Does anyone rent/can lend special tool 312240? (the ball joint seperator)

[joekitch]

This dude


bmw tool 312240.JPG


I'm currently looking at some HORRIBLY seized ball joints for the thrust arms, lower control arms, and center drag links, and i think this thing will be the least painful way to get them all out
Might just get the copycat version (or is it the oem?) for $109 as a serious investment, the Koch KT20473
https://www.amazon.com/KT20473-Ball-.../dp/B076FC6PSQ
also baum makes something real similar, the B312240k

[jp5Touring]

Harbor freight has one. I did both my tourings with it. Crank it down hard and smack the ball joint suspension piece with a hammer.
You sometimes have to hit it damn hard and maybe twenty times. My red touring was a bitch to do. They will pop like a gunshot be aware.
Leave the nut on it but loose.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qu...tor-99849.html

[joekitch]

i see the hazard freight one mentioned a lot, but does it work on all the different ball joint types? it seems like it wouldn't work on the pitman arm to drag link joint, the bolt's facing the wrong way for it
unless there's a way to get the thrust arm bolt out without moving the center drag link out of the way

edit: the one in this image
pitman arm removal.jpg



double edit: nevermind i'm an idiot i just need to turn the steering wheel to get the arm out of the way, d'oh

[M5XTu]

i see the hazard freight one mentioned a lot, but does it work on all the different ball joint types? it seems like it wouldn't work on the pitman arm to drag link joint, the bolt's facing the wrong way for it
unless there's a way to get the thrust arm bolt out without moving the center drag link out of the way

edit: the one in this image
pitman arm removal.jpg



double edit: nevermind i'm an idiot i just need to turn the steering wheel to get the arm out of the way, d'oh

That would be a pitman arm puller. AutoZone rents them out.


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[joekitch]

i was using the image for reference to show which ball joint i'm referring to, but i guess yeah it'd be better to use that pittman arm remover rather than forcing a ball joint separator to do the job

[dannyzabolotny]

I did a center link replacement the other day using the Harbor Freight ball joint separator— there's enough room to use it on the center link, you just need to have the steering wheel pointed a certain way to have adequate clearance.

[crazy4trains]

That would be a pitman arm puller. AutoZone rents them out.


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^^^What he said. Rent them all so you don't have to keep running back.

[joekitch]

So uh.....got the harbor freight tool....


IMG_20180422_120338.jpg





How is this supposed to get at the lower control arm ball joint again?
This sure looks like it doesn't open large enough.
Do i need to take off the retainer nut, remove that big washer thing, and put the nut back on way down the threads so the tool can juuuuust grab the edge of it?

[M5XTu]

Looks like you do not have the clearance to make the separator fit. Rent out a pitman arm puller.


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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Holy crap, Joe, based on your last post, take a good look at what you are doing, study the tools design and try to imagine positioning it in a way that it would spread the ball joint out of the spindle, don’t get angry at me for not exactly spoon feeding you, take a good look at what you are doing, hit a switch and activate some brain power. Hopefully you see what you are doing wrong.

[joekitch]

Holy crap, Joe, based on your last post, take a good look at what you are doing, study the tools design and try to imagine positioning it in a way that it would spread the ball joint out of the spindle, don’t get angry at me for not exactly spoon feeding you, take a good look at what you are doing, hit a switch and activate some brain power. Hopefully you see what you are doing wrong.

helpful.
however there is no way to open the jaw wider. flipping the tool upside down wont work , the jaw is already in the second pin position.
there are no images online showing this tool successfully biting this particular part, it works on the thrust arm just fine though, but the knuckle piece here is too thick.
if there's some solution here and i'm not seeing, I'll be shocked. more likely is you're mistaking this knuckle for one on another car since i think the earlier e39s had significantly less thick knuckles
also likely is my image is misleading somehow and you're seeing a solution which isn't actually possible.

although someone on m5 boards came up with a neat solution


Front Control Arm 01.jpg

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

But the more I look at that tool, the more I am thinking it won’t work, one side of it is not right. It’s too thick, can you take a better detailed shot of the tool? I have a different one that only cost $40 from the tool truck, but it is in my toolbox at work.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Pull the speed sensor out of the way, loosen up the nut and bolt on the arm to the subframe, loosen up the pinch bolt, pull the strut up out of the way, BFH that little b!tch ball joint out of the spindle if you don’t have an air hammer.

[jp5Touring]

Screw the nut down a little bit so the the threaded part shows on top. Start with the tool on the top part and tap it with a hammer to force the bottom of it in.
IIRC thats how I had to get it to work. I have that Harbor Freight tool and it fit my suspension. You could also grind the balljoint top piece at a angle to ad more clearance.

[joekitch]

Screw the nut down a little bit so the the threaded part shows on top. Start with the tool on the top part and tap it with a hammer to force the bottom of it in.
IIRC thats how I had to get it to work. I have that Harbor Freight tool and it fit my suspension. You could also grind the balljoint top piece at a angle to ad more clearance.

yours worked without mods? interesting...i wonder if there are some year to year differences in that knuckle design. i tried hammering the bottom piece in and screwing the nut all the way down (with the washer removed) and then trying to mate the two pieces again but no dice, didn't work. i'm pretty close to taking the knuckle entirely out of the car and beating the everloving @#$% out of it on a bench

also i measured the distance, from the top of the bolt to the bottom of the knuckle is a whopping 76mm, almost 3 inches

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Another thing, that is a spacer that can be pulled up out of the way, slice the threaded upper section of the ball joint off so that you can fit the tool over it.

[joekitch]

Another thing, that is a spacer that can be pulled up out of the way, slice the threaded upper section of the ball joint off so that you can fit the tool over it.

oh! i completely forgot i have a metal hacksaw, i can literally just cut the bolt down short enough that the tool will fit over it, not like i'm keeping this thing anyway. i'll give that a shot

edit: i'm aware of the spacer and have long since removed it, just removing it doesn't help, but removing it AND the nut AND cutting off the top half of the bolt might just work..

note how in this position the axle on the tool doesnt quite line up, but after i cut the bolt down it might just work...

IMG_20180422_140720.jpg

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Look at the spindle, where the ball joint comes through, that is an aluminum spacer about a quarter inch thick, take that off and don’t loose it.

[M5XTu]

Put the nut back on until it just touches the top of the spindle. Hacksaw the exposed threaded stud. Remove the nut. Now you have the clearance you need to use the harbor freight separator.


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[computiNATEor]

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time, Joe. This blows :/

[joekitch]

F$%& YEAH YOU LITTLE @$^#& CONTROL ARMS GET @#%@$^ED


with the bolt cut way down, the separator fits perfectly. my arms feel like jelly after doing that much hack sawing but..

IMG_20180422_161024.jpg


BANG


IMG_20180422_163731.jpg




Like a gunshot is right. i spent about 10 minutes doing quarter turns then waiting thirty seconds to a minute before turning some more, hammering at the top of the separator and the knuckle all the while.
i cannot express how satisfying it was to see that control arm EXPLODE out of its socket in a spray of PB blaster and the separator leap off it



IMG_20180422_163855.jpg




The FCP euro seperator worked a treat on the passenger side thrust arm, took very little persuasion to get that one out




IMG_20180422_164622.jpg



considered using my cutting wheel on the passenger side lower control arm bolt but decided against it, too close quarters and i'd have to hold the tool in a rather unsafe position, opted for the hacksaw instead.
i used the spacer as a cutting guide, worked out fantastically well



IMG_20180422_170402.jpg

- - - Updated - - -


Literally the same feeling you get went beating a boss solo in dark souls


Attachment 627638



Also, that feeling you get when you're using spring compressors, that "wow, i am creating a kinetic bomb and it gets more powerful with every turn of my wrench and if it goes i lose a limb", got a little of that as i kept cranking and cranking the separator

[computiNATEor]

Yay!

I recently popped ball joints on the wheel carriers when the carriers were off the car. It's definitely a little frightening to crank so much pressure into the separator. Thankfully, my southern CA car didn't cause much trouble.

[rbelton]

I've been using the Gear Wrench brand tool with success for a few years. I previously tried the HF tool twice, and it's cheap quality caused it to snap both times. GW brand still holding up under use... for now.



Link: https://youtu.be/_mipOFv7ePU

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

That’s the same one I have, didn’t realize Gear Wrench made it, just pulled mine out of the toolbox, lol, on the side, is printed: GW3916D $40 from either the Matco man, or the SnapOn dude.

[16valex]

I hate doing this job. So much torque have to be loaded it's scary. I usually take a break walk away have cigarette and BANG it exploded.

It's good to have the right tool though.