I'm doing ball joints. I'm down to removing the knuckle. Everything else is removed. The bottom nut is loosened up to only a few threads on, the top castle nut is removed. I've been beating on it with a rubber mallet for almost an hour now and it won't come loose. Tried a pickle fork, still no luck. There is another piece that looks like a castle nut that was underneath the castle nut. I'm assuming that's the adjustments? Am I missing something here? It just won't come off.

 

I wish i knew man, im gonna be doing this soon when my parts arrive from the USA

 

Put the rubber hammer down and get a BFH so you can hit it.

Remove the bottom nut, unscrew the top one until even with the top of the threaded stub (so you don't mushroom over the end as bad), now hit the top stud as hard as you can with a very large hammer until it pops free. If you do mash it some file/grid until it clears the hole freely once it pops free.
You can hit the bottom stud a couple times as best you can, depending on what you have to work with that is to help now and then but hitting the top down will get it.

Yes the part you see under the top nut is camber/caster adjustment and is not holding the ball joint in in anyway once the nut is backed off/removed.

 

The piece under the upper castle nut is the camber adjuster. You do not need to remove. Take steel hammer and hit the side of where the ball joints go up into the TTB with quite a force. So you'll be swinging on a horizontal plain. Do not hit the ball joint itself. What your trying to acomplish here is to oval out the hole the the joint goes up into just enough to pop the stud out. It won't oval out the hole, trust me I've had to beat on these things pretty hard sometimes.

 

All right, I got a real hammer and she popped right out! Thanks a lot.

Now, does anyone have pictures or can help talk me through pressing these things out? I picked up a ball joint press kit today and can't for the life of me figure out how to press these things out.

 

Hard to say for sure depending on what type of press kit you have and what attachments came with it. Also you don't say if you have 4x4 or not. I know this sounds obvious, but did the kit come with instructions? I'm not trying to be a wise-***, just something I've overlooked in the past as well.

 

It's 4wd and the kit didn't come with instructions. I rented it from the auto parts store.

 

Ok, I'm thinking you prolly have a big c-clamp with a threaded rod and some pieces of pipe cut about two inches or so long that are various diameters as well as a couple disks. First off I think you have to take the axle stub out of the hub, which it sounds like you already did. Before I go any farther, am I right so far?

 

It's totally apart as it should be. Knuckle out with ball joints rusted in lol. It is a big c clamp with a bunch of pipes etc

 

Cool, since yours look to be rusted in, you may need a BFH as well. Thread the threaded rod into the clamp on the end that has the threads. Find which disk fits and will sit on the inside of the other clamp end - the side of the clamp that does not have the threads. To make sure you have it in right, if you threaded the rod all the way in, it would hold the disk in place on the other end of the clamp. Now choose which piece of pipe fits best over the end of the ball joint you will be pressing out. This piece of pipe will sit on the disk as you do your pressing. You will in-effect be pressing the ball joint into this piece of pipe, or cup, whatever you want to call it. The pipe is there to give you the clearance to do this. The other disk in the kit goes over the end of the threaded rod and will ride in between the rod and the ball joint you will be pressing out. It will take a little playing with to get the whole thing aligned and set up right, but once you have all the pieces in place, just tighten the threaded rod against the ball joint until it pops out. Wear some safety glasses just in case things get really crazy. If you feel like you are cranking on the rod and not getting anywhere, give the piece holding the ball joint a whack with the BFH once in a while. You don't need to beat the hell out of it, just a good solid whack on either side once in a while. It may help free things up. Oh, and make sure you are pressing the right side of the joint. Take a good look at it before you start to make sure you have the clamp on there as to be pressing the joint out of the axle and not in. Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions. Good luck!

 

So I'm guessing the bottom joint is pressed out first, from the bottom?

 

Not sure which one would be best to start with, but yes, the bottom joint should be pressed from the bottom, top joint from the top, I believe.

 

Cool thanks. I'll take the knuckles down to the shoproom tomorrow and see if I can clamp it good in the vice.

 

Also, don't use the hammer unless you really need to. You'll have to use your own judgment on it. If you get to the point you feel like the press is about to fail, you may want to give them a hit, but before you do make sure you have the press set up correctly and all. Know what I mean? Use the hammer as a last resort, basically. These should come out ok for you without it.

 

No problem, good luck!