Splitting Ball Joints without a Splitter!

[Motorhole]

Can this be done and if so, how? I have no interest in saving the joints/arms so damaging the joint & boot doesn't concern me

[daimlerman]

Then a large hammer is your friend....
Belt the sides of the taper,belting the thread may well 'mushroom' it and cause it to jam in the taper's head.

When all else fails,Mr Angle Grinder is your new bessy friend!

[m8782538]

crow bar and a hammer/ rubber mallet, works for me.

[Duke137]

Just buy a splitter dude, they don't cost too much

[Motorhole]

Then a large hammer is your friend....
Belt the sides of the taper,belting the thread may well 'mushroom' it and cause it to jam in the taper's head.

When all else fails,Mr Angle Grinder is your new bessy friend!

Should've known you'd promptly respond with a solution involving a big hammer!

I would buy a splitter but I need to try get this done tonight and havn't/won't have time to sort one. Replacing the arms with E36 M3 Evo ones and will be fitting a new subframe & coilovers, hence damage not being an issue!

[Barx325i]

Wd40, heat the arm uniformly from the outer edge around the taper, 2kg lump hammer & support the strut with something... Works every time dude

[Tedswagon]

Just hit the sides of the arm with a hammer, never use a fork, (you can split the t.r.e. rubber with a fork)

Give it a good smack and it should just pop out

[asmith88]

i had a lot of bother with splitters recently, the only one which worked was the hammer type splitter

[capri_rob]

Whether you do or don't need to preserve the arm/balljoint thread just put the nut at the top of the thread to protect it - you can then either put a piece of hardwood on top if you really want to be careful or just belt it with a suitable persuading tool. A couple of taps to the arm
first won't hurt to shock the taper.
Its never failed me and I've seen it done by at least one other Zoner on more than one occasion with no issues

[cecotto479]

I never use a splitter.

Two hammers swung simultaneously at opposing sides of the female taper never fails to split them. (technique taught to me by old workshop foreman - approaching retirement then - in the late 70s, when I couldn't get an 1100 balljoint to split)

As Rob says, screw the nut on a couple of turns to protect the thread.

If there's no room for both hammers swap two for one bigger one and just leather it till it splits.

Rarely any damage to the dust cover either.

[mk1nuts]

^^^^^ this !!!

[jaistanley]

It works best with copious ammounts of WD40 as it fills any gaps.. The shock releases the taper and the WD40 hydraulically prevents it deforming into any voids...

That sounded technical didn't it? Ha.

What I meant was: Spray it, twat it on the side with a heavy, hard hammer.

Very rarely fails, unless it's all rusted to feck.

Jai