Popping off the LCA, UCA, and TRE Ball Joints

[fussychicken]

Wanted to see if I could start a sort of master thread for this topic as there is a bunch of good information scattered about many different posts. Which ones you will need to pop and what tools you use to pop them will depend on what front end job you are doing:

• Front Hub Bearings, Rotors, and Flanges: You don’t need to pop any, but if you are doing this job at the same time as others below, you will have more options for different pullers you can use.
• CV Axles aka Front Drive Shaft (FDS): Popping off the UCA, TRE, and maybe the LCA
• Upper (UCA) and Lower Control Arms (LCA) and the No2 Bushing: If doing all at once, you will need to pop all three UCA, TRE, and LCA

And yes, many have luck with using a Big F*#$*#& Hammer (BFH) and just whacking on it. It can work, but you could also miss and bend the mating surfaces and/or rip a ball joint cover. So if you want to use pullers please read on. (And even if you use a puller, you still will probably need a BFH and a brass drift)

Again, if you are repacking the hub bearings, you can take off the dust cover, which opens up a bunch of options. But if you want to leave the brake dust shield on, it will limit your options for the LCA and TRE. Which in some ways is the main purpose of this post: I want to increase awareness of the puller that @2001LC has discovered and developed. It is amazing! The modified JTC 1258.

You can see his original post here, but the TL;DR is that if you have a tool that can grind down some metal, you can use this one puller to get all three without having to take off the dust cover. You will just need to grind the ID from 28mm to ~33mm. I appear to be only the second one here to do this, but I must say it's great. Thanks @2001LC!

A few notes from my recent job however as I screwed a few things up. First, you should keep the castle nut on the rod, and then will need some sort of spacer between the nut and the puller. I first tried it directly on the threaded rod like an idiot and this is what happens!

Secondly, even when you have a spacer, make sure you take the castle nut completely off and flip it upside down. It doesn’t appear that @2001LC had to do this, but I mangled more than a few of my castle nuts. My rig has 255k on it, and it doesn't appear these had come off in a long time if ever. So needless to say they were all a bit stuck. Maybe if I had a better spacer that puts more even pressure you won't have this problem, but I think just flipping the nut could have helped.

Finally even with this amazing tool, it still wasn’t easy. None of these really wanted to give very easy, even after tightening the JTC up really tight. So as mentioned by others, with the puller on VERY tight, I then got out a BFH and a brass drift, and that finally did it.

 

[fussychicken]

All that being said, the JTC might not be for you, especially if you are taking off the brake dust shield. That opens up many other options and there are other solutions out there. A few key posts that were helpful for me:

In some ways this is already a bit of a “master thread” for this topic. Lots of great discussion here, which also includes @2001LC’s JTC:
Lower Ball Joint Replacement Instructions - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lower-ball-joint-replacement-instructions.600278/page-9

This is also another great thread more focused on CV replacement, but with the same challenges:
Front Drive Shaft / Differential leak; Oil Seal & dust cover replacement - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/front-drive-shaft-differential-leak-oil-seal-dust-cover-replacement.946820/post-14900242

Many have had good luck with this amazon kit as well, especially the one on the upper left:
Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NPLFCYV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know this post might seem like a little bit of overkill, but these things can be tough to get off! It wasn’t easy for me and I had researched the topic like crazy. There are more than a few posts of folks running into troubles. For example this case of a super difficult TRE just like I had:
'04 LX470 Tie Rod End Stuck! - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/04-lx470-tie-rod-end-stuck.1259644/page-2

In any case, I hope this is helpful for new folks that have never done this type of work before. (like myself!)

 

[excessive]

Great info. So once modified the JTC tool can undo the upper, lower ball joints and tie rod ends? that would be amazing to keep 1 tool in the truck for emergencies.

 

[juicemode]

I just ordered the JTC tool to try on an upcoming axel replacement job. I will share my opinion and experience. Personally I’m not the type to use BFH as sole tool for the separation of these type of joints as I don’t like to take the chance of mangling parts/boots/ect.

 

[fussychicken]

Great info. So once modified the JTC tool can undo the upper, lower ball joints and tie rod ends? that would be amazing to keep 1 tool in the truck for emergencies.

Correct. I was able to get off all three with just this one tool. But again, all my ball joint rods seemed to be on pretty tight, and even with the tool, I still used a BFH and brass drift with the JTC installed to "gently" encourage the final pop. I first tried just cranking down the JTC super tight, but as you can see I messed up some of my castle nuts.

If I were to try this again, I would turn the castle nut upside down and crank on the JTC some more and see how it goes before pulling out the BFH. I also need to source some sort of small metal "puck" to place between the JTC rod and the upside down castle nut. I used a sacrificial nut this last time, but it would sometimes slide around and would also get mangled up.

I'm hoping that @2001LC will respond in here, because it seemed like for him he was able to use the JTC to get them to pop without the BFH.

 

[2001LC]

Lower Ball Joint Replacement Instructions

With that 2mm gap, has anyone seen the ball joint shift downward? Or is the friction fit more than enough to hold it in place? Ball joint presses upward into LCA, and LCA presses downward (T-bar pressure) into it. So no issues whatsoever with gap between snap ring and LCA. Snap rig is simple a...

forum.ih8mud.com

The TRE can be the toughest.

Notice in my pictures. I very often use 3/4" breaker bar (bigboy will break any 100 series bolt/nut), seen in link above. I've also a small round press plate between puller and end of TRE/ball joint, almost always. I set the nut flush with end of threaded shaft of TRE/BJ. If anything a set nut a hair (0.05mm) lower than threaded shaft. So press plate distributes weight first to shaft, then second to nut. Also notice, how tool directly inline with target.

 

[fussychicken]

I've also a small round press plate between puller and end of TRE/ball joint, almost always.

Yeah, I need to find a good small round press plate. All the random kits I have had big ones and I didn't have a good substitute here.

I set the nut flush with end of threaded shaft of TRE/BJ. If anything a set nut a hair (0.05mm) lower than threaded shaft. So press plate distributes weight first to shaft, then second to nut.

Ahh, that might have also been where I messed up. I always had the nut sticking up above a thread or two. Still probably wouldn't hurt to flip the castle nut upside though? Even if you have it flush or 0.05mm below?

I do wonder about this for the really hard ones though. For the first TRE I fully admit I did it wrong and didn't use a press plate and didn't have the nut as extra support. BUT, it did pop off easier than just about any of the others. BUT OF COURSE, it destroyed the threads on the TRE.

So I wonder, even if you get the nut perfectly positioned to distribute the force, AND you have a press puck to distribute the force, you might STILL warp the threads on the TRE?

I get the impression this would be an issue with any puller, not just the JTC. The strength of the threaded rod can only handle so much for really stuck TREs.

Also notice, how tool directly inline with target.

Yeah, for the TRE and the UCA, the JTC was pretty easy to get really well lined up. It was much harder for the LCA.

I will fully admit this is where I'm still potentially interested in a second puller here like the SST from Toyota for this one. All that being said, I was indeed able to make the JTC work here, even if it was a little hard to get it fully lined up.

 

[2001LC]

Yeah, I need to find a good small round press plate. All the random kits I have had big ones and I didn't have a good substitute here.




Ahh, that might have also been where I messed up. I always had the nut sticking up above a thread or two. Still probably wouldn't hurt to flip the castle nut upside though? Even if you have it flush or 0.05mm below?

Point being, don't have nut above. Flush is target!

I do wonder about this for the really hard ones though. For the first TRE I fully admit I did it wrong and didn't use a press plate and didn't have the nut as extra support. BUT, it did pop off easier than just about any of the others. BUT OF COURSE, it destroyed the threads on the TRE.

So I wonder, even if you get the nut perfectly positioned to distribute the force, AND you have a press puck to distribute the force, you might STILL warp the threads on the TRE?

If I have everything set correct, I do not damage threads.
Using the custom JTC puller, means I have brake dust shield on. Which 8 out of 10 times, it's a TRE replacement. So I don't care if I damage TRE.

If I'm pulling knuckle, which then 8 out of 10 times. I've brake dust shield off. Then I just use my old stand by Evertough 67025 for all three.

For LBJ w/brake dust shield on. I use my OTC 7310A. Which is BAD-ASS. When I've a bad-ass TRE, I get out the BAD-ASS puller.

I get the impression this would be an issue with any puller, not just the JTC. The strength of the threaded rod can only handle so much for really stuck TREs.




Yeah, for the TRE and the UCA, the JTC was pretty easy to get really well lined up. It was much harder for the LCA.

I will fully admit this is where I'm still potentially interested in a second puller here like the SST from Toyota for this one. All that being said, I was indeed able to make the JTC work here, even if it was a little hard to get it fully lined up.

I have the SST puller, which cost the most of all. I don't use it, that much. I bought when someone in mud said it works with brake dust shield on. WRONG, dust shield must come off!

I've also used the long arm puller for TRE brake dust shield on. Works okay, but JTC works better for my needs.

 

[fussychicken]

All great info @2001LC. And thanks again for discovering the JTC

If I have everything set correct, I do not damage threads.
Using the custom JTC puller, means I have brake dust shield on. Which 8 out of 10 times, it's a TRE replacement. So I don't care if I damage TRE.

If I'm pulling knuckle, which then 8 out of 10 times. I've brake dust shield off. Then I just use my old stand by Evertough 67025 for all three.

Yeah, I guess in many cases you are "going in there" to replace some of these things anyway, so it might not matter so much.

I guess I'm mostly interested in the JTC for when you just need to swap a CV axle and don't want to kill the threads on the joints. Or in my case, I now have new TREs but an old steering rack that I one day would like to replace. So just want to figure out how to pop them without damage. But yeah, sounds like with just the right setup you can do this.

 

[2001LC]

Yeah there is times. Pulling TRE with brake dust shield, is very usefully.

The JTC will do the job, without damaging threads of TRE. As I said, by using castle nut, press plate & proper alignment of puller.

Some use a narrow long claw/tooth puller, on TRE. I've tried a few of those also.

The JTC puller "seems" to flex just a little at times. Which we do not want, as we lose some force. Sometimes I think it's going to snap, but it hasn't.

If I get a really stuck TRE. I'll switch up to bigger puller. Which mean pulling brake dust shield.

It is the TRE, that I have seen the most difficult at times. Sometimes I will give a few well place blows (shock), with brass, while puller under force. I've brass hammers, dowel and brass tipped air hammer. Caution, some of these brass tools can damage, if used wrong or too forcefully. Like the forged brass hammer, which is a harder brass.

What I need now. Is a knuckle/wheel hub/brake dust shield cradle, for my floor jack or transmissions jack. Which would make install a breeze.

 

[fussychicken]

What I need now. Is a knuckle/wheel hub/brake dust shield cradle, for my floor jack or transmissions jack. Which would make install a breeze.

Ha! I was thinking the same thing. When taking it off I thought for sure it was at least 80lbs. But I did weigh it. Turns out it is 61lbs. Still too heavy to easily get on and off though.

 

[2001LC]

Gets heavier every year.