Tips for removing spindle

[bduke23]

Tried changing my ball joints today. Everything went great up until removing the spindle . Bolts came off it fine, but I cannot get the spindle to seperate from the knuckle. I hammered and hammered against a 2x4 against the spindle from every angle, hammered on a chisel in the crack between knuckle and spindle, but could not get it to budge. What is the trick?

 

[martin]

A brass drift and a bigger hammer.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The proper tool.

A spindle puller attachment and a large slide hammer.

 

[legoms013]

I used lots of PB Blaster, a foot long 2x4 and a mini sledge. Very Joe-MgGee but it worked....

 

[bduke23]

Sounds like I just need to keep hammering at it.... Where along the spindle were you guys hitting? I was hitting right at the top, where the spindle meets the knuckle

 

[jhammel85]

The proper tool.

A spindle puller attachment and a large slide hammer.

+1
By far the easiest. Been there, done that.

 

[bduke23]

How does the tool work?

 

[RangerDanger]

a bigger hammer

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It threads onto the threads on the end of the spindle, then you use the slide hammer to pull it off. Very effective.

 

[GMillion$]

hammered on a chisel in the crack between knuckle and spindle

If you can't afford/don't feel like buying the slide hammer set up, just keep doing the above at lots of different places (chisel at the top, then the right side, then the left side, etc...)

This worked for me on my rusty east coast truck.

I think i used a 16oz ballpeen and a 6"long cold chisel and it might've taken 10mins?

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

a hammer, a skinny chisel, a piece of carpet, and some duct tape. soak the spindle/ knuckle surface with penatrating oil, wrap the piece of carpet around the spindle and then wrap it a couple times in duct tape to keep it protected from your hammer. then you just start working your way around the base of the spindle with the hammer and chisel. it will come off it will just require some time and effort.

 

[bduke23]

Ok I looked into the hammer slide, I can only find them around here for over a hundred bucks with a kit, I can't seem to locate only by itself. Plus another fifty or so for that spindle adapter piece, so buying that tool isn't an option for me. As an added bonus, apparently none of the parts stores have a slide hammer in their loan a tool program. Looks like I will have to either find someone with an air chisel or just hammer away at it next time I can find a shop to use. Do I have to worry about how hard I hit it, or can I just completely go to town?

Also, what is the best way to seperate the tie rod end? Without damaging anything i mean

 

[GMillion$]

not to sound like a dick, but if this stuff is jammin you up, actually pullin your bj's is gonna be real rough for ya!! you will end up learning a a bunch though.

Many ways to remove tierod ends: a fixed 2-jaw puller, hammering on the knuckle with a floor jack *lightly* lifting up on the steering linkage, if you're replacing the tre then threading the nut back on and hammering the tre, prolly about 15 other ways + combo moves....

Do you have a bj press (the big c-clamp lookin thing)?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Easiest way to remove a TRE from a knuckle, remove the castle nut and cotter pin, take a 32oz ball pein hammer and smack the knuckle where the tapered stud passes through it. It will pop it free.

 

[Andres629]

All the advice given here will work. My two cents... after you get it apart and before you put it back together... ANTI-SEIZE. It's your friend. Makes everything come apart real slick next time around.