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Thread: pressing balljoints 12ton not working

  1. #1
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    pressing balljoints 12ton not working

    Hey Guys,

    So i removed my control arms from my 97 M3 coupe and im having a hell of a time pressing out the ball joints. Im going with the e30 ball joints in the non serviceable M3 arms. From what i read the m3 ball joints can be pressed out.

    I have a pneumatic 12ton press and it pretty much maxed out and i started to bend the pressing arm which is attached to the frame under the bottle jack. Im using sockets as arbors but the damn ball joint wont budge...... I hit it with some PB blaster last night hoping it would loosen it a bit...

    Does anyone have any suggestions? is a 12 ton enough force?

    Im contemplating on bringing the arms to a shop and have them pressed out on something larger. Mine are probably rusted in, but they dont look rusty. Maybe a shop could press them out and my 12ton could press them in keeping cost down..

    Im going to give it another go today. Also i read some people slot the back of the balljoint with a saw? are you supposed to do this? i was just pressing as is.

    Any insight would be great! New arms a stupid expensive at $220ish USD bucks each for oem which is like $350 canadian i cant really drop $700 on controla arms
    Last edited by mitch500; 02-18-2017 at 10:33 AM.
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  2. #2
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    Pressing in is easier than out. I assume you are pressing in the right direction. There may be a tapered fit or lip. I can't remember. I did it on 328i arms years ago but I have a 20 ton and recall it taking a lot of force before they popped out with a bang -- beware they can bounce and hit your foot or leg. In the worst case, you may be able to break the joint apart. Once you remove the guts you should be able to push or deform it and drive .it out

  3. #3
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    I used a 20 ton and it was a total PITA. 12 ton very well may not be enough.

  4. #4
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    You're best bet is probably to use an air hammer. I've done that at my shop a few times. Still might give you some trouble. Pressing in will be much easier
    99' Titanium Silver/Black E36 ///M3 Coupe

  5. #5
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    I used a HF 20 ton and when they released, they came out hard & fast. It did take quite a bit of force. You really want to make sure they are pointed away from you.
    I sprayed with Kroil penetrating oil first. They can rust a bit. Pressing in is easier. Make sure you mark the orientation (note the notches on the ball joint). You need to match the orientation when installing.

  6. #6
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    Success! I applied a bunch of pb blaster to the balljoints and hit then again. The pneumatic wasn't powerful enough on the outer balljoints so I had to hand pump and they finally exploded loose. The inners came out a lot easier.

    Here's a video of them exploding out:
    https://youtu.be/LOyrYoPD01I




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  7. #7
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    Hope the sirens are not for you!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by JitteryJoe View Post
    Hope the sirens are not for you!
    Haha at least they were close by if anything went wrong


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  9. #9
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    Maybe you make some more pics when you press the new ones in, might help others, maybe some additional comments/hints how to do it or what was difficult.
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by shogun View Post
    Maybe you make some more pics when you press the new ones in, might help others, maybe some additional comments/hints how to do it or what was difficult.
    Will do, still have to order them so won't be for a couple weeks. I'll be doing tie rods, ball joints, rebuilding calipers and balljoints and bushings in the rear as well. I should probably just make a build thread and keep it all in one.


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  11. #11
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    It took 20 tons of force to press my new ball joints in.
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  12. #12
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    what sort of dowels etc are you guys using to press the ball joints in/out with?
    '03 911 Turbo 6MT fun car
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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by DocWyte View Post
    what sort of dowels etc are you guys using to press the ball joints in/out with?
    I press in and out with a big socket. I cut off the center ball joint threaded shaft for removal as it is so long it gets in the way.
    For install I also use a piece of steel pipe for support. The difficult part is getting the awkward shape of the control arm lined up. Entry 32 on my rebuild page (see link below) has a picture of install.

  14. #14
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    pressing balljoints 12ton not working

    used black iron pipe fittings for natural gas. They had a bunch of different sizes from 1/2" all the way up to 3" , also they were only about $1-$2 each... sockets are expensive, use pipe fittings for arbors


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  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by DocWyte View Post
    It took 20 tons of force to press my new ball joints in.
    I hope they go in easier than they came out..... fml, 12ton looked like it was maxed out big time when removing.


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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by rajicase View Post
    I used a 20 ton and it was a total PITA. 12 ton very well may not be enough.
    How were yours when pressing in? Did they install easier then removing?


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  17. #17
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    I bought a HF 3/4 drive set years ago just to get the 36 and 46 that are useful for wheel bearings. Have used the set as drivers and receivers over the years.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by mitch500 View Post
    How were yours when pressing in? Did they install easier then removing?


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    Install goes MUCH easier than removal, don't worry. Also, I've used my HF 20 ton press to replace EVERY bushing, ball joint, and bearing in my car at this point. I did all of them over two days using a variety of arbors and receiving cups. There were only about 4 cups needed and 2 or 3 arbors to do everything.

    But by FAR the hardest part of the job was pressing out the old ball joints. The first one sounded like a gunshot. After soaking the other arm in PB blaster for 10 minutes it was a breeze by comparison. None of the other items on the car was really a problem at all. MAYBE the inner pinion race on the differential, but mainly that was a pain because it was so far down in there that it was awkward.

    To anyone thinking of doing this in the future, DEFINITELY get the 20 ton press. it's only a couple bucks more than the 12 ton. Worth it.

  19. #19
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    The Harbor Freight 20 ton goes on sale frequently. I have a coupon for it in my inbox with a $149 sale price which is much better than the $369 list price. No point in getting the 12 ton if you can get the 20 ton at a much reduced cost. It is a heavy beast though. Pretty small garage footprint but the steel used is fat & heavy. Basically cheap, heavy & strong rather than expensive, light & strong.

  20. #20
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    Ok sounds good! I placed a order last night and got all the bushings, balljoints for front and rear of car.. including new tierods and sway bar links.

    I've read there is a special orientations which the ball joints press in or alignment and marks? I didn't pay attention when removing, so could someone chime in about that?


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  21. #21
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    The notches in the ball joints should be running the same direction as the end where the lower control arm bushing goes, as shown in the above pic.e12536fd-73bb-408e-86ab-46c8818460d8.JPG

  22. #22
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    I cut away the rubber boot in the images below and you can see the ball joints have a directional channel cut in. This needs to be maintained.



  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by JitteryJoe View Post
    I cut away the rubber boot in the images below and you can see the ball joints have a directional channel cut in. This needs to be maintained.


    Nice! Thanks man. So without cutting new boots off new ball joints I'm assuming you just do it by feel? Wiggling the ball joint stud and find the correct orientation? Or is there alignment marks on the bottom of the joint where you press it.


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  24. #24
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    Look at the picture kevenwilly sent. You can see the notches in the base of the ball joint. There is no marking on the arm itself. That's why it is suggested to paint mark the notch location before removal.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by JitteryJoe View Post
    Look at the picture kevenwilly sent. You can see the notches in the base of the ball joint. There is no marking on the arm itself. That's why it is suggested to paint mark the notch location before removal.
    Right! Just went outside and mine have ghost marks or shadows from the old ball joints, Exactly how that picture shows.


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