's made by MAC Tools. the number on the side "07MAC-8L00200" suggests this, according to a friend, but don't quote me on that. Price? Can't remember exactly, but I think it was about $150! I've had other generics before & they've been just fine, but check out the thread on the driver screw of this tool - acme thread, not that 60-degree ISO stuff. Much easier to turn and longer lasting under pressure. The slots on the anvil are great too. Absolutely no worries about slippage. Love it!"

The next easiest way, not quite as expensive as the one above. Will not damage the rubber boot:

This tool (Ball Joint Separator OTC6297 from Owatonna Tool Co.) is almost exactly like the one Honda specifies in their service manuals, and should make it almost as easy as the one above. It costs about $50US (I paid $90 Cdn for mine).

Actually, MAC Tools sells the very same puller under their part number OT6297, so if you can flag down a truck...

I did discover that for my lower ball joints I needed to grind off a bit from the jaws that straddle the balljoint. They were just a bit tight to easily go around the ball joint's boot without posibility of damaging the rubber.

Also, the anvil (the bottom jaw) has no slot for the ball joint's threaded rod. It is theoretically possible for the tool to slip unless you grind yourself a small slot. However, mine has never shown the slightest tendency to slip even under very heavy load.

The threads on this tool are your normal ones (not like the Honda tool). A bit of anti-seize on them and they're very easy to turn with a wrench.

A place called Princess Auto sells a similar tool, but for less than $30 Cdn. See the next section below...

An even cheaper version of the above, from Princess Auto

Princess Auto ball joint tool another view

I can't tell the difference, can you tell the difference? These sure look like the OTC tools above, don't they? The ever intrepid Curly discovered these two at Princess Auto.

Curly says:
"One of them cost me $64 and the other was on sale for $16.99 at Princess Auto over Christmas. They are IDENTICAL except the expensive one has a model number engraved on it. '513243' The parts interchange and everything about them is exactly the same.
"They are BOTH made in Taiwan. I bought the expensive one last summer for
$64 through a wholesaler and took a month to come in. It has the part
number 513243 engraved on it. The other is regular stock at Princess
Auto (Canada), and I caught it on sale for $16.99, regular $24.99(?).
"They are absolutely IDENTICAL and the parts interchange. I'll be
grinding the cheap one a bit so it will more closely resemble the black
one shown above [Genuine Honda tool]. The Princess Auto model fits too tight around the rubber boot and might cut it if not modified (though I've pulled four ball joints
without damage)."

Is it worth it to spend the extra dough for the OTC version? It's possible the metal on the OTC one is stronger, but it's also more possible that the difference is due to one being made in labor-expensive America, and the other in somewhat cheaper Taiwan.

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With the next method below, some hammering is required, and it may take some time for the joint to pop. It's possible to tear the boot's rubber if you're less than careful:

One of our long-time posters, Mista B0ne, has lots of experience removing balljoints. He suggests using this, an AutoZone pitman arm puller.

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The cheapest, crudest methods. These run a very high risk of damage to the rubber boot, the joint itself, and maybe even to suspension bushings:

The standard "pickle fork". http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/kti71502.html
You just insert the tines on either side of the joint, and pound like mad with a hammer. Apparently lubricating the tines may (very slightly) lessen the probability of tearing the boot. A pickle fork is just fine if your ball joint is pooched and you have no intention of reusing it.

Using a pulley puller is another option, but it is hard to get one that's just the right size so it won't damage the rubber boot on the balljoint. Pulley pullers tend not to be strong enough, and may slip off or bend.

Other, even cruder techniques involve backing the balljoint nut off until its top surface is protecting the threads at the end of the taper, then pounding as hard as you can with a hammer. This sometimes works but can be frustrating and unproductive, even with the judicious application of a torch to the end of the suspension arm. It's hard to get enough heat into the metal without cooking the grease in the balljoint and ruining the rubber seal. As well, you can easily bend the balljoint's post if you don't hammer perfectly straight.

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A final, but very important, note...

The professionals have been using for decades one method I just finished denigrating as a "cheap, crude" one: The hammer. A 4 lb sledge, or "Thor"-type hammer to be precise.

Copious amounts of experience (and efforts at saving shop time) have taught the pro's that applying a sudden shock in exactly the right place will cause sufficient vibration to force the balljoint taper to pop loose from its socket. And it works. It may take a few blows, but you won't damage anything at all doing so.

Specifically, you raise the car, loosen the balljoint nut a little bit, then give the lower control arm a hard whack immediately adjacent to the balljoint. You do NOT hit the control arm on top of the bulge where the balljoint taper goes through the arm, you hit just to the one side of that. I have not personally ever tried this, but, to paraphrase a famous theater play and movie title, fifty million professional techs can't be wrong...