Disco 2 Steering knuckle seperation - how to break the ball joint bond?

twr7cx · Nov 15, 2018

Top and bottom ball joint boots have splits in them and given that the vehicle is now 16 years old with 280,000km it's time to replace them. I've stripped it all down now (wheel, brakes, CV shaft off, etc) and just have the knuckle attached to the diff through the ball joints.

What's the hot tips for separating the steering knuckle (i.e. breaking the ball joints tapered/rust bond)?
I'm always weary of the BFH method.
I've tried an air hammer with a ball joint separating fork and a manual one and can't get in very far before the tip of the fork fouls somewhere on the knuckle.
Special separator tool (yes, I know there is a genuine Land Rover one, but is there a more accessible alternative?)? The one I have here for ball joints/tie rod ends seems to be a bit too small.
My pullers, including a decent hydraulic one, just don't seem to able to fit on properly on the bottom ball joint and the top is inaccessible to them.

dieseldog69 · Nov 15, 2018

twr7cx said:
Top and bottom ball joint boots have splits in them and given that the vehicle is now 16 years old with 280,000km it's time to replace them. I've stripped it all down now (wheel, brakes, CV shaft off, etc) and just have the knuckle attached to the diff through the ball joints.

What's the hot tips for separating the steering knuckle (i.e. breaking the ball joints tapered/rust bond)?
I'm always weary of the BFH method.
I've tried an air hammer with a ball joint separating fork and a manual one and can't get in very far before the tip of the fork fouls somewhere on the knuckle.
Special separator tool (yes, I know there is a genuine Land Rover one, but is there a more accessible alternative?)? The one I have here for ball joints/tie rod ends seems to be a bit too small.
My pullers, including a decent hydraulic one, just don't seem to able to fit on properly on the bottom ball joint and the top is inaccessible to them.

Absolutely done to death on ere!

Highly recommend a good rummage in the Fred's.

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/steering-knuckle-ball-joint-removal.333425/

jamesmartin · Nov 15, 2018

big hammer to the area were joint goes through, done hard enough it stretches the taper hole briefly allowing joint to drop out or fork that fits, air hammer is pointless its one big hit not a lot of tiny ones

neilly · Nov 15, 2018

jamesmartin said:
big hammer to the area were joint goes through, done hard enough it stretches the taper hole briefly allowing joint to drop out or fork that fits, air hammer is pointless its one big hit not a lot of tiny ones

That works on D2 Knuckles without some form of puller or press being used?

Cheers

jamesmartin · Nov 15, 2018

neilly said:
That works on D2 Knuckles without some form of puller or press being used?

Cheers

to remove the steering knuckle from the joints it does,on some one good hit top and bottom is enough others take a a good few more for the perfectly placed whack that stretches the hole momentarily

twr7cx · Nov 16, 2018

jamesmartin said:
big hammer to the area were joint goes through, done hard enough it stretches the taper hole briefly allowing joint to drop out or fork that fits

jamesmartin said:
to remove the steering knuckle from the joints it does,on some one good hit top and bottom is enough others take a a good few more for the perfectly placed whack that stretches the hole momentarily

and I pulled the below quote from this thread < https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/steering-knuckle-ball-joint-removal.333425/ >:

jamesmartin said:
ive done a lot and most are difficult but not had one fail yet,you are hitting as near the taper and toward the taper as possible and not downwards

Maybe I'm being daft and am I hitting it in the wrong place then - on the flat in front of the top ball joint (where I've drawn the red oval on the attached picture) whacking it downwards because that's the way that the knuckle needs to move?

jamesmartin · Nov 16, 2018

twr7cx said:
and I pulled the below quote from this thread < https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/steering-knuckle-ball-joint-removal.333425/ >:

Maybe I'm being daft and am I hitting it in the wrong place then - on the flat in front of the top ball joint (where I've drawn the red oval on the attached picture) whacking it downwards because that's the way that the knuckle needs to move?

yes thats wrong your trying to knock it off ie down ,you need swivel the knuckle in full lock and then hit the other side closest to where pin goes through and hit it side on to stretch the tapered hole

jamesmartin · Nov 16, 2018

neilly said:
That works on D2 Knuckles without some form of puller or press being used?

Cheers

were you thinking of removing the ball joint from the axle case,if so you should read the question

brian47 · Nov 16, 2018

twr7cx said:
and I pulled the below quote from this thread < https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/steering-knuckle-ball-joint-removal.333425/ >:

Maybe I'm being daft and am I hitting it in the wrong place then - on the flat in front of the top ball joint (where I've drawn the red oval on the attached picture) whacking it downwards because that's the way that the knuckle needs to move?

You're striking it in the wrong area, you really need to give the joint a good clout on the side of the joint.
Ideally you need two hammers, one as an "anvil" on the back of the joint and then give the joint a clout on the opposite side, effectively sandwiching the socket part of the joint which should cause it to distort just enough to break the seal.
It would also help if you could arrange for a ball joint splitter to place some pressure on the taper joint to assist it in popping out.

twr7cx · Nov 16, 2018

jamesmartin said:
yes thats wrong your trying to knock it off ie down ,you need swivel the knuckle in full lock and then hit the other side closest to where pin goes through and hit it side on to stretch the tapered hole

brian47 said:
You're striking it in the wrong area, you really need to give the joint a good clout on the side of the joint.
Ideally you need two hammers, one as an "anvil" on the back of the joint and then give the joint a clout on the opposite side, effectively sandwiching the socket part of the joint which should cause it to distort just enough to break the seal.

Ok, so looks like we might have found part of my issue then!

So instead of pounding it downwards to try to move the knuckle down, I'm rather hitting it front to back direction to upset the ball joints taper bond. On the attached picture the arrow is the direction I hit it, striking the vertical face of the upper tab of the knuckle that the ball joint pin goes through, and the rectangle where the 'anvil' hammer goes to sandwich the ball joint fitting of the knuckle in between?
Like what is demonstrated in the following picture on a different vehicle:

F4MWQOUF6B7SWDA.LARGE.jpg

Four - the method shown - hammer either side of the taper at a slight angle. This squeezes the bottom of the housing that the taper fits into, and opens up the top. A few sharp blows and the taper pops out without damaging anything. Be brutal and smack the parts as hard as you can given the space available - you won't break things.

Do make sure that both hammers strike at the same time - else you will not squeeze the housing, the joint will not loosen and the force from teh blows will go elsewhere (the upper wishbone in this innstance). The loads are nothign comapred to hitting a pothole so will be fine, but you'll be wasiting your energy!

Is this method use for top and bottom?

brian47 · Nov 16, 2018

Yep, you've got it!
That's the method for not just the top and bottom ball joints, but any taper joint.
Remember, don't just tickle it, think of how much trouble it's already given you and punish it with a damned good clout.

twr7cx · Dec 21, 2018

Thanks all for the advise and guidance. Managed to break the taper by swinging a 4.5kg sledge hammer to hit two 4lb mallets that were held on either side of the taper by a second person like anvils. Took a few swings but all four eventually gave in.

Disco 2 Steering knuckle seperation - how to break the ball joint bond?

twr7cx

Member

dieseldog69

Well-Known Member

jamesmartin

Well-Known Member

neilly

Well-Known Member

jamesmartin

Well-Known Member

twr7cx

Member

Attachments

jamesmartin

Well-Known Member

jamesmartin

Well-Known Member

brian47

Well-Known Member

twr7cx

Member

Attachments

brian47

Well-Known Member

twr7cx

Member

Similar threads