Both of the lower ball joints on my SD needed replacement, in a bad way, but I kept postponing it over the perceived lack of proper tools. Fast-approaching fatherhood has forced me to act though. According to the FSM, several special tools are needed for the job. After doing some background reading, it became obvious to me that it's perfectly possible to replace a lower balljoint with a much more pedestrian set of tools, but I still found the choice of tools to be harder than I thought.

I followed the instructions in the FSM, combined with the advice from http://www.diymbrepair.com/FrontSuspension/balljoint/ and http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=142212. I rented a ball joint press from Autozone, OEM#27023, and it worked for me nicely. I did run into problems separating the ball joint stem from the lower control arm. Per FSM, one needs the tool 116 589 09 33 00 to do this properly (and 116 589 13 33 00 for the upper ball joint). I'm averse to buying expensive single-purpose tools, so I went with a pickle fork and a three-jaw puller (to backup the fork), both procured from Harbor Freight. I harbor absolutely no illusions about the quality Harbor Freight tools, but I figured that it's hard to really screw up a pickle fork. I was wrong.

Attached see a picture of said pickle fork following an aborted ball joint separation attempt. In the battle between the fork and the steering knuckle/LCA the fork lost badly, and the LCA didn't give up any ground. The 4" three-jaw puller fared even worse. I didn't want to use the pickle fork on the upper ball joint, as I don't want to replace my UCA just yet, so I wanted to use a puller instead to preserve the boot. El cheapo HF puller managed to get that done, not gracefully, but whatever. When I tried to use it on the lower ball joint, however, one of the bolts in the puller snapped long before there was any significant tension. Not the right tool for the job.

I don't know whether my case is unique or not, but the LCA was gripping that tapered ball joint stem HARD. No amount of (ill-advised) knocking on the steering knuckle or applying the upward force from a jack under LCA helped. I'm not sure whether a sturdier pickle fork would have helped here. Eventually I gave up and ran to Sears to find something better -- and did. The 7-ton two-jaw Craftsman puller is the right tool for this job (the 5-ton puller may have worked too, but it's hard to be sure -- I did have to put it through considerable stress. When the ball joint did pop, it was with much force -- be sure your foot in not in the vicinity if you try this). One can use it to separate both upper and lower ball joints (and a tie rod end, which I ended up doing "while in there"), see attached pictures. It fits quite nicely, without damaging boots, and has enough strength. In my opinion it's superior to the pickle fork approach.

So basically the toolset for doing a ball joint job would be
1) Ball joint press, e.g. the one from Autozone
2) Sturdy two-jaw puller, similar to the one in the attached pictures
3) Sledgehammer (I harbored illusions about using a plain hammer to knock the old ball joint out, and was wrong about that too)
4) Good long breaker bar, to operate the press (no need for any impact tools here) and undo various fasteners. I truly believe that, dollar-for-dollar, my 3' breaker bar is one of the best tools I ever got.

With those tools, it took me just over 2 hours to do the second ball joint, and that was with picture-taking and a beer break. BTW, I didn't find that freezing a ball joint makes it any easier to press it in -- if anything, the non-frozen joint seemed easier for me to press in.

Attached Thumbnails

         

I've read an opinion that removing the boot clip from a Lemfoerder ball joint is hard -- I found it to be pretty easy, using a small screwdriver to get the process started and then a plastic tie wrap to do the actual removal. Takes about 30 sec. Putting it back is slightly harder when the ball joint is pressed in, but not really enough to complain about.

I side with people who believe that the Autozone ball joint press, used as shown in the attached picture, gets the job done just fine. I found it to be relative easy to use, and am pleased with the results.

The sad sight of a Harbor Freight pickle fork doesn't need any commentary. The metal it's made from is much softer than anything else in the area where it's supposed to be used.

Attached Thumbnails

     

Leaving the nut on the ball joint will significantly reduce the excitement level when separation occurs. (Loosened, but not completely removed.)

The problem with the Autozone press (and others like it) is that it applies pressure to the top of the joint, rather than at the flange at the base. It is possible to damage the joint by installing it in that manner. Did you check the ball joint for smooth operation after it was pressed in but prior reinstalling the knuckle to the control arm?

I've invested in a tie rod puller and a pitman arm puller. I can't remember how much I paid for each, but I doubt that it was over $15 for each. I also can't remember which one I used to pull the lower ball joint, but I used the tie rod puller on the upper joint and both pulled effortlessly. They've been a good investment for me. Good luck!

__________________
'82 240D Euro 68K and growing

i have found that if you insist on using a pickle fork on the lower you need to cut 1/2-1" off the forks. when i have to remove it i seperate the upper first and then the knuckle will move farther. then all you do it put the nut on slightly and hammer on it till it pops off

__________________
have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

Your pickle fork fared better than mine when I did a ball joint replacement! You are right about the metal being soft, I was beginning to think the thing was made out of lead! It will work though, but I had to hit the thing with a small sledge at least 30 times (each time the darn thing would pop off the joint and I'd have to pick it up and reposition it - frustrating for sure!), and nothing was reusable so I had to put new control arms and tie rods on too.

__________________
87 300D - Running on Veggie oil; 260,000 plus miles; Original #14 head

I read this whole discussion, and I did test the ball joint for smooth operation after pressing it in. It's working fine, and the car drives and steers fine too, with two new ball joints pressed in this way. Looking at the construction of the Lemfoerder ball joint, I don't think that it's really likely that it'd get damaged by applying pressure evently to the top of the ball joint lip, unless the ball joint body is defective. I'm sure one can screw this up -- where there's a will, there's a way -- but when done right, the pressure is distributed evenly and propagates to the base of the joint.

Except that when you are applying pressure at the top of the joint, it's not being done "right." The proper tool applies presssure at the flange and has no potential to "squeeze" or deform the joint housing.

Did you get your ball joint press from harbour freight or Autozone? Every shop I have worked in has had one of those sets from OTC now I'm on my own I suppose I will need to buy my own.

My thoughts on the subject.

You can substitute a BMW3030 ball joint extractor in place of the Mercedes "Special tool" and it can be had for around $90 at www.samstagsales.com or similar places.

Those clips on the ball joint come off with a small screwdriver and go on even easier. All you have to do is push them on! It's that simple. The ring will expand and it will slip right on.

You do have to cut the pickle fork down or your hammering into the steering knuckle.

I don't believe that Autozone press does any damage at all during installation. Those joints take a lot more force driving around and are built for it.

This is the tool of choice for popping ball joints. Especially if you plan on reusing them:


I laughed my A** of at the "Excitement level" line. You definitely want to leave the nut on. It will also protect the threads.

Danny

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

I got mine from Autozone, but the HF one, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335, looks to be completely identical in the design.