I'll be starting my 95 SLE trans replacement in a couple of days and I would like to find a tool I can use to separate the ball joint without damaging the grease cup. My local parts house that usually has such stuff has nothing but the pickle fork type which I already have.

Have any of you found a good tool applicable to the Bonneville that will separate the joint and save the grease cup?

Thanks,

I'm not sure if something like this would work or not. It doesn't look like the one shown in the FSM but the principle is the same:



I saw this here but maybe someone local to you carries it.

You could try a 2 jaw puller...or do like we do...use a hammer with a backup hammer behind the tie rod end...

Yep,I believe that'* what I am looking for. A lot more elegant than the barbaric pickle fork. Do you know if this OTC 6297 tool will work on the 95 SLE? It looks like it will. My '92 FSM gives J36226 as the tool for the lower ball joint. It looks similar to the OTC tool, maybe a little more stout, but I have not found a source for it yet. If I did find a source, I probably couldn't afford it! This OTC tool looks pretty good for $44+ shipping. I think I am willing to spend $50 to quit bashing ball joints.

Thanks for the reply.

Here'* a list of distributors in Iowa:

Hey! JC Whitney sells one too.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/...0101&langId=-1

Thanks, Randman1,

Jeez, ain't computers wonderful! Only $18 for the JCWhitney knockoff. O'Reilly here in Ames can special order OTC6297 for me. No price 'til tomorrow. I'm betting it will be pretty hard to beat the $44 from etoolcart.com, though. Another jobber here in Ames quoted me $69.95 plus shipping!

Let us know how it works. I have a Springtime project that will require dislodging the ball joints.

Why bust the ball joints...sure great time to do them...but you don't have to bust them apart.....I didn't.

Hey Lakeville,

I was planning on raising the car, supporting the engine on a "T" frame, then unbolting the left and front "L" section of the subframe and spinning it out of the way on the LF bolt. The halfshafts have to come out of the trans anyway, and I have always separated the ball joint to allow enough swing-out to remove the shafts.

If you have an easier way, I'm all ears.