9 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHremoving lower rear "coffin" control arms
Leading reported evidence
Replace rear lower control arms
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
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0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I just replaced the rear lower control arms on my car.
Leading evidence: 'Replace rear lower control arms' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace rear lower control arms' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
For one of the arms I used a short breaker bar (with a hammer) to beat on the arm to break it loose from the carrier.
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Suggestion · Original poster
Seems like the pickle fork might have torn and moved the boot, which is fine because I was replacing these old arms.
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Suggestion
Use a wedge or a thin shim, 1/8-1/4, under the pickle fork.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
9 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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3 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Hey everyone!
I have a 1999 Carrera 4 Coupe with about 98000 miles on it.
I'm rebuilding the suspension. Everything in the rear is off, except for the lower "coffin arm" control arm. I've removed the eccentric bolt, as well as the bolt on the ball-joint over the wheel carrier.
But I can't figure out how to get the arm out of the wheel carrier. The ball joint tool I have doesn't fit; it feels like its legs are too narrow to go over the boot side of the joint.
I bought some pickle forks, and I can hammer them in over the boot side of the ball joint. At a certain point, though, they just stop. More hammering doesn't loosen the joint, nor does it advance the fork further into the joint.
Is there a trick to this? A special tool?
I just replaced the rear lower control arms on my car. For one of the arms I used a short breaker bar (with a hammer) to beat on the arm to break it loose from the carrier. Just be careful as there is not a lot of room to swing the hammer in the wheel well.
Use a wedge or a thin shim, 1/8-1/4, under the pickle fork. If it stalls then a little bit of heat on the carrier area or tap that area with a hammer. Once its being "pulled" apart with the fork it should pop.
Yeah, that's the main problem. Can't access the top of the ball joint bolt since the axle is in the way, there's not much clearance for the breaker tool, and every angle to swing something is short and awkward.
I'll keep at it today and see what happens ...
Heat goes a long way. I also ended up using one of these things from HF to get that ball joint out of the wheel carrier. Put tension on it using this, carefully heat with a propane torch and give it a few raps with a ball-peen. Popped right off no problem for me.
I did it! \o/ Thanks for believing in me, everybody!
The kit I bought was the
Orion Motorsport BL05
; I was using the three-finger tool in that kit. It just wouldn't fit; the two-finger side seemed just too narrow to get over the boot deep enough to make the third finger align accurately with the threaded bolt on the top of the joint.
I wish I could say specifically what worked, but here's what I did:
Tried the three-finger tool. Couldn't make it fit.
Whacked on the bolt with a punch -- couldn't get a straight angle.
Pickle fork. Seemed like a bit of progress, but didn't pop.
Liquid wrench sat overnight.
Very carefully pushed three-finger joint tool over, and it made it further!
Popped it off.
Seems like the pickle fork might have torn and moved the boot, which is fine because I was replacing these old arms. But moving the boot also seems to have made enough room for the fork of the three-finger tool to fit. Once I got it engaged, it worked fine.
I think the tool I have is too narrow -- it fits just barely over the steel shoulder of the ball joint, and certainly wouldn't fit deep enough with the rubber boot in the way. Maybe the smart kids push the boot down with a screw-driver, or maybe some three-finger ball joint tools are wider and better sited to this application.
