whunter uses the same technique I have always had success with. Never bothered with those clamp removers. The sharp blow to the side distorts the holding taper, breaking the bond, squeezing out the ball joint pin. BIG ball peen; I find a 16 oz fine, but then, I'd love a bigger one!

It may be hard to hit, so seo's idea of using an intermediary piece to ensure perfect strikes makes sense.

If you have to, use the clamp setup, tighten it up nicely, THEN try a few strikes per whunter.

If that does not work, then we are talking acetylene.

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Peter
1985 300TD 4-speed 212K
1992 400E 343K
2001 E320 72K

Holding the sledgehammer opposite the side of the joint I was striking did the trick. It's finally out. This technique required only about 15 minutes - in addition to the many hours already spent trying in vain to pound it out from the top. Thanks to everyone!

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tgingrich
'83 300TD 282k
'83 300D 239k
'82 300SD 204k
DFW

I got the tapered ball joint shafts on tie rods and control arms of my MB300SD with a pickle fork. You hammer the wedged pickle fork between the ball joint and the control arm you want to separate. Use a sledge hammer. I used a small sledge. On the upper control arm I hammered it all the way in, but no luck. So I jumped up and down on the end on the pickle fork, and that did it. Sledge, and leverage! It destroys the rubber boots on the joints.

A customer at Sears recommended it, and recommended the larger pickle fork.

:EDIT: removed bad links

Digging up old graves eh? They are referring to pressing the bj out of the LCA. Completely different ball park. One I would not do again without dry ice.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Definitely a different ball park on this ball joint. The 123, and 126 LCA ball joint is a pain in the rear.
I tried to get at it with a large pickle fork when I first did one, and found that the back side of the spindle blocked any chance of getting the fork in far enough.

A loosened nut, a little tension with a clamp, and a few good raps with a hand sledge, and out it fell.

Amazing how much you can learn from these guys, and from the crusty old coot of a mechanic you might be lucky enough to find and learn from!

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-Josh
Testing the cheap Mercedes axiom, one bolt at a time...

Sure wish I would have read this before I started out in my lower ball joint debacle. I only read the shop manual (who has their tools?)

Without this info I tried everything I could to get the lower ball joint out. In the end we had to heat the ball joint itself up and then smack it out with the knuckle off. This after having to cut the ball joint stud off with a grinder as I could not get the stud out of the lower control arm. Then with the extra room I was able to smack the remaining stud down and out.

I thought that was the going to be the end of the hard part. Installation was even worse. As my ball joint press had no hope of working in the tight space I put the new ball joint in the freezer over night and slow heated the whole knuckle up on a woodstove in the morning. Ideally the two pieces were supposed to slide together nicely. Not a chance. With only one shot at it as the joint heated and the knuckle cooled it was a bust.

I then went and sought advice at a local shop that specializes in MBs. The owner used to work at Mercedes and said when he was there a mechanic broke their press and they never bought a new one. They would use a punch on the rim of the joint and try and drive it in by alternating blows on opposite sides. So off home I went to try this tactic.

After about two blows the rim began to badly deform and the joint wasn't going any further in. Despite repeated efforts there was no further movement and the joint was getting ugly fast.

The next try was to put the arm back into the car and try load the joint by jacking up underneath it and lifting the car. With the joint loaded and me beating on it there was still no measureable movement into the socket.

By now running out if ideas and patience long since gone I realized that while I could not get my press onto the ball joint by itself I could get the press onto the lower control arm around the ball joint stud and below the ball joint on the steering knuckle. With significant force applied by the press I would then smack the ball joint rim, with a punch, down into the knuckle. This finally was the key. The joint moved in steps and I would retighten the press and smack the joint rim downward. Success at long last as the joint bottomed in the knuckle.

When I put the press back into it's premolded box it did not want to go. I had put enough pressure on it to open up the "C" and deform it.

I think I may wait a while before I attempt the other side...

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1984 300 SD, 2 tank WVO
1996 Ram Cummins, 2 tank WVO,
2004.5 Ram Cummins, 2 tank WVO

Ball Joints Differences and Tolerances
Ball Joints, Differances In Tolerances, 123

This is how I got my Ball Joint back in. Some members have don the same but used an Pneumatic Impact wrench to do the turning of the Bolt on the C Press.
It requires removing the Ball Joint Boot and would be better if there was a washer between the C Press and the Ball Joint (see the Red Arrow in pic 1).
After the Ball Joint started to stick out of the bottom I had to use the Pipe I had enlarged to 2 inches ID to press it downt further.
It might be that one of the Tubes that comes with the C Press might have worked; but the Pipe was on the Counter from another project so I used that.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Dry ice people. The freezer wont do the trick. Think you had problems? Mine were welded in!!!!

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

on my 85,after pounding the eye for a while with a rather large hammer(this usually always works) i did have to resort to using the air chisel with a flat tip on it in that same area.that seems to work well..........

Use the press as shown in the prev post. Tighten, tap with gentle hammer blows to relieve pressure, tighten, tap... repeat until seated.

I've replaced many and never had an issue with any of 'em this way.

I forgot to mention that the C Press in the pic is mine but you can rent one from Autozone and if you return it; it is a free rental.
However, besure to inspect the upper part of the press as the one at the local Autozone was a little buggered up. Also the Autozone press (made by OEM) seemed to be better made.

Below is how I removed the Ball Joint from the Control Arm with no Press. You have to back off the Ball Joint Nut enough so that it is above the Threaded Shaft on the Ball Joint. This way ruins the Nut so if you were planning to reuse the Joint you will need a new nut.
Any way you hit the Nut with a 2 pound or more hammer.

If you are not worried about the Ball Joint you can heat the end of the arm but that will burn up the Boot.

Since doing the above just last week I have bought a Ball Joint Press that I hope will work as I need to replace the Boot on the other side.
Also I am thinking to pull a Steering Knuckle at the Junk Yard and I would not be able to beat off the Ball Joint there.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

REALLY, don't hit the nut... just don't. it's a tapered fit, and hitting the nut will distort the shaft and cause binding. use a press, or hit the eye with two hammers described at the beginning of the thread by whunter.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I have done it a bunch of times times on my Mercedes and a whole bunch more on other jobs at the various places I worked at (Bosses do not like to buy Special Tools).
I did when I removed my Lower Control Arms the first time and although the Bores in my Lower Control Arms were oversized due to rust I had to get the car on the road and installed the new LCA Bushings.
I did it again when I got some good used LCAs and had to remove the old ones and change it.
And, I did it last week when I changed the Boot on one.
And if my new Tool does not work I will have to do it again to change the boot on the other side.
So I have beat on the same Ball Joints abunch of times to get them out and nothing except the nut has distorted.
But, I admit it is a desperate act.

If you back the nut out enough the Nut and the threads take the Impact. The Hammer does not make contact with the Shaft. Obviously you have to hit it straight and a heavy slow moving Hammer is less likely to bend than a light fast moving Hammer.
Because the Shaft is tapered that is why it works; when it releases it releases completely.
I would like to try that Double Hammer Method but I do not think I could do it by myself (just to see if it works) and I don't think I could get my Wife to hold the other Hammer for me. Just the thought if the slightest physical pain sends my Wife running.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I have found backing off the nut above the stud threads (so it can be unscrewed later) always work to pop the tapers from each other IF you have it well supported on the bottom.

Here's another way to knock the lower ball joint out. I've knocked one out this way with ease. I'll be knocking another one out soon and hope it will be just as easy.

Red neck lower ball joint removal

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 167,870 July 2025
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

If you are speaking of the Lower Ball Joint that is exactly what I did. If you notice in the Pic the Nut is backed off.

However, that ruins the Nut so you need to know where you are getting a new Nut before you start.
In my case there is an Industrial Hardware Store not 1 mile away that had another nut.
In the pic hit in the direction of the down ward arrow.
The good news is that I bought bunch of used Mercedes Tools and one of them was the Lower Ball Joint Press; so I won't be beating any joints of any more.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel