Someone please help a dickhead [me]

[brianjbox]

My defenders out of MOT and all I can see that needed replacing was the drop arm ball joint, I checked out what posts I could find on here. I went through my knock off downloaded manual and the only problem I could see was the DANGER of not using a press when removing the circlip.
I got the circlip out and lower cup whatever it's called but I can't get the top track rod/shock absorber bracket off the tapered pin



I've tried shocking it with two hammers but not much room for this so back one just held in place.
I've tried a ball joint separator at the risk of losing the lip the boot sits on.
I've tried a blow torch on it, only a plumbers propane one but hot enough to burn my bloody fingers on everything I touched
I've tried 'G' clamps wrecking one of them.

What am I missing guy's, it's got to be something obvious

This is my only motor so in a bit of a pickle.

Help please

Brian

 

[bushwwacker]

Have you zried plenty of wd40 and a hydraulic jack pushing up instead of the cramp?

 

[trax]

yeah try jacking the swan and smack it with a bigger hammer

 

[easye1]

Have you zried plenty of wd40 and a hydraulic jack pushing up instead of the cramp?

agree
then bashing the arm with a hammer......

 

[West Slope Rover]

Keep at the the two-hammer-one-as-anvil method after juicing it up with penetrating oil. The right shock will do it. Good luck.

 

[brianjbox]

yeah try jacking the swan and smack it with a bigger hammer

Not quite getting this guys

Right the swan is the bit that I'm trying to get off the tapered pin.

Get a jack under this so it's sitting on something solid.

Hitting the swan or the threaded end of the pin

Not much room to hit downwards from above and can't move anything as it's all still connected.

Sorry to sound simple but defenders are new to me [though being told to use a bigger hammer on them isn't]

 

[brianjbox]

Keep at the the two-hammer-one-as-anvil method after juicing it up with penetrating oil. The right shock will do it. Good luck.

Hitting it hard enough to bruise the 'swan' but bugger won't release

I've packed up for tonight as sometimes I find it better to walk away and come back to it later

Gonna soak it with WD and hopefully things will be just fine tomorrow

 

[Martyn110]

I used a ball joint breaker bar 3ft handle with a ball joint breaker on the end jumped on it twice and off it came

 

[Brown]

Depends what other tools and equipment you have to hand. Heating the swan neck or freezing the pin might be possibilities. I know people say ball joints burst when heated but that one's been disassembled already. If you have an angle grinder to hand I'd separate the drop arm and swan neck as far as they'll go and slip an angle grinder blade between the two to cut the pin. It will grind off, but it is too hard to hacksaw. Then you can get the link out of the car completely (if you can get the other ball joint apart) and hammer the tapered section out against a suitable anvil, or in my case a concrete kerbstone. Much easier.

 

[fanatic]

Fork joint splitter-they #### the boot but a 4 lb lump hammer or sledge hammer normally cures it

 

[SmileySteve]

Fork joint splitter-they #### the boot but a 4 lb lump hammer or sledge hammer normally cures it

+1 loads of penetrating oil, good ball joint compressor / splitter and BIG clonk, it will give in eventually! good luck

 

[trax]

Fork joint splitter-they #### the boot but a 4 lb lump hammer or sledge hammer normally cures it

always worked for me

 

[bushwwacker]

+1 loads of penetrating oil, good ball joint compressor / splitter and BIG clonk, it will give in eventually! good luck

 

[Oldseadog]

Use proper penetrating oil coz WD40 isn't

Did anyone mention an FN big hammer?

 

[THEengineer]

get it soaked in this wd40 is shyt Plus Gas Lubricant Aerosol | eBay

 

[bushwwacker]

WD40 is my generic, paraffin works well anorl...

 

[wattfield]

WD40, paraffin or diesel a couple of times a day til the weekend, keep the socket under the joint as in your pic but support it from below with a jack, then hit it side on sharply.

 

[yorkshirelad1989]

Alright,
If you put the drop arm back on. And half screen the nut back on so there's about 1/2-3/4 inch thread left showing get a big bar and bar downwards as close to the joint as possible and there will be a flat spot on the side! If you bray the flat spot whilst applying pressure on the bar it should pop! That's how I used to do them!

 

[brianjbox]

Many thanks for all your replies guys

I got it separated using a bottle jack under swan? and nearly jacking front of the motor off the floor holding a block of steel behind swan and hitting front it popped off with one bang:amen:

Took another hour to get the upper cup out [I'm learning] then about the same to get new upper cup back in

Had about three attempts to fit lower cup, spring, rubber 'O' ring, plate and circlip as it kept pinging out skies went black and it started hailing so chucked everything in the garage and will try again tomorrow

On the workshop manual exploded image it shows No.4 a retainer that goes on top beneath rubber boot, that didn't come with the kit, any idea's

Brian

 

[Dr_evil]

I just jacked mine up and it popped out