bought a couple luke's links...i got the castle nut off but i can't get the balljoint out of the seat(can't separate it from the axle end)....i have a crow bar and a hammer right now...darn thing is seized...i hate living in the rust belt

 

lots of WD40 or your favorite sause, smack the seat hard. the alternative may be a pickle fork

 

u mean keep smacking the rod down towards the ground so it pulls the ball thingy out?

 

its my right outer tie rod....still connected to the truck...i just can't get the stud to separate from the axle/frame by the tire....i don't wanna smack the bolt from the top down hard cause i'll easily ruin it and won't get the castle nut back on

 

Place a pry bar between the tie rod and socket and apply pressure. Whileprying apart hit the socket (not tie rod end) with a hammer. It may take several shots, but the shock should break the tod end loose. It will come out in a hurry when it releases.

 

When all else fails, with the tires on the gound, turn the wheels from side to side as fast and as hard as possible with the engine running and the castle nut removed. Often, this amount of force with no preload on the tapered shank of the rod end will cause it to separate from the knuckle.

 

thanx guys..it started raining here now i'll keep y'all posted

 

As has been said before , the easiest way to separate a taper like that , is to use a pry bar and put pressure on it pulling the stud down (or up , depending on which way it goes in) and while applying pressure , smack the piece that the stud goes through with your hammer , and don't have too much mercy on it... the shock from the hammer will release the taper long enough for the pressure from the pry bar to pull it down and out.

P.S. where did you get the lukes link in Canada? I need one for my track bar.

 

thanks man...i just ordered it straight from colorado...shipping wasnt much at all...it was here in 4 days...those links are beefy units...i like just looking at it

 

I mainly work on semi's and when i have a tierod end that doesn't want to move, i usually give the knuckle it is seated in a little heat. That will do the trick most of the time. I've never really had any hard ones before on pickups or cars when i've done them.
matt

 

The old trick that has always worked for me on tapered shafts where there is enough room for a good swing is to grab a hand sledge in each hand and hit opposite sides of the part the shaft passes though at the same time.
This elongates the hole and will spit the shaft right out.

 

The easiest way to get those off is with a tie rod fork that goes on an air chiesel. Makes pretty quick work of it. Well worth the money.

 

I'm still lookin for new bolts to install my Luke Links with because I had this same problem and buggered em up pretty good breaking them loose with a hammer. Moral of the story is be carefull if you go that route. Eventually a trip to town for a pickle fork popped em right out, but it was to late.

 

Thread the castle nut on a couple of threads and beat the he!! out of it. Cheaper to replace a nut than a rod end

 

The best way to break a joint loose is to hit it with a hammer, but it has to be a sledgehammer.
If it is a light duty tie rod end or ball joint, you have to have someone hold a sledgehammer to the backside of the same joint so the shock is not wasted.

So have someone back up the joint with about an 8# sledge then you place a carefully placed whack with your sledge to the opposite side. It usually never takes more than a few hits and the joint should drop out.

I have replaced many on big semi tractors and transit busses this way and it has never failed.
Never used the hydraulic puller even though we had one.
I have seen some people beat the tie rod to death and mutilate the joint and never get it to separate.

Also when you are hitting the joint, hit it only a few times and then REST for a bit because by about this time you are smacking things you are not even aiming for..
Good Luck.
Jim