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Hi. how do you release the bottom ball joint without destroying it? it is rivetted to the lower arm; there is no room to put on a small seperator due to the drive shaft; I am nervous about driving in a wedge as there is a good chance of wrecking the rubber leading to new lower arm etc. any tips would be gratefully received. The track rod ends don't fit my seperator either. i am about to buy a small gear puller which would fit but again experience is great so a pointer to what works would be great.
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You don't touch the rivets.
Take the pinch bolt out of the hub. While levering the lower arm downwards, hit a chisel into the split in the clamp, and the lower arm will drop. (If you're working on your own, you'll need to be creative in deploying all your limbs!)
Unless you're extremely clumsy, you won't damage the rubber.
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thanks for the reply. mine doesn't have a pinch bolt. The ball joint (rivetted to the lower arm) has its threaded end vertically through a machined hole on the hub and is held by a nut which just fits under the drive shaft.
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Then, take the nut off, and while levering down on the lower arm, hit the hub in the side (hit it hard) where the tapered shaft of the ball joint goes through.
To free taper joints like this, you *don't* hit the end of the shaft, you hit the side of the part with the tapered hole in it - this shocks the joint apart.
The same advice holds for the track rod ends too.
Edited by Number_Cruncher on 12/01/2009 at 12:46
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I found my ball joint splitter was too big to fit between the hub and balljoint bolt as well. I took the angle grinder to the ball joint splitter and thinned the end down far enough to fit in the tight gap. Previously to this, I undid the large hub nut and pushed it back through the hub assembly far enough to gain some clearance.
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thanks for the "clearance" tip; I'll try it
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Many thanks for the tips which enabled me to remove the strut. On dismantling, the bearing beneath the upper mounting is tapered. I have lost my record of removal. It looks "happier" if I fit the larger diameter against the underside of the upper mounting but this leaves the open end of the bearing facing the ground although it does slot on the damper shaft. Which is correct please? how does this function? The damper shaft is firmly bolted to the wing top so the the strut rotates around the damper shaft but how come the upper spring seat doesn't wear where is rests on the shelf on the damper shaft?
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thanks for the further message. I'll try this as soon as it stops raining; yes I'm a whimp.
Can't do this on track rod though as housing is welded pressing.
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my strut top bearing is conical. lost notes. should the large end be uppermost against the lower face of the upper mounting rubber (i.e the top mounting bolted to the wing)? if i rest it this way round on top of the upper spring seat the bearing top face (the larger end of the taper) will spin merrily.
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As you might guess, it's been a long time since I've done one of these, but;
One side of the bearing has a flat face, with what almost looks like a large washer on it. The threaded shaft of the damper should pass through this washer, and stop at the shoulder.
The top mounting rubber should then be able to be placed on top, and fit up absolutely solid against that washer, leaving the spring top free to rotate on the underside of the bearing.
In short, try assembling it without the spring, and it will become obvious which way round everything should go.
It's also worth just fitting new bearings while you're there - there aren't expensive.
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thanks. Mine has no appearance of a washer, just the tapered bearing. Your point about trying it without the spring is very sound. however, i must admit now that I assembled the strut, put it back on the car and now wonder if I've got it wrong. the good part is that i have put the largest face opposite the underside of the top fitting.
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I don't remember a tapered bearing, but, I have never taken one apart. I remember a grey cylindrical part, about 35mm OD, and 20mm ID, and about 10mm thick - on one side only, the integral washer was about 15mm ID.
If you haven't touched the other side, strip that down, and take some digital photos while you're doing it, to enable you to get it right.
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The bearing looks like this one;
SWP1923B
on this site;
www.southwalesprops.com/strut_mountings.htm
and in side view, looks like;
SWP222, listed for Austin Rover
SWP223, listed for VW shows the view from the other side of a similar bearing.
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I thought that was a Rugby site NC !
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No, sorry PU!
An interesting site though - sells things I had happily forgotten all about;
www.southwalesprops.com/carded.htm#BY-PASS%20HOSE%...T
That's definitely one to remind people of when they get all nostalgic about old cars!
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