Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 15, 2012 Have done one side, just undid the nut and hammered from below and it came out. Am on the drivers side now and can't shift it, hammered at it for ages, the end of the bolt has even gone flat now. Do i need to buy a tool? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benjevw 10 Posted March 15, 2012 I did mine a few weeks ago and would've never got them off without the bj remover. Have you tried heating it up? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilfuzzer 1 Posted March 15, 2012 I was going to suggest heating up to as had similar prob with mine one came off fine other didnt but after a load of heat it hammered loose Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmwcompact 10 Posted March 15, 2012 I replaced both mine a few week ago. The bad news is that neither would budge no matter what I did. Different ball joint splitters wouldn't shift them no matter how many times I applied heat. In the end I cut them off the hub with an angle grinder, more or less drilled the pin out of the hub and used a hammer and drift to remove the remainder. Not much fun, but I did this after struggling for a couple of days with no result!! Hope you have better luck with a separator. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 15, 2012 i didn't try the heat, didn't wanna melt the rubber bit, will it melt? The track rods aren't that old, probably been on the car about 2-3yrs. will give it another hit with the hammer when i get home, as left it to soak with WD40. Have looked at splitters before but not sure which is the best to get for a VW, i also need to get the Ball joints off the hub Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwort 0 Posted March 15, 2012 ball joint separator will save you a lot of hassle, you can wrap the rubber in a damp cloth if you just heat the end of the metal of the threaded TRE cycling heat/cold should really help shift it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmwcompact 10 Posted March 15, 2012 If the track rod end is only a couple of years old a ball joint separator should work. If by ball joints you mean wishbone bjs, then I have found once the pinch bolt is out there is not usually a problem separating bj from wishbone. I've replaced both my PUG 306 and Corrado wishbones recently and in both cases heat and hammer were needed for the pinch bolts which were siezed. In both cases they were first replacements (16yr and 18yrs). If your w/b bjs have previously been replaced shouldnt be a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swiftkid 1 Posted March 15, 2012 Ball joint splitter for sure. Its a tool you will use again so well worth buying one! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 15, 2012 Ordered three different types. There is no pinch bolt on a vr ball joint btw. Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 CS 0 Posted March 15, 2012 i didn't try the heat, didn't wanna melt the rubber bit, will it melt? The track rods aren't that old, probably been on the car about 2-3yrs. will give it another hit with the hammer when i get home, as left it to soak with WD40. Have looked at splitters before but not sure which is the best to get for a VW, i also need to get the Ball joints off the hub Use Plus Gas not WD40 makes a world of difference !! A splitter is what you really want and they're not Vehicle specific :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 16, 2012 Holy ****. Just been using my new ball joint tool. Hub was already off the car with just the ball joint on it. Wound the tool bolt up, got really stiff, so tapped it with a hammer and it went off like a gun!!! Lucky it wasn't facing me or the car as it launched the ball joint across the garage and into the wall. Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DriverVR6 11 Posted March 16, 2012 lol, at least you finally managed to get it off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmwcompact 10 Posted March 16, 2012 Lucky you!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 17, 2012 next challenge is getting the steering hub, complete with bearing etc disconnected from the driveshaft. I did it on the other side, just tapped the driveshaft with a hammer and it eventually came out. Don't know why this side is so much harder. Is there a tool to do this? Saw a hub puller but doesn't look like it does what i want. Feck knows how i'm going to get them back on again, its like a big long spline fitting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dannyboy 0 Posted March 17, 2012 Lots of wd40 and few hours make that difference between struggling and it popping out with ease.spray it overnight before finishing for d night and next morning it'll b piece of cake!(well easier) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DriverVR6 11 Posted March 17, 2012 You'll probably find that the side you are finding harder to take off has never been taken off before, or hasn't been taken off for ages. Also, alot of the bits have locking adhesive applied at the factory, so that could be another reason it can be harder to get things off. By the way, I hope you are using a leather/copper/rubber mallet to bang stuff off and not a conventional hammer?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 17, 2012 nah, just some old hammer i had. the raised lip on the hub already looked a bit hammered imo, deffo not flat like the other side, and i also remember a front wheel getting stuck on which i reckon could be this side., Might replace both hubs anyway, i notice gsf etc do them, not sure how much VW parts will be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
