Trouble getting ball joint nut tight

[Woodsy0]

I'm having trouble getting the ball joint nut on the upper control arm on. It threads in for a bit, and then halfway into the thread, gets tight, and then when I try to torque it down, the entire ball joint spins. I've tried hitting it with penetrant, propane, and a impact wrench while holding the ball joint with needle nose vicegrips to no avail. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[wret]

Try roughing up the tapered shaft a little. I use a pair of pipe wrenches in opposite directions.

 

[steve]

Usually all it takes is a little force loading the taper to hold it still. A clamp between the two parts to apply pressure should work. It sounds like your hitting the nylock part of the threads and it starts spinning.

Steve

 

[Woodsy0]

Wret, you mean scuff up the ball joint w/ sandpaper?

Steve, I can't find a clamp small enough to fit between the spindle and the ball joint. The best I could do was needle-nose vicegrips, but as tight as I can get it around the joint, it still can't hold when I hit the nut with the impact wrench.

 

[InvaderGSX]

I just did one. You have to take a jack and jack up the ball joint as high as it will go without lifting up the car. You have to give it enough pressure so that it allows you to tighten it as it is a press fitting.

 

[wret]

Wret, you mean scuff up the ball joint w/ sandpaper?

Sandpaper might help but not the ball joint, the shaft that fits into the knuckle. You are getting more friction on the nut than on the shaft and joint. If you can jack or clamp (as mentioned) it's usually enough to overcome the friction of the nut. If not, roughing up the tapered shaft will help.

 

[T is for TURBO]

Isn't there an allen socket in the end of the threaded part?
otherwise do what invaderGSX said, that usually works

 

[overdoseheroin]

put a jack under the lower control arm directly under the balljoint and jack it up and put some tension on it, goop up the threads on the nut with a good lithuim or silicone grease and spin it on. if i have an issue like yours, the method i explained 99% of the time works.

 

[Woodsy0]

Thanks for the help, I'll give it a shot when I get back to the garage this Sunday.

 

[ACM]

The problem you are experiencing is the Nylon locking insert in the nut doing its job - it grabs the thread hard enough for the bj pin to break loose and start turning.

The simplest solution is get a non-locking nut of the same thread dimensions from your local hardware store, and tighten it to half the torque setting. This will seat the taper solidly. Now remove the non-locking nut, thread on the correct locking nut and tighten it to the correct torque.

If you have an old locking nut lying around you can always pick/cut the Nylon insert out which will save you a trip to the hardware store.

That's it, you're done.

Charles

 

[DSM Jeff]

I've had this problem a few times. What i've done is put a deep socket over the nut and then used a C clamp to pull the spindle or whatever part onto the ball joint. The socket allows pressure to be put on the part rather then the balljoint (its acting like a sleeve) This is the same idea of jacking the car up but I've found if you do that you'll have to hold the upper control arm in place. the C clamp pulls the control arm and spindle together. Another thing to try is wedging something between the nut and spindle and prying on it to force the spindle tighter onto the taper of the ball joint.

 

[InvaderGSX]

DSM Jeff, that may be the case on a 1G, but on a 2G there is no way you can fit anything, but an open end 22mm wrench on the nut. No way a deep socket will fit.

 

[Woodsy0]

While the lateral control arm ball joint (22mm nut) was also having problems screwing in, I was actually referring more to the upper control arm ball joint nut (17mm). I'll give all these tips a shot on Sunday and I'll let you know if I'm still getting nowhere.

 

[InvaderGSX]

Oh that is simple.... You stick a pry bar to push the top of the control arm arm down with as much pressure as you can and thread the nut on. It's easier if you have somebody help you. That is also a press fitting.

 

[Woodsy0]

Just a follow up - used a prybar on the upper control arm against the frame to pressure the upper ball joint, used a c-clamp on the lateral control arm to presure the lower ball joint, worked perfectly. Thanks for all the help.