Advanced Suspension, Chassis, and BrakingTalk about suspension geometry, advanced handling/chassis setup, custom brakes, etc. NOT your basic brake pads and "best drop" Information.
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Trying to replace my 4th gen ball joint and I can't get the nut off the top. Looks like we replaced the control arms 50k 6yrs ago so they're not welded on but the shop that did it used a regular flange nut rather than a castle nut. There's not much room beneath the drive shaft. It's too tight to get a regular box wrench in there and both open end or crescents just slip off. I've got a little butane torch if you think heat will help. Or are there low profile box wrenches available? I'd rather not pull the arm or shaft off if I can help it. Maybe dremmel the top of the bolt off to make room?
If you don't have any experience with it I promise you will be surprised at how much easier a little heat can make things. Definitely heat it. Nuts and bolts that you have no prayer of removing without heat are often very easy once heat is applied, it really does make a huge difference. Just be sure to be conscious of that CV boot.
__________________ 95 SE - Stock 3.0L w/ USIM - T61/P-trim @ 14.5psi - 93 octane
11.76 @ 121 - 1.82 60' - ET Street DOTs
12.15 @ 123 - 1.95 60' - Nitto DR 3.5L swap with I/Y/E
12.92 @ 104 - 1.69 60' - M&H Slicks
13.60 @ 103 - 2.15 60' - Street tires
P.S. dont shear the top of the bolt, because ur actually supposed to have a cotter pin in that hole to prevent the unlikley event that the bolt loosens and comes off on its own while ur driving
Ok, we'll try heat. That cotter pin's probably been gone for years and it aint budging The joint is bad so whatever I do to it doesn't matter. Dealer found joint play during an oil change and quoted me $500+ for a new arm installed. I replied I've got a couple extra arms in the basement. Got the press, got the right separator, now this stupid nut...
1. use a high quality wrench. try a snap on or proto wrench compared to a crescent or craftsman. better wrench has stronger head and won't open up like a cheaper wrench will.
I was in your situation a couple years ago. neighbor had a proto wrench and told me to try it. worked fine. huh. learned something new!
2. pull the axle nut loose and shove the axle as far in as you can without removing strut bolts. if you're lucky, the axle will slide back far enough to give you the clearance needed to get a box end wrench on the nut.
3. grind down the box end of a wrench so it's thin enough to fit between the axle and ball joint.
4. FIRE!!!
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04 G35 Sedan 6MT- The DD
96 240SX 5 speed- The track toy
93 Maxima SE 5 speed- retired 1-5-09
btw there's a 2 day lapping event that myself and a couple other maxima buddies (and other buddies without maximas) are doing this summer if you're interested. I don't know if you already have your autoX schedule planned out or not.
I hate this nut!
When I have run into this problem, I pulled the spindle off the axle and use my impact driver. I'll have to try the heat technique next time.
Rust is so bad up here that balljoint nut is hell. I think one time I've removed it with a combo wrench. Though many times I've ended up having to remove the control arm and hub togther. Sometimes the impact gun gets the nut off other times I've had to cut it off cause the nut and balljoint just spin together. Usually im replacing control arms or balljoints so I don't mind removing the control arm but it does suck.
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- Joe
1996 KH3 Maxima SE - 222 WHP / 208 WTQ SAE corrected @ 209,000 miles, VQ30DEK swap
(5 spd - project car, never ending money pit )
No luck today either. Can't fit a Dremmel in there to cut off the top of the bolt to fit a box wrench. Little torch only get's nuts up to 125deg (worth a try). 25" breaker can't take the axle nut off. The axle slip spins when I get to 150-200lbish torque. Open end wrench rounding it off. Thinking a box wrench isn't gonna be enough even if I ground it down to fit. Seems I need hotter fire or a real shop.
Got the axle nut to 150deg and wedged a crowbar into the lugs. Stopped the spinning but when pulling upward the car lifts from the jacks. Down seems safer.
Rust is so bad up here that balljoint nut is hell. I think one time I've removed it with a combo wrench. Though many times I've ended up having to remove the control arm and hub togther. Sometimes the impact gun gets the nut off other times I've had to cut it off cause the nut and balljoint just spin together. Usually im replacing control arms or balljoints so I don't mind removing the control arm but it does suck.
the trick to not spin together is put a jack under bottom of ball joint socket but arm has to obviously be on car and a wrench would have to be used.
There is a special SST for that nut. I forget who makes it something like kenworth.
It is very low profile slips right in as a closed box end and u put half inch braker bar on it.
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LTB stage II, Progress RSB, FSTB, Poly bushings, Progress/illumina, 6th gen brakes, Motegi and T1R,
Oh this nut has to be the biggest time waster ever. Its in the worst location ever, always has rust on the threads which makes the BJ spin, and no matter what you pretty much end up taking the whole suspension apart. Some how I squeezed in my 4 1/2" angle grinder in there to cut the nut off.
The best way to break the axle nut loose by hand is car on the ground with a donut spare on. I used a 6' pipe as a cheater. Make sure the car in in gear and ebrake on.
Has anyone tried a nut splitter on this nut? Probably not enough room....
The Freeze-Off droped temps only about 20deg, but combined with a dust off can I got the temps down over 40deg in all. That combined with Morpheus brakes suggestion got the axle nut off. (shoved a stick between the seat and brake pedal). Once the axle was free I had plenty of room for a socket and the balljoint nut is history. Pressed in the new one and all seems good.
P.S. Couldn't loosen the other side axle nut using the same trick so that'll be a shop favor.
I had to cut the nuts with a 3 lbs hammer and a chisel. The nuts was really in bad shape like it was all rounded. It took me like 10-15 min of hammering, I hit the wrist few time but that was the price to pay to get this done a 2:00 am.
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2K1 AE-SE - Sterling Mist
2004 BMW X5 4.4i
The joint is bad so whatever I do to it doesn't matter. Dealer found joint play during an oil change and quoted me $500+ for a new arm installed. I replied I've got a couple extra arms in the basement. Got the press, got the right separator, now this stupid nut...
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