Well what a complete b***rd of a job this was!!!😵

This is the ball joint with the 2 torx bolts that connects to the upper arm on the front suspension. Having read a few threads about it I was feeling pretty well prepped and counted on maybe a couple of hours job - how wrong could I be?!

Jack and axle stand in place and a further jack to support the lower arm - ball joint itself was the usual tussle but not too disastrous - torx bolts came out great without rounding, easy peasy I thinks.....but could I get the bl**dy thing out of the knuckle. In other threads people talk about hitting from above with a conical drift. Tried that, but couldnt get a very good angle on it and no room to swing the tapometer. After circa 3 hours of hitting, angle grinding, lubing, freezing and heating, this is what I was left with.



At this point I gave up and decided to sleep on it, but was seriously considering whether I needed to strip the hub and whole knuckle off so I could get a straight hit on it. Having slept on it, and let it soak overnight, it was still bl**dy tight, so I went for a more scientific approach, and gently tapped a sharpened wallpaper scraper in underneath the wings - at last a tiny bit of movement! Then using progressively bigger old screwdrivers I kept working it until hey presto! Out it popped - I reckon total hammering time must have been about 5 hours and I felt like I'd done ten rounds in the ring the next day...!

So here is what was left...



And here is the toolkit I used (never throw away an old screwdriver!)...excluding the angle grinder, drill, blowtorch and freeze spray!




Cleaned up the hole with wetndry and wire wood, and put a smear of grease in too.

Now I just need to summon the courage to do the other side!

Welcome to the forum... they do make them a bit tight... hope the other side is easier for you... I used an air chisel...  Pete
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2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
-Click here for Thread-
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand Sold
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click here for Project Fatty off roader-

Aye Pete been lurking about for a while - decided to post this in hope it helps someone else.

Feeling a bit more confident about the other side - getting it started under the 'wings' was deffo the way to go. Bizarrely air chisel is the only thing I didn't try!

Air chisels always good where you can't swing a club hammer...  Pete
__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
-Click here for Thread-
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand Sold
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click here for Project Fatty off roader-

Good write up. Thanks for info, no doubt it will come in handy at some stage.

Real b d of a job. Always make sure you have new torx bolts to hand for refitting.
But well done.