2002 Continental: how to remove ball joint?

[Steveg11793]

Trying to remove ball joint with front variable-ride strut still attached. Not able to separate ball joint from control arm. Don’t want to compress strut spring if not necessary. Is there a way electrically to reduce downward pressure of strut to make it easier to pry knuckle upwards from control arm?

 

[batchman]

I used a Harbor Freight ball joint popper set, no problem. You do not need to disconnect anything else if the ball joint is your target. Well, besides the wheel...

Edit to add, if you're not doing this sort of thing much, be careful as it will release violence. Getting it back together will be the bigger challenge, though, as I recall.

Best,
- Jeff

 

[Steveg11793]

I used a Harbor Freight ball joint popper set, no problem. You do not need to disconnect anything else if the ball joint is your target. Well, besides the wheel...

Edit to add, if you're not doing this sort of thing much, be careful as it will release violence. Getting it back together will be the bigger challenge, though, as I recall.

Best,
- Jeff

Thank you, Jeff. Which specific tool did you use? I’ve tried a ball joint separator, and bent its pin (so I can no longer adjust the tool), a pitman arm separator (which ultimately took a small bite out of the control arm and slipped off), and the traditional fork, which made a gap but did not release the ball joint from the control arm. I’ve seen videos where people position a pry bar between the control arm and the underbody to push the control arm out from under the ball joint (once it’s been released from the control arm), but at this point it is too close to the sway bar or the ball joint isn’t yet separated from the control arm (which is why I thought maybe the strut is pushing the knuckle and ball joint downward). Thanks!

 

[batchman]

Whelp here's where I confess this was maybe 10 years ago, and lately memory hasn't been a strong suit.

It sounds like maybe you have it "popped" but can't get it apart? Any gap should mean it's released, I'd think.

If so, a floor or screw jack should help get it free, then to get the ball joint out it's BFH if I remember correctly. PB Blaster is your friend as dissimilar metals are likely working against you, I don't recall needing heat.

The sway bar might be restricting motion, and I don't recall disconnecting it but that could easily have happened.

I'll try to get a pic of my popper set, but remember thinking popping was only a little more contained than the pickle fork & BFH. I was doing it on the driveway so didn't have much room to swing a hammer.

Hang in there!
- Jeff

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[stigmatasaurus]

I do believe that a jack helps to get the ball joint and arm free. I used a bottle jack to do that on a Cadillac. The Lincoln shop manual says, "Using a suitable puller, separate the ball joint from the suspension lower arm." On another page it shows the ball joint being removed with a "steering arm remover." Elsewhere, it also indicates the ball joints are not serviceable, and if they need to be replaced, you need to replace the knuckle!