i need to take off the damn spindle so i can have new bearing replaced and i am having a helluva time getting the spindle to pop off the bottom bolt taht is connecting it to the control arm thingie. granted i know that the car being 11 years old might have something to do with it pretty much welding itself together but does anyone have any ideas? thanks

jr

All you need is a ball joint popper. It probably might tear your boot if done incorrectly. The other option is to use a hammer and hit the control arm til it pops up itself.

It's really easy to tear the boot - just whack it with a ball pein hammer - it'll pop out.

Remember to whack it as you tighten it when you're putting it back together again...

Robin

Get a big ass screwdriver. Loosen the nut so that it is above the threads, but do not remove it. Wedge the screwdriver between the nut and the axle, then whack the screwdriver with a big hammer. It should wedge through and pop the balljoint free.

A plasma cutter will take it right off :D

You never said anything about having to put it back on. ;)

When I put my new shafts and clutch in, I turned the spindle all the way one direction and pulled the shaft out of the spindle as far as I could get it. Then I placed a 3/8" breaker bar straight up and down with it slid right between the spindle and the gap the shaft left. With the one end right on top of the bolt of the ball joint I smacked the other end with a mallet. Mine had never been off before and this worked well. If you buy a pickle fork buy a good one, because the cheap ones spread apart rather than do what they're supposed to. Then when I put it back on, the joint kept spinning when I'd try to tighten the nut down. So I put my floor jack under it and lifted it up tight and then tightened the nut down. I don't know about yours, but my pins were rusty worthless pieces of shit when I got them out. Didn't have any pins so I stuck nails though and bent them over. So get a general purpose pin set, then you'll always have some and you can replace them every time you're down there rather than try to straighten them out enough to put them back in if they're being stubborn. Try Jacen's method as well. I tried that first and I was using a big ass pry bar and it wouldn't budge.

I agree, hit the spindle with a hammer at the ball joint, many times and hard. Always works for me.

nice to have such an educated group on individuals to help a guy out. I salute you!

jr

Look for my reply HERE
http://www.sr20deforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19012&highlight=ball+joint

It works like a charm!

C (:-)

That is a good tip, I'll have to remember that! Hitting the control arm works well too, I'd forgotten about that one. That's what I did when I put my clutch in, but I have a feeling that if the joint has never been popped out before that you might end up with a lot of dents and marrs on the control arm before you got it loose.

Originally posted by Toolapcfan
That is a good tip, I'll have to remember that! Hitting the control arm works well too, I'd forgotten about that one. That's what I did when I put my clutch in

Here's another tip. You don't need to disconnect the ball joint to do a clutch job. Just remove the brakes,struts and spindle nut, give the spindle a whack with a rubber mallet and pull the whole knuckle assembly towards you. The knuckle comes far enough out to remove the axle from it.

Chris

Never thought of that, I guess I assumed that removing the brakes and the struts would be more work than pulling the spindle away, via pulling out the lower ball joint.

after whacking it a few times the little guy popped free, thanks again for the info. finally after 3 weeks i will be able to drive my baby.

jorge

we managed to get it out... but now as i'm putting the spindle back on to that particular peice, the ball joint just spins freely and i cant figure out a way to make it stay in place as i tighten it

Are we talking about the arm that comes out of the steering rack that connects to the hub assembly? I don't think I understand the trick you posted, Chriscar.

What I usually do for that sucker is loosen the bolt a bit, then jack up the car using the threaded part of that arm as the jacking point until I have a good amount of pressure on it, then stand back and whack the hub assembly from the top so that it shocks it loose. Usually things go flying everywhere, but when you get your bearings, you find that the arm is loose. Recently, though, I couldn't get it to budge, and had to loosen everything else to get the entire assembly to move out of the way for me. :(

i found this store on eBay to replace my ball joint, seeing as i have ripped the boot and stripped the thread a bit...

2 LOWER BALL JOINT NISSAN 200SX SENTRA NX 91-99 NEW - ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-LOWER-BALL-JOINT-NISSAN-200SX-SENTRA-NX-91-99-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33580QQihZ002QQitem Z120192522612QQrdZ1)

its about $17.00 for the product and $12.00 to ship

seems like a decent price.
its midnight right now, so i can't call around to check for prices
but i will call around tomorrow to see if i can find it in store anywhere for a better price

eh, i read up on some stuff on here, i may just get the whole control arm from the Nissan Dealership. lol

after whacking it a few times the little guy popped free, thanks again for the info. finally after 3 weeks i will be able to drive my baby.

jorge

Yeah that's always a good feeling.

Just FYI... Don't forget your inner and outer seals for the bearing. I forgot about the outer and ended up have another bearing issue on my passenger side. So just make sure. Good luck with it.

Yeah that's always a good feeling.

Just FYI... Don't forget your inner and outer seals for the bearing. I forgot about the outer and ended up have another bearing issue on my passenger side. So just make sure. Good luck with it.

lol you do realize this thread is 5 years old! Too late to remind him now!

That just means that someone is using the search button!!!!!!