Phill Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 The plan today was to fit my lowering springs.The reality was lots of swearing, an entire day outside messing around with the front wheels, and a total failure to even get the existing struts off.The part that caused a near mental breakdown was removing the lower arm balljoint from the spindle (page 10.3 in Haynes, for anyone wanting to know how to do it).I removed the clamp bolt and nut, prised open the joint... and then the problems started. Haynes says simply: "detatch the lower arm balljoint from the spindle".Except it wouldn't come out. My dad and I spent a good three hours trying every method we could think of to get the balljoint to drop off the spindle, but nothing worked - it comes halfway out and gets stuck. We tried turning the steering wheel in various different positions, hammering on the lower arm, jacking up the brake disc and hammering the lower arm, prising it out, nothing worked.All we managed to do was wreck the balljoint. I'm now very knackered, extremely pissed off and have got precisely nowhere. If anyone has any ideas on how the fcuk you get the Fcuking thing out, I'd be more than grateful. Here's some pics of how far we managed to get. Nothing we can think of will get the lower arm any further down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee R Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 hate to tell ya, but you had absolutely no need to touch the ball joint uopn undoint the big pinch bolt, the hole hub levers down enough to pull the shock/spring out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk6 Si Ross Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 you not holding the whole car up by the brake disc are you?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 Arse.Oh well, it's done now, and we still need to get it out to put a new one in, as we destroyed the one in the pic. But we still can't get it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee R Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Haynes manual can really suck arse somtimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_van_matt Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 Unlucky mate. if theres one thing I hate about working on the car it's seized things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sortedford Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 rite mate u need to get a punch thing. like a chisil, and theres a split in the metal attatched to the bit the disc goes on hit it in there and open it a bit more should just come out then, also dont just have it up on the disc it thats wjat uve done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 The car itself was on axle stands, we just put the jack under the disc to try getting the balljoint out at different angles.Ian, do you mean the joint where the bolt and nut went through, that the balljoint is in? If so, already tried that by prising it open with a screwdriver, can't open it any wider.I really need to get this out, it's totally stuck at the moment, so I have no car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike RS2300 Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 I was gonna take the suspension off my Si this weekend. Now im beginning to have second thoughts!!Can anyone give me a step by step guide. By the sounds of it I dont wanna use the Haynes manual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sortedford Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 u gotta get a chisil or similar in there mate and really hit it with a lump hammer they dont move easilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 u gotta get a chisil or similar in there mate and really hit it with a lump hammer they dont move easilly**cough** lamp hammer **cough** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 Ok, so that's in the gap above the balljoint, chisel, wallop. Got it.You mean the bit in the centre of the first pic, right? Don't want to go chiselling the wrong bit... Cheers lads for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRic Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 mmmm a tyre lever n some brutal stength I usually find works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tockwell Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 First remove the ati roll bar linkage and the brase hose clamp you are ment to remove the bolt that holds the strut in the hub and just hammer the hub bearer down IT will come out. Then lousen the top strut bolt (DONT TOTALY UNDO IT) Now undo the 2 bots holding the stut in A lot of fiddeling at diffrent angles and you will get the strut out MAke sure you use spring compressors b4 undoing the strut assembaly. Asembaly is the reverse of removal. But you can jack the hub up to get the strut back in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sime73 Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 im suprised it didnt come out m8, theres not much left in there, plus its slightly tapered so there shouldn't be anything holding it inthing is, its got to come out anyway now if you say the ball joints knackered and replace the lower arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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