Thrust arm bushings.

[BigBody]

Originally Posted by Blowout

I have 2 thrust arms that have been sitting in the garage for years and now time to install them on a 2003 X5. What did you use to pop the thrust arm off the ball joint? I hear that's the toughest part of the job and why I haven't done it yet.

With all the bolts holding the thrust arm loosened, bang on the top of the arm with a hammer, and it will pop off the ball joint. The thrust arm is so beefy, that I highly doubt it would cause any damage. Furthermore, if your doing a complete replacement of the arm and bushing, it shouldn't matter if you damage it (though you wont) anyway.

[upallnight]

I used a ball joint tool like this guy in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ekrGlb6To

[Blowout]

Originally Posted by BigBody

With all the bolts holding the thrust arm loosened, bang on the top of the arm with a hammer, and it will pop off the ball joint. The thrust arm is so beefy, that I highly doubt it would cause any damage. Furthermore, if your doing a complete replacement of the arm and bushing, it shouldn't matter if you damage it (though you wont) anyway.

I wish it were that easy... all the vids I've watched they either skip that part (the joint is already loose) or they used a ball joint tool and said the tool was necessary for the job. Trying to determine a cost effective option.



From posts I've read elsewhere, the HF and autozone tool doesn't fit because there wasn't enough span to fit this ball joint.

[Blowout]

Originally Posted by upallnight

I used a ball joint tool like this guy in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ekrGlb6To

Do you recall the source and part number for that tool?

[upallnight]

Tool available on Amazon and Harbor Freight

[Blowout]

Thanks, just ordered from Amazon.

[upallnight]

If you are using it to remove the tension/thrush arm from ball joint label 15 in the diagram it will work. If you are using it to remove the ball joint on the wishbone labeled 10 in the diagram, then it will not work.

[X5chemist]

Assuming you are not going to use the installed one, easy. Turn the wheel so you can get a good look it. Take the wheel off. Take a 2 lb hammer and whack it at the ball joint. After a few hard whacks it will pop off. If you won’t have a big enough hammer, take the weight off the suspension. Unbolt the ball joint. Next, loosen the big bolt side. With weight off, the arm will just hang there.

[andrewwynn]

I just did these exact joints and one popped off with a simple pry with crowbar. However in my haste ten days earlier when I put the new tension strut on, I hit with the impact without torque and I clearly over torqued onto the Morse taper pin and stretched the eye of the strut possibly cold welded because no amount of force was working to remove it.

I was replacing ball joint so it didn't matter how hard I banged on it so I got a pickle fork in there and pounded until it wouldn't go in more and it still didn't come loose.

Eventually I put floor jack under the knuckle and 40-50 more hits with 4# copper hammer and it eventually came free.

That was the first one.

To prepare for the second I bought a 3/4-16 grade 8 bolt and was going to use a plate from my bearing press and was going to push down from bottom of shock tower.

I can tell you from experience the little ball joint separator would have broken in half long before mine would have come loose.

I suspect similarly the joint which is only supposed to have 80 N·m applied was likely over torqued like I did: I did it to myself!

Persistence will pay off you'll get it off.

If you can. Find a position to apply a bolt from bottom of shock to the strut you can apply a lot of force to preload then hit from the side to "ring" the bar they usually pop right off with that method.

[Blowout]

Originally Posted by upallnight

If you are using it to remove the tension/thrush arm from ball joint label 15 in the diagram it will work. If you are using it to remove the ball joint on the wishbone labeled 10 in the diagram, then it will not work.

I'm removing #6 from #15.


I've sprayed some PB blaster at the top of the taper pins to hopefully soak in and make the job go easier.

The tool is suppose to come on Monday. Probably won't get to taking the thrust arms off until next weekend.


Thanks for all the replies on this!