upper wishbone ball joint

[el sketcho]

Man these are hard to undo? I've sprayed freeze and unlock, won't undo. Heated the bolt, won't undo. Am I doing this right? I can't get the allen bolts undone. Thought this'd be an hour long job...... Well got that wrong.

Andy

[Ian Hulley]

When I did mine 5 years ago now I had to cut the heads off (the balljoints were scrap anyway) and replace the socket head screws ... make sure you use plenty of Coppaslip on the threads and I filled the socket heads up too so they'd still be a hexagon the next time.

Ian.

[el sketcho]

thanks Ian. What size is that nut on the bottom of the ball joint and do I need to buy a ball joint splitter?

[Red Westie]

make sure you use plenty of Coppaslip on the threads

With respect, that's the last thing you should be doing! new bolts should have threadlock applied not grease.......

Martin

[Ian Hulley]

thanks Ian. What size is that nut on the bottom of the ball joint and do I need to buy a ball joint splitter?

It's a captive thread in the balljoint flange.

Sorry Martin .... it's what I did back then and it never came undone untill it was needed to, then it wasn't a solid welded lump like it was originally AND the hex socket was still the same size.

Ian.

[Red Westie]

Ian...I would never want to intentionally offend anyone by contradicting advice, however sometimes when I see something that is technically wrong and with respect, potentially dangerous, I feel I need to speak out. I accept that these bolts are very unlikely to ever come loose but VW thought it necessary to use blue thread lock on many of their suspension/steering and brake component parts and who am I to suggest that they were wrong.

Kindest regards to you as always Ian.
Martin

[Ian Hulley]

And I as always bow to you, the professional, I was acting under instruction from a mobile plant fitter at that time and everything was tightened to the point where it wasn't going to work loose

Ian

[syncropaddy]

Everyone seems to be going mad on 'copperslip' these days!

Copperslip on safety joints is simply madness.

[el sketcho]

Done it today, went with the thread lock option.