Hello -

I've attempted removing ball joints behind the front wheels of my 92 Passat.
I'm having a big trouble dropping the ball joint loose from the wheel
bearing housing.

I removed the nut that holds the ball joint to the ball bearing housing.
Unfortunately at this moment the bolt is still stuck there due to rust. I
also removed the bolt that holds stabilizer bar to the lower control arm. I
have not removed the 3 bolts that hold the ball joint to the arm yet.

Are there any tools that may come handy in removing it? Do I need a hammer
to whack the thing off somehow? Any tips to help remove the ball joints is
appreciated!!

Jasam

Yes, a ball-joint separator (shaped like a wedge that kinda looks like
a tuning fork). Hammer on the end of that and it'll separate (and
possibly destroy) the balljoint. Give the balljoint a shot of WD40 or
some other lubricant. Once separated, remove the 3 retaining bolts.
You'll need an alignment when you're done.

Darryl.

On Sat, 10 Apr 2004 21:56:01 -0400, Darryl <umpolung (AT) REMOVEhotmail (DOT) com> wrote:

Sometimes referred to as a "pickle fork"

Alternatives: Put the nut back on the end of the stud, and pop it with a hammer.
Or... If you can reach the portion of the spindle/hub carrier where the stud
goes through, and can rap it at that point with a hammer, that will release it.
This works well on tie rod ends, but you often do not have the same access on
ball joints.
Rex in Fort Worth