Suspension arm problem.
 

Please could anyone tell me where I'm going wrong. I've just had a test failure on a bottom ball joint despite it only being done 3 or 4 yrs ago & still looking like new. When I have come to getting the top joint out despite my best efforts (which include breaking my bearing puller on it) I cannot seem to part it from the subframe. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
Regards
Andy

Soak with penetrating oil, loosen the nut a few turns, leaving the nut on. Raise the weight of the car and support under the nut on a solid piece of timber or a concrete block or similar. Lower the weight onto the nut. Heat around the joint and a good whack or two with a lump hammer usually frees it. Sometimes you have to jack up high and hit the nut upwards with the hammer, taking care not to damage the thread in the process. It's a brute force job when they are really stuck/rusted. Take care under the jacked up car and support as necessary to avoid getting crushed! Best of luck with it.
Some light reading:-
https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/s...oving+wishbone

Thanks very much for that. There's no rust at all they're in fantastic condition but according to the tester there's excessive wear. Will have to try the heat thing next week cos back to work tomorrow. Already tried the jack thing but it was a bit precarious as its already high up on ramps & axle stands.

A massive lump hammer, that is the only way I have managed to get them out, the secret is to raise the car high enough so you can get a good swing on the hammer.

Are you sure the play is in the bottom ball joint? The specified torque for the clamp bolt is barely enough, and if the ball joint isn't held tightly it can move in the clamp and over time wear the hub away.

Easy enough to spot if you look closely while rocking the wheel. :}

Ok thanks I'll certainly check it out.

Well I can't get it any higher so its only about 18in off the ground so barely enough room to swing it with much accuracy or force lol.

These can be difficult to yield from the subframe, at worst I have jacked up the corner in question, accurately positioned a chassis stand with a flat upfacing platform beneath the slackened nut. Then jack up the car as high as possible taking account of the angle it is likely to hit the stand, and let it go suddenly to land on the chassis stand positioned beneath the nut. A few of these will be normally necessary for the most stubborn taper joint release. As I re-assemble the vehicle, I tend to coat the taper with some copper based grease as the rear bush will need replacing before the arm itself making the exercise more tolerable next time.
Finally if you intend replacing the arm because of a stuffed ball joint, its worth considering replacing the nut and pinch bolt as these really should be replaced each time because the shank will stretch or narrow and cause the joint to chatter in the hub making the whole repair pointless as the joint will exhibit the same issues in a very short period of time and the damage is then done, the cost of the nut & bolt is well worth the small expenditure.

RYG101200 & FX110057 are the part numbers.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Thanks for that Roger. I think given the tight space I have it might be my best option. I'll give it a try when I'm next off work.
Regards
Andy