Well I finally gathered enough courage to do the lower ball joint on my car. I had planned to get the spindle knuckle out( on which the ball joint is pressed) then take it to a shop for removing and replacing the old one( NAPA guy told me 70 bucks for the pair).

All went fine as planned except at the last step - The connection between the outer end of lower control arm to the spindle knuckle could not be separated. The lowwer ball joint stud that fastens these 2 was really stubbornly stuck into the splindle knuckle. tries every thing including the MB tool but it will not work. So much for the MB tool.
Got a pickle or split fork separator. Tried that too and no use. I hammered on it like crazy. and nothing worked. Finally got a butane torch and heated and cooled several times and still no go.
I was really frustrated used prayer and curses and nothing worked. Finally used my Physics. Wedged the fork splitter as deeep as I can between the spindle knuckle and lower ball joint.
Hammered it till it got stuck there. Then used an additional hydraulic jack under the outer end of the tool fork. And started jacking up. Also kepr hammering the fork a bit so that it stays stuck in there. The car started lifting a bit and just when I thought this too wont work, A big pop and the separation.
OH BOY THANK GOD. This worked. I Thanked my physics teacher and God.
Took 5 hours to get driver side spindle out. But this way I got good at it.
The passenger side spindle got out in 1 hour. Same improvized method. The MB special tools did not do a thing for me. And folks pay 90 bucks or more for this ball joint tool separator. I dont know why. The butane torche used on both side.

Now off to the NAPA guy on Tuesday for R and R of ball joint. Then the reassemly.

What a day it has been my hands hurt my back hurts my ears hurt from the sound of hammering and a small burn on finger from hot spindle(minor). Going to take 3 Advil and going to sleep now.

Thanks for reading. Hope this helps someone in future.

MVK :p

I went thru all those faces and many more today. If needed I would do the job even in future cose its the Feeling of satifaction that is priceless.

__________________
One penny saved is three penny earned.

1985 300D Turbo 179,000miles

Do you have any way of posting a picture of the MB ball joint tool?

Also, do you have a ball joint press to install the new ball joint?

I see a ball joint press tool in the Performance Products catalog but not anything for removal.

My brother has a generic ball joint removal tool that looks like a large version of the tie rod end remover tool in the PP catalog. We recently popped out a ball joint on a Dodge (Mitsubishi) Colt with it, but that's probably a lot lighter duty than a MB.

Ken300D

Hi MVK;
I have done ball joints before and I can feel your pain.

Thanks for the info....I will send you a bottle of Oregon Wine for the info, as I will need to do it soon....you may have just saved me a days worth of work for the info.

Be sure the new ball joints fit tight....don't want them to be too loose....

Nathan

So as it sits,you are into this job approx 6 hours plus associated headache and skinned knuckles. You still have to run control arms to your friendly parts store to have ball joints pressed out and in.Then you have to reassemble this vehicle and drive it down to be realigned. I suppose you called or checked with your local mechanic or alignment shop for a price on the install of these items,weighed your options and decided to do this job yourself to either #1 save a few dollars. #2 insure that the job was done correctly. #3 enjoy working on your own car even if it takes longer than you planned. #4 some combination of all of these. I was just curious as to what actually motivates people to do a difficult/time consuming repair on their own vehicle.First let me say I am not trying to put you down,on the contrary,having done more than my share of ball joints(including lowers on 88-89 chev 4wd that even the dealers prefer not to replace ;-) I must commend you on your ability to not give up and see this job through.I just am curious where people draw the line and decide their time and efforts are better off doing other things and go ahead and pay to have a job (any job ,not just car repairs ) done by someone that is both highly qualified and does this kind of work day in and day out. Ever stop and watch a professional Roofer or Framer on a new house ? They are very smooth,very quick,dont waste alot of time thinking about what to do next just get the job done and move on.I can build a wall and can nail shingles on a roof,but certainly not as efficiently or quickly as a pro and I can certainly make money to pay them to do it lots quicker than I can do the job myself.Of course all of this does not apply in the least if you simply enjoy working on your car and again I do NOT mean to downplay your time and efforts in this endeavor.I am just curious,I see lots of post similar to yours and wonder if people really look at the big picture when they tackle difficult auto repairs. Good luck ,watch your finger on reassembly and may the remainder of your repair go smoothly !

Wow, very well said.....but it is part of the hobby....and anyway...guys don't ask for directions.....lol...
Nathan

On the serious side.....I have planned a job as a DIY project and had unexpected problems...which in turn doubled the time.

I have also had a repair shop...give me a quote...then call me later telling me that "my car" was different and because it was so difficult to take apart...it would cost more than the original quote....

Chances are....a shop might have included a cutting torch and additional replacement parts as did my old volvo rear brakes......

Heck...I even run into this working on computers....

My tach works and my doors lock...I still think you guys are great!

Nathan

Yeah I know,NO MATTER WHAT ! We can be extremely hardheaded/persistent/foolish at times. Just think of all those kodak moments that result from that hardheaded behavior ! Enjoy your unique car (diesel mercedes) and give yourself a BIG pat on the back,the guys on this forum seem to be more than willing to repair their own vehicles and offer advice to those who may be contemplating a repair on their own.A big thumbs up to you all !!!!!!!!

True,it is very annoying to receive what you would believe to be a firm price only to find out upon teardown of your car,at which time you are Firmly comitted,the price has changed.I prefer to quote higher up front,explain the possibility of unforseen or forseen difficultys,Then, offer the appropriate discount or reduction in price when the job is completed.I have Never had a customer upset with a bill that was LESS than originally quoted.This Must be explained beforehand, otherwise you will not get too many jobs as your prices may seem a tad high !

hate to tell you now but maybe someone else can use method. I found easy way doing both my 126's very stuck lower balljoints.Pull rubber off old joint, soak with penitrating oil, put big open wrench like 1 inch where you put splitting fork then put splitting fork on top of wrench (very tight fit) whack splitting fork sharply with hand sledge a few times and it will pop takes about five minutes........
William Rogers......

I have probably seen this type situation a hundred times in thiry years of DIM (myself).... of course I have always been into old cars .... 1934 plymouth coupe,1957 jag xk140, etc, and old tractors , etc... you just keep looking at it thinking things like " this is what the shop manual SAYS to do" ," it was designed to come apart this way", "this tool was made for this"..... and then so many times it was also on a weekend when my next level advisor was not available....
To Vlung , #2 on your list is a very important part of DIY....as long as getting the job done does not injure the person working on it.. and the descriptions of ' using the next larger hammer' bring to mind the need for using good eye and hearing protection... no one hates to have those things on more than me here in 95 degree 60 percent humidity.... but I do it anyway.... and hope everyone else will also... hearing loss in cumulative... and since I live with a ringing in my ears from driving a helicopter 30 years ago I really work at minimizing additional injury...
Any tools that are Struck have the potential of launching shards of sharp steel for several feet... even tools made to be struck...I had an uncle require emergency room removal of a shard from his ankle when he hit a splitting wedge with a sledge hammer....
So, MVK, while your experience was not totally pleasant perhaps you can take comfort in your injuries being minor and knowing exactly what has been done to your car....

Thanks guys for all support and criticism:

I did the job for following reasons.
I have seen many sloppy mechanics mess up my car in past just to be refixed by me or other mechanic. Good exp mechanics are hard to find. And I cant afford dealer.

I dont mind getting it done by a mechanic if he lets me watch him or help him. But that nobody agrees.
So I decided to do it my self.
Looking back I think where I went wrong was not getting a larger hammer. A biggest hammer would be your best help. Also no fancy tool will help its the hammer and the fork type separator( NAPA had a good one for 25 bucks- local stores have similar ones for 10-15 bucks)
Also LOOKING BACK IF I HAD TO DO THIS JOB AGAIN I WOULD DO IT GLADLY AND IN 1 HOUR EACH SIDE.

And no I dont have the ball joint press. So i rather have NAPA guy do it for me.

MVK

__________________
One penny saved is three penny earned.

1985 300D Turbo 179,000miles

I have never seen the following technique fail. Use a large (6' or longer) prybar to exert pressure on the joint and arm. This usually means putting a piece of wood on the frame under the car somewhere and pushing downwards on the prybar. It is best to have a hefty friend (don't tell your wife you're using her because of this quality) stand on the prybar. Then hit the outside of the control arm with a short handled sledge. I have never seen this take more than 4 or 5 strikes with a sledge to separate the joint.
Alternatively, it would probably work to use an air hammer and chisel in place of the sledge although I have not tried this myself.
The combination of pressure and shock is FAR more effective than a pickle fork alone. My brother-in-law worked for hours with a pickle fork on his ball joint. When I arrived and showed him this technique, it was apart in two minutes.

I can second the advice to watch out for flying bits of metal. I have a piece of steel in my arm that broke off a hammer I was using in a quarry thirty years ago. Always grind off any mishapen metal off the top of the tool you are striking. In my case, this would not have helped since the piece broke off the face of the hammer.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Kerry

I've used an air hammer and chisel before. It made things very quick and easy, it was used on a chevy truck though.

__________________
1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

It is possible to bend suspension parts... If anyone is going to use a sledge hammer I suggest it be used as an anvil on one side of the item you wish to loosen... and use a 2 lb hammer to hit it on the other side... so the force will not be transferred to something else in the system... this is how we were taught to do it... if we did not have air chisel available... when I worked in a front end shop....

MVK, You are my hero.

I know just the feeling you have, from when I replaced lower ball joints on a 68 camaro. I hammered until my stomach muscles were sore.

This lead me to get a nice four-pound sledge.

I have yet to have a problem splitting ball joints with the four pound and a pickle fork, but I will keep all the above in mind when it comes time to work on the 240 D tank.

When in doubt, get a bigger hammer.