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Splitting the lower ball joint
- Thread starter Da
- Start date
ITB'd MK1
a splitter would be your best bet. Fork type one will damage the rubber boot, but as you're changing the balljoint that's ok
ITB'd MK1
S3, Polo
I was quoted £70+ by Pete @ Auto Nation for OE lower arms (inc ball-joints). He's normally much cheaper than your local dealer.
However, if you decide to just replace the ball-joints - Motaquip (owned by PSA, IIRC) ones are available on eBay at a very reasonable price. I've also been told that they're of OE quality. Can't comment from experience though so may be inaccurate.
When I did mine, I replaced the top mount bearings too (ECP) and it made the car feel MUCH tighter and more direct.
If you do replace the ball-joints, this may not be the best way to do it, but I followed this procedure:
- Wheel off
- Loosen strut top mount
- Remove 2 strut bolts
- Remove top mount and strut (careful of the CV joint boot and not over-extending the CV joint/ driveshaft)
- Dismantled the top mount and replaced the top mount bearing
- Removed the caliper and carrier (access to the ball-joint cotter pin through the hub is made easier/ possible)
- Removed the cotter pin
- Put a piece of wood between the driveshaft and wishbone (splitting the ball-joint is pointless unless there is an obstacle to stop the wishbone forcing the ball joint back together)
- Undo the 2 bolts securing the ball-joint to the wishbone
- Remove ball-joint
- Replace and reverse above procedure.
FWIW, I used a fork-type splitter.
HTH.
However, if you decide to just replace the ball-joints - Motaquip (owned by PSA, IIRC) ones are available on eBay at a very reasonable price. I've also been told that they're of OE quality. Can't comment from experience though so may be inaccurate.
When I did mine, I replaced the top mount bearings too (ECP) and it made the car feel MUCH tighter and more direct.
If you do replace the ball-joints, this may not be the best way to do it, but I followed this procedure:
- Wheel off
- Loosen strut top mount
- Remove 2 strut bolts
- Remove top mount and strut (careful of the CV joint boot and not over-extending the CV joint/ driveshaft)
- Dismantled the top mount and replaced the top mount bearing
- Removed the caliper and carrier (access to the ball-joint cotter pin through the hub is made easier/ possible)
- Removed the cotter pin
- Put a piece of wood between the driveshaft and wishbone (splitting the ball-joint is pointless unless there is an obstacle to stop the wishbone forcing the ball joint back together)
- Undo the 2 bolts securing the ball-joint to the wishbone
- Remove ball-joint
- Replace and reverse above procedure.
FWIW, I used a fork-type splitter.
HTH.
Last edited:
Dodgy one
^^ No need to do all that, undo pinch bolt and remove (bit of heat may help too), remove two bolts off wishbone holding balljoint on and remove it with the fork bish bash bosh 15mins tops if its not a stubbarn bugger like mine was lol
As with Nero, if the pinch bolts well stuck you'l have to whip the caliper off, I did
As with Nero, if the pinch bolts well stuck you'l have to whip the caliper off, I did
Less
Lol, that sounds more like it Rich!
I've had the hub off before, so to speak, so didn't think it'd take much more to remove the ball joint.
b33fy - had it confirmed that they're £58 plus VAT each so that sounds about right.
S3, Polo
A cotter pin is the bolt that goes through the groved part of the ball-joint post and through the clamp in the hub.
Mine was a b*stard to get off so I may have taken some unnecessary steps to prevent actions I thought could have caused any damage.
It worked for me and was pretty quick to do (but not 15 minutes, LOL).
Both sides took me about 3 hours with tea breaks!
S3, Polo
Yup. That's the part!
EDIT: It seems a cotter pin refers to a split pin! ("web definition: in mechanical engineering a pin or wedge passing through a hole to fix parts tightly together"). Maybe my terminology is off, but you kind of get what I mean...
It really is very easy to do. Just be aware of the pitfalls (in my previous post).
Once you've done one, the other side is a breeze!
EDIT: It seems a cotter pin refers to a split pin! ("web definition: in mechanical engineering a pin or wedge passing through a hole to fix parts tightly together"). Maybe my terminology is off, but you kind of get what I mean...
It really is very easy to do. Just be aware of the pitfalls (in my previous post).
Once you've done one, the other side is a breeze!
Last edited:
Dodgy one
Lol, well I'll be doing mine in the next week or so, so I will let you know how I get on
So the pinch bolt is the cotter pin? Am I reading that correctly?
A cotter pins, basically a pin which you split in two to hold a nut on! Not sure if theres one on the end of our driveshafts or on drum brakes havent taken a lot of notice TBH lol, Google it you'l see what one is
