This started as an axle replacement. I will say an air hammer made easy work for pulling the roll pin out of the CV axle near the transfer case. The new problem is when separating the lower control arm the ball joint separated. So, now I have the ball joint stud stuck in the lower control arm. I am trying to come up with a way to pull the pocket part of the ball joint out of the bottom of the strut housing. I have removed the strut housing from the strut and taken it off of the quad. After watching many YouTube videos on how to try to fix this problem, I am having a friend tack weld a large bolt to the remaining part of the ball joint pocket in the hopes of then getting a puller or slide hammer to pull it out. Putting the new one in should not be a problem (I have a new ball joint on order and should be here in a couple of days). That should give me a couple of days at least to unscrew myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Great if you have a friend that can do that. Heating the strut up with a propane torch makes it an easier job to get the old one out and in seating the new one also.

 

You probably saw the video where the guy used grease to help press out the old ball joint once things were heated up.

 

Just saw this guys' video. Grease seems to work fairly well most of the time I guess,but we mainly just tack welded a bolt and used a small slide hammer and heat and sucked em right out.Plus if you have the new ball joint in the freezer,installation is a breeze in an already hot strut. The guy could have saved a lot of time also in heating the hold down plate screws real good as they have loctite and using the hand impact and 4mm hex socket and they'll come right out without having to slot em.

 

thank you very much and it looks like you & I have watched the same videos. the one where it showed the grease pushing the ball joint out would not work with my situation because the bolt came out of the ball joint socket. I had already tried it but the grease just kept pumping out. I did exactly what they did with heating it and the slide hammer which seem to work fairly easy. your tips of putting it in the freezer and heating up the hubstrut to install it seems like the plan. I will post pictures and keep you advised with the progress. Thank you very much.






In addition, The strut bushing between the spring and the mount completely disintegrated upon removal. After searching for parts, I found the strut bushing to a Handa will fit perfectly with the right dimensions. I got this one at AutoZone for 13.99 and here is the part number if anyone else finds the need.

 

Looking good.. Seal sleeve over the coil has two wear rings which is normal as this is where the hub seal lips ride,but if the wear rings are deep,may need to replace it as it may leak hub fluid. BUT if you remove the seal sleeve the plastic face of the coil will usually break,then it needs to be replaced too along with the hub seal.. Can be more work than you want to do,but better to catch it now than later.Just depends on if the sleeve wear is deep or not.

 

OPT do you happen to have access to the part numbers for those seals? (I think you are talking about where the axle comes through the hub on both sides). Are those press in seals or something I can do without too much trouble? I will try to get them while I have it torn apart.the Honda part that I was talking about goes on top of the coil spring between the upper mount and the spring itself. your comment has me wondering about the hub seals. I do believe the inner seal was leaking but I am Not sure. I would hate to have to tear it apart later.

 

3610028 strut seal #23.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse
3610019 hub seal #3 Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse
Strut seal can just be popped out with a seal puller. Mark around the inside of the strut seal as to it's depth and install the new one to this mark. If driven too far,the lip will flare and leak fluid. Hub seal can be knocked out,but new one has to be pressed in,don't try to hammer it in. Just set it on a press,lightly tap the seal straight,place a piece of steel or wood over the seal in press it in flush.Add a thin film of grease inside the seals when you install them.

 

thanks again Opt. I drove 30 minutes to go and get the seal and he gave me the one for the outside which is actually in perfect condition. I know for a fact the inside one I mean the shaft side of the hub strut is the one that was leaking and you can see the spring showing through the rubber. he has one in stock and I'm going to pick it up in the morning. The ball joint came today and my plan is to leave it in the freezer as you suggested. in the morning I am going to take the whole hub strut to the parts guy and make sure that I have the right size seal. when I come home, I will install the seal after I heat the aluminum and put the frozen ball joint in. then I will assemble everything. at least that's the plan.

 

Make sure the strut is cool to the touch before you install the new seal. Plain old bearing/race tool set works fine or a same size socket and extension. Be sure to mark around the old seal before you pop it out. This is a good guide on how deep to drive the new one in.