How do you tighten ball joint nuts????

[FiReBReTHa]

I am trying to get these suckers threaded but the ball joint bolt keeps spinning! any advice?

I am using manual tools, socket/wrench

 

[onebadtsi]

If you have a dead blow hammer hit the bottom of the ball joint to get the taper of the thread in the hole better. I used a 3/8 impact and it worked great. Good Luck

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

If it spins then it needs replaced. That is why you can't tighten it. Go get a new one and put it in and it will tighten right up.

 

[Bryan90TSiAWD]

impacts work rather well.

 

[dewdew]

You need to get the taper to seat up. A hammer may work, but a better way is something to squeeze the ball joint to the control arm. A pair of big channel lock pliers work pretty well. Impact wrenches do work well, because of their quick acceleration high speed.

 

[wret]

For lower joints, jack under the joint to hold pressure against the taper while you get the nut started.

 

[Spyderman7]

I use a jack for the lower one,and a big screw driver over the upper controll arm into the coil spring pulling down for the upper.

 

[9awd4g63tsi2]

For lower joints, jack under the joint to hold pressure against the taper while you get the nut started.

This is an excellent method which I use and it works 99% of the time.

And no, your balljoints are not bad if they spin while trying to tighten. New balljoints will do this as well.

 

[BillDCat]

I'm trying to install my lower compression control arm right now. New arm, old spindle. The re-used lateral arm tightened down just fine with the jack method. I've tried all of the methods listed above on the new arm, but even putting the entire weight of the corner of the car on the joint with a jack, the damn ball joint still spins when I try to tighten (or loosen!) the nut. I'm guessing part of it is from using the new ny-lock that came with the arm, but I can't even get it off now to try a non-locking nut.

Any more suggestions? I'm getting desperate here guys! Thanks in advance.

 

[wret]

Rough up the tapered shaft of the ball joint a little. Use two pipe wrenches in opposite directions.

 

[BillDCat]

...Any more suggestions? I'm getting desperate here guys! Thanks in advance.

Well I finally got it worked out. Disassembled the entire corner (again! BOO ), borrowed a bigger impact, added a buttload more pressure to my compressor, and wailed on it until it got as snug as it is gonna get.

I wish the ball joint had failed (instead of the strut fork bushing) so the dealer woulda had to take care of it and not me!