Astro Pneumatic Tool 78620 Subaru Ball Joint Puller

Congratulations to all of you brave Subaru ball joint newbies! You've either a) gotten out of the WTF bind, or you've b) gotten out of the WTF bind You either busted it and b) got out the drill or c) the checkbook, or you busted it and b) got out the drill. br>If a, consider yourself fortunate; if b, dry your tears, as you are about to move on to the next stage. You've seen videos of airpowered chisels, torches, and fresh tears on YouTube that make removing that Balljoint appear to be a piece of cake. Without this gizmo, I can assure you that the latter is far more likely. Sure, a 2x4 and a BFH ("Big F*cking Hammer") are available. %ing Hammer), and that might work -%ing Hammer However, this is unlikely. br>Get this "astro pneumatic" device, oil the threads, and keep the tears at bay, my fellow band of brothers. My front joints were as if they were welded in, but this device popped them off as quickly as you busted one in high school. br>Now, after you've completed that stage, you'll need to install the new ball joint. Despite grinding and lubricating the balljoint cavity with a steel brush on a drill and lubricating everything, I was unable to install the new joint while attached to my new control arms. I was under those jack stands, with my Subaru poised to kill me, hammering and prying away, and I was lucky to only have black and blue forearms rather than being squashed. Remove the new joint from the new LCA with a "universal ball joint separator," which is also available here for around $20. With that, a large screwdriver or cold chisel, and a small amount of pressure to open the pinch, the ball joint will easily slip in. The LCA will rise to its proper position with a few taps of a mallet. br>br>Here are a few more subi ball joint hints: br>1) Twice a day for a week, spray that pinch, bolt side, other side, and pinch gap itself. The horror stories are based on true events. br>2) Get a full LCA because the bushing on one of the arms, aside from the ball joint, is also a failure due to age or mileage. In fact, it could be the source of your problem rather than your ball jointbr>3) new sway links are about ten bucks, so get those as well, because even if they aren't already failing, you're going to slam them all together removing them (which you must).

Dayton Holden

| Jun 17, 2021

So the tool worked, which was a huge accomplishment - I spent the better part of two days experimenting with various techniques. Before giving up and ordering this tool, I tried a few tricks from YouTube videos. I was able to get it out using an impact wrench (as shown in the video). The pin that keeps the puller shaft from spinning in the sleeve, however, sheared off on BOTH sides in the process, rendering it useless for the next job. br>br>I believe that stabilizing the steering knuckle/ball joint and turning the nut with a breaker bar would have prevented shearing the pin, but there were no warnings. Another impact wrench was used by the guy in the video. br>br>I'll call for a replacement pin, but I'm afraid of the effort it'll take to get the old one out. When I hear back from the company, I'll update this review.

Diego Schultz

| Sep 05, 2021

My Subaru Legacy GT was built in 2001, and I decided to replace the lower ball joints. With the help of a ball joint pickle fork, this tool made it much easier to remove the old ball joints. The only thing to keep in mind is that if you're using jacks, you'll need to jack the car up pretty high to get both the tool and an electric impact gun (in my case, a Milwaukee Snubnose Fuel) in there, otherwise there won't be enough room. Unfortunately, I have a fairly low floor jack and was unable to raise it as high as I desired, but I was able to get it to work nonetheless. br>br>The first tip I have is to grease the tool's threads and connecting tip to the lower ball joint liberally so that it does not bind up and break like others have reported. Additional tips for removing the lower ball joint include liberally applying PB Blaster to the bolt and the lower ball joint, allowing it to sit for a reasonable amount of time, and then using a heat gun to break apart the rust that forms on these parts and prevents them from coming out (be careful not to melt the outer axel boot with the heat). Then, when it's time to reinstall it, clean the hole it goes into with brake parts cleaner, remove the rust in the hole with a sanding tool on a Dremel tip, and apply anti-corrosion paint. To keep the ball joint from rusting in the future, apply seize to the bolt, the hole, the joint, and above the threads. br>br>Also, when torqueing, use caution and reduce the torque by about 10%. 20% of the torque specs on the bolt and lower control arm are due to the use of the grease to prevent over tightening and breaking the bolt (specs on my car are I also recommend getting a new castle nut and codder pin, as well as a new bolt and locking washer. Finally, the tool may become stuck on the lower balljoint as it is removed. So have some vice grips on hand in case you need to unscrew it. Best wishes to you.

Willa Rowe

| Dec 09, 2021

I only had a tuning fork-style ball joint separator the last time I had to remove a ball joint from a Subaru. It was a disaster. Because I only have a limited number of tools at my disposal, it took me a day and a half to cycle through each stage of grief before finally getting the stupid thing out. It was a complete nightmare, and it made me extremely angry in all seriousness. I squandered a lot of time attempting to remove a single component, and things only got worse from there. br>br>The ball joint I replaced eventually failed (by the way, make sure you only use OEM Subaru parts). "Don't be that guy," as the saying goes. Don't make the same mistakes that I did. ) and I was faced with the aggravation of having to start over. I also had to replace the other side, so I looked up "Subaru ball joint puller" and found this tool. br>br>I'm pleased to report that hand threading the tool onto the ball joint took longer than pulling the ball joint from the socket with the tool and the impact gun. In a matter of seconds, it was out. Even if I only use it twice, it has already more than paid for itself, and I couldn't be happier right now. br>br>As my review's title suggests- Astro Pneumatic, thank you very much.

Julia Stein

| Feb 17, 2021