Trying to pull suspension parts off a spare car (to fix a 00 ssei) and having a heck of a time getting the driver's side steering knuckle off. Is there a way to just remove the knuckle without the hub frame assembly coming with it? I'm worried about destroying that swiveling joint on the bottom (behind the rotor) by trying to pry it apart.
Also, the two bolts that attach to the strut are either frozen solid on there, or there's a trick to them that I don't know. I removed the nuts on both, but I cannot move or pound out the bolts from the housing. Ideas?
http://imgur.com/EE0P5b1
http://imgur.com/7nQAITH
http://imgur.com/uCBhnaI
2005 SE steering knuckle removal
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MKMike
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Re: 2005 SE steering knuckle removal
If by "hub frame assembly" you are referring to the part in your hand at the bottom of the first picture, that is the lower control arm.
The "swiveling joint" is the lower ball joint.
The bolts that hold the knuckle to the strut are a pain. If you've tried WD40, I'd recommend spraying both ends of the bolts where they meet the strut and the area where the knuckle and strut meet. with either PBBlaster or Kroil .
They're much more effective at loosening up parts.
The bolts are also splined at the head end, so you will not be able to turn them.
Thread the nuts back onto the bolts until the end of the bolt is just at the level of protruding from the nut.
This way, you can safely whack them with a small sledge hammer or a larger ball peen type hammer.
It is far easier to give the bolts strong blows when everything else is still connected and you turn the wheel to get a longer striking distance.
As for the ball joint, there is actually a tool that pops the shaft out of the knuckle.
It can be borrowed for free from some parts stores, such as AutoZone.
If you plan to do much front end work, then this is a nice set to have
http://www.amazon.com/OTC-6295-Front-En ... H8RFZPBW5X
The ball joint separator tool looks like this
http://smile.amazon.com/GearWrench-3916 ... moval+tool
The cheapest tool is this one BUT it is very easy to destroy the boot when you use it ---and I'm not sure it is possible to not damage the boot when using it.
http://smile.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-25202- ... moval+tool
The "swiveling joint" is the lower ball joint.
The bolts that hold the knuckle to the strut are a pain. If you've tried WD40, I'd recommend spraying both ends of the bolts where they meet the strut and the area where the knuckle and strut meet. with either PBBlaster or Kroil .
They're much more effective at loosening up parts.
The bolts are also splined at the head end, so you will not be able to turn them.
Thread the nuts back onto the bolts until the end of the bolt is just at the level of protruding from the nut.
This way, you can safely whack them with a small sledge hammer or a larger ball peen type hammer.
It is far easier to give the bolts strong blows when everything else is still connected and you turn the wheel to get a longer striking distance.
As for the ball joint, there is actually a tool that pops the shaft out of the knuckle.
It can be borrowed for free from some parts stores, such as AutoZone.
If you plan to do much front end work, then this is a nice set to have
http://www.amazon.com/OTC-6295-Front-En ... H8RFZPBW5X
The ball joint separator tool looks like this
http://smile.amazon.com/GearWrench-3916 ... moval+tool
The cheapest tool is this one BUT it is very easy to destroy the boot when you use it ---and I'm not sure it is possible to not damage the boot when using it.
http://smile.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-25202- ... moval+tool
Re: 2005 SE steering knuckle removal
Ah, thank you for the clarifications! I'll probably try and obtain the tool to separate the lower ball joint.