Further attempts to get the stud into the knuckle have been unsuccessful - I think the jackstand is not close enough to the ball joint - please see attached picture. Regardless of assumed strategy (car on jackstands + jacking up the LCA, jackstand under LCA and lowering the vehicle on the jack, all combined with diagonal jacking to shift the weight forwards), the stud does not go further into the knuckle. I have of course changed the position of the knuckle relative to the stud multiple times, even got it at the right angle, all to no avail.

I am considering two scenarios:

1) Loosen the sleeve further (I did pry it open some and cleaned out the sealant that I have applied during the previous installation) and loosen the LCA bushing bolts - I don't think they exert that much force on the assembly, but l'm theorising that this might give that small bit of upward movement I am lacking here.

2) Jack the LCA up, remove the tyre, put a jackstand much closer to the ball joint and CAREFULLY lower the jack. Obviously, I am a little hesitant about this option.^

Thank you for all the help so far, further suggestions are most appreciated.

Attached Thumbnails

 

As stated previously, if used this method/suggestion is at your own risk.

Leave the jackstand where it is, put another one under the frame rail on the side you are working on, jack up the other side of the car to get closer to level with the jackstand under the frame rail. Remove only the tire on the side you are working on, put a floor jack under the ball joint and lift. If one side of the car is higher than the other the angle will work against you.

Is the problem that distance won't close or the stud resists going into the knuckle? This ball joint stud was in that knuckle correct?

Could you put a chain, a breaker bar or pipe through the center of the spring and through the control arm and spring perch as a safety capture?

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Thank you again for your help. I'll try the alternate method you described.

The problem is related to the distance not closing in my opinion - this stud was already in the knuckle. As stated, I have done the LCA replacement procedure and the whole predicament is related to the later pinch bolt replacement. A simple 5 minute job that turned into this nightmare.

I could put a breaker through the spring perch, however now I have a compressor installed. Putting anything through the perch means I have to get rid of that compressor. The method you suggested is probably a better safety alternative tho.

According to this picture, you have the spindle hanging at full stroke of the strut which means it wont go further down unless you undo the strut hat from the top.

You need to also move/kick the spindle/tire assembly a bit outwards so the balljoint stud can get into its hole, as of now the wheel is sitting too inwards to the stud and is binding. use a 2x4 to move the wheel a bit outwards and upwards against the strut pressure and then reseat it on the stud, once it aligns it will slide in.

the pinch has a shim in it to prevent overtightening unless yours is missing. you never need to spread the pinch on a W124.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Undoing the strut top worked to resolve this situation and I was able to finally wrestle the stud in - once again, many thanks to everyone for all of your great advice and help!

Good news...forum input (not mine btw) and your persistence won the battle!

__________________
"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer