It's possible to knock the ball joint out of the steering knuckle with a BFH rather than a press, but be careful not to damage the edge of the hole. This problem is avoided with a press.

The 'proper' way to seat the new ball joint is with the MB-designed ball joint press. This tool is quite expensive, so an economical alternative is to pay your local indy (who should have the tool) a few bucks to do it. Some members of this forum have successfully done it with the Autozone ball joint press, but I tried with a good quality K-D Tools ball joint press and couldn't make it work. You have to press on the outer edge of the ball joint (NOT the center line), and there's precious little clearance in the steering knuckle.

The LCA bushings can be a bear to R/R. Assuming you have the 3-piece bushing, you can try knocking the end pieces off with a hammer and chisel, then pressing out the center piece. If you can't get them off by hand, try an air hammer. Alternatively, you can saw/grind them off, taking care not to damage the LCA itself. When installing the new end pieces, you must apply pressure to BOTH the center and edge simultaneously; otherwise the metal will bend and the bushing will not properly seat. The special MB tool for this task applies pressure at both points, but you can gerry rig a suitable tool with a good assortment of pipes, mandrels, and large washers.

If you haven't already bought your replacement parts, you may want to consider buying the new LCA bushings from a dealer. Aftermarket bushings (even Lemforder, the OEM supplier) tend to use softer metal.

Winmutt's admonition to use only a Klann-style compressor to remove the front springs is in ALL CAPS for a reason. When compressed, these springs store a tremendous amount of energy. An uncontrolled decompression can cause very serious injury. For safety, borrow, rent, or buy a proper compressor.

BFH removes the joint with effort. Soak it well beforehand with the penetrating oil of your choosing.

I've several post in this thread with pics.

Lower Ball Joint Replacement Question

If the lower joints are bad I suspect your guide rod bushings are shot as well. You might as well do it all at once.

Good luck!

NAPA sells the same tool for under $20. I do not know of anyone who has used it.

__________________
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

Sure they do!!!

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=SER&PartNumber=3916&Description=Ball+Joint+Separator

According to you it works pretty well, I will probably go this round next time.

You are correct. In my case some rocket scientist had welded a bead around the joint. I don't thing they make a hammer big enough for that.

__________________
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

A ball joint press is an entirely different animal from a ball joint separator.

One would be hard-pressed to find a MB press for much under $300.

For me they were one in the same when I did mine. Does the one you referenced in that URL hold up pretty well? How many times have you used it? It presses on the base correct? I am going to put ABS spindles on sooner or later and one of my non OEM balljoints already has a crack in the boot.

__________________
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

I have used the separator several dozen times and it shows no signs of wear. It's a pretty serious piece of steel; the screw even has a ball bearing in the end. And it came with a lifetime guarantee from NAPA, so I hope to never need to buy another one! It works great on tie rod ends as well as ball joints; it doesn't damage the grease boots or gouge things up like a pickle fork.

The function of the separator is to remove the tapered pin from the control arm, not to press the ball joint out of the steerring knuckle (spindle.) (On domestic vehicles, the steering knuckle/control arm configuration is usually reversed, but the concept is the same.)