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Car Forum / Honda Cars / December 2006Castle nut stuck
1990 Honda Civic EX --- The castle nut on my lower ball joint won't move. The pin is removed and it just won't spin. I'm at the point of almost completely stripping the nut. Does anyone have a suggestion short of cutting it off? Thanks for your help. > 1990 Honda Civic EX > > --- > > The castle nut on my lower ball joint won't move. The pin is removed > and it just won't spin. it won't spin relative to the tread or won't spin at all? if the former, compress the ball joint so the taper holds - then the nut will come off just fine. > I'm at the point of almost completely > stripping the nut. Does anyone have a suggestion short of cutting it > off? if it won't come off, you'll have to cut it anyway and replace. use more force to make sure. maybe a little heat first. make sure you're using a good quality 6-sided flank-drive 1/2" socket - cheap tools can break and give you dental problems [as i found from experience]. > Thanks for your help. > if it won't come off, you'll have to cut it anyway and replace. use > more force to make sure. maybe a little heat first. make sure you're > using a good quality 6-sided flank-drive 1/2" socket - cheap tools can > break and give you dental problems [as i found from experience]. You're not supposed to put pressure on the wrench with your teeth... ;-) >> if it won't come off, you'll have to cut it anyway and replace. use >> more force to make sure. maybe a little heat first. make sure you're [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > ;-) sometimes you get frustrated... > > 1990 Honda Civic EX > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > former, compress the ball joint so the taper holds - then the nut will > come off just fine. It won't come loose at all. Is there a way to replace the ball joint on my series civic without removing the drive shaft from the wheel assembly or will that be a requirement? It looks to me as though it may very well be absolutely necessary in order to be able to press the ball joint out and more definitely back in. If I do have to remove it: should I remove it before I continue work on the ball joint? Does the cars weight need to be on the shaft with the tire on before I can remove it? Thank you all for your help. I've not done much suspension work, especially on a Honda so I appreciate all the help I can get. I want to get these replaced or end up like TEGGER(sp?)'s Prelude :) - Cole >>> 1990 Honda Civic EX >>> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > removing the drive shaft from the wheel assembly or will that be a > requirement? definitely requirement. > It looks to me as though it may very well be absolutely > necessary in order to be able to press the ball joint out and more [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > on the ball joint? Does the cars weight need to be on the shaft with > the tire on before I can remove it? best to have the wheel on, and the vehicle on the ground to remove the driveshaft locking nut. 32mm. then take the wheel off and start again on the bottom swivel nut. > Thank you all for your help. I've not done much suspension work, > especially on a Honda so I appreciate all the help I can get. I want > to get these replaced or end up like TEGGER(sp?)'s Prelude :) indeed! Its called heat. Get a torch, heat it till cherry red and take the nut off....or cut it off and replace the ball joint... Ok, I have the spindle nut off, the ball joint castle nut is off. Now, the fun begins :) What's the best way to remove the drive shaft? Just prying it lose from the back of the knuckle? Will it be possible to move it out of the way without removing the damper fork? What about the brake assembly? The shop manual is saying to remove it, but I don't see that it would be in the way, can I work around it? Thank you all! > Ok, I have the spindle nut off, the ball joint castle nut is off. Now, > the fun begins :) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Thank you all! dead blow hammer direct to the spindle end. should come right out. do NOT use a steel hammer. you'll damage the axle, and worse, risk brinelling the wheel bearing. don't pry from behind - you'll ruin the boot. when replacing the axle nut, you should replace with a new one. however, in emergency, you can re-use the old one by carefully abrading the face of the nut where it rests on the hub. place the nut flat on a smooth hard abrasive surface, a flat paving stone for example, and rub the nut back and forth. then rotate one hex flat in your hand, then rub again. repeat until the nut will screw back on to a different position and you can cleanly re-peen the locking skirt. make sure the nut remains flat and even when doing it. again, this is a temporary fix until you buy the proper new locking nut. to replace the ball joint, you need a big vise or a hydraulic press. unless you have this equipment, for the sake of a few bucks, it's worth taking it to a shop to have them press in the new one. it takes them a couple of minutes. I appreciate your tip on the spindle nut, I will heed it and go ahead and just buy a replacement. Is it necessary to replace it every time it is loosened? Do you have a suggestion for the damper fork? I'm not sure that with it on I will be able to separate the ball joint from the lower control arm or whether or not I can just keep it tight quarters. My preference would certainly be to not do so. I guess we will see :p P.S. I have rented a ball joint press. Thank you again for your help. > > Ok, I have the spindle nut off, the ball joint castle nut is off. Now, > > the fun begins :) [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > taking it to a shop to have them press in the new one. it takes them a > couple of minutes. > I appreciate your tip on the spindle nut, I will heed it and go ahead > and just buy a replacement. Is it necessary to replace it every time > it is loosened? yes. > Do you have a suggestion for the damper fork? unbolt from the bottom of the shock. leave the top of the shock in place. > I'm not sure that with > it on I will be able to separate the ball joint from the lower control > arm or whether or not I can just keep it tight quarters. gotta separate if you're going to replace the ball joint. do it before you separate the top joint and the shock fork. > My preference > would certainly be to not do so. no choice! > I guess we will see :p > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> taking it to a shop to have them press in the new one. it takes them a >> couple of minutes. In order to separate the ball joint stud from the lower control arm will it be necessary to remove the damper fork, radius arm and sway bar or should I be able to remove all three? Any thoughts on pushing the ball joint out of the knuckle before separating from the lower control arm? Thank you, Cole > > I appreciate your tip on the spindle nut, I will heed it and go ahead > > and just buy a replacement. Is it necessary to replace it every time [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > >> taking it to a shop to have them press in the new one. it takes them a > >> couple of minutes. > In order to separate the ball joint stud from the lower control arm > will it be necessary to remove the damper fork, radius arm and sway bar > or should I be able to remove all three? Any thoughts on pushing the > ball joint out of the knuckle before separating from the lower control > arm? Whew! this has turned into quite a project for you!! OK heres a recap of parts removal- You got the nut off. NOW find a GREAT BIG brass hammer and a pry bar. Give the bottom of the spindle a big whack while applying prying action to separate the joint. I got this great tip at a honda boneyard outside Atlanta GA. The driveshaft will slide out once you separate the lower ball joint. Leave the caliper on so you can undo the axle nut if you didnt think of it before you took off the wheels. A LIGHT tap of a hammer should dislodge it. All the other parts are incidental unless you are working on them. Sooooooo, why the heck are you putting up with all this turmoil anyway? ALternnator replacement? Suspension upgrade?? -SP Yes, it sure has been a project. I currently don't need my car for day to day travel and I'm on a relatively limited income, not to mention this has been sort of fun for me :) Plus, this needs to be done and the car has been incredibly reliable so I just want to make sure it stays that way. Ok, so an update. It was necessary to loosen the sway bar and the ball stud separated from the control arm easy. Now, and you read my mind, Speedy Pete--I need to remove the drive axle from the knuckle to remove and install the ball joint. I've taken a 2 lb dead blow hammer to the spindle nut and not had any lucky. Pry at the back? That sounds like a good way to go about it. This part makes me nervous though, I do not want to damage the bearing or any of the drive assembly. How hard can I hit the spindle without doing damage? Should I be concerned? I'm getting very close and more excited every step. After this, assuming success, I have to replace the passenger side half shaft :p I am indebted for your help, Cole > > In order to separate the ball joint stud from the lower control arm > > will it be necessary to remove the damper fork, radius arm and sway bar [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > -SP Ok, well - I have that all figured out. Now, I can't for the life on me figure out how in the hell to get the circlip removed. I have ring pliers, I even tried to get under it with a razor blade with no luck. What's the trick? Thanks > Yes, it sure has been a project. I currently don't need my car for day > to day travel and I'm on a relatively limited income, not to mention [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > > > > -SP Circlip?? WHat ARE you doing??? -SP > Ok, well - I have that all figured out. Now, I can't for the life on > me figure out how in the hell to get the circlip removed. I have ring > pliers, I even tried to get under it with a razor blade with no luck. > What's the trick? Ball joint replacement and I'm almost finished! :) Now, I'm placing the spindle back into the knuckle and there's about a 1/4 or perhaps less of an inch of the drive shaft assembly that has not fully fit into the knuckle. Is it appropriate to just take a hammer to the hub to try to push it together or is there a more sophisticated way to do it? Thank you, Cole > Circlip?? WHat ARE you doing??? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > pliers, I even tried to get under it with a razor blade with no luck. > > What's the trick? Just push the drivesaft in and put the nut on. You should be able to pull it into place easily turning the nut. -SP > Ball joint replacement and I'm almost finished! :) > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >>> pliers, I even tried to get under it with a razor blade with no luck. >>> What's the trick? > In order to separate the ball joint stud from the lower control arm > will it be necessary to remove the damper fork, radius arm and sway bar > or should I be able to remove all three? just the damper fork. > Any thoughts on pushing the > ball joint out of the knuckle before separating from the lower control > arm? just separate the bottom joint, remove the fork and the shaft can be removed from the knuckle and the transmission. > Thank you, > [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] >>>> taking it to a shop to have them press in the new one. it takes them a >>>> couple of minutes. "Cole" <cole_gebauer@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1164775338.622550.177010@ 16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com: > 1990 Honda Civic EX > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Thanks for your help. Go to an industrial supply house and rent an electric impact gun (~$30/day). It will come right off.  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ Tegger <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in news:Xns988A531E96052tegger@ 207.14.116.130: > "Cole" <cole_gebauer@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1164775338.622550.177010@ > 16g2000cwy.googlegroups.com: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Go to an industrial supply house and rent an electric impact gun > (~$30/day). It will come right off. And if you're not using a six-point (hex) flank-drive socket, use that as well. It will help prevent rounding the nut off. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >1990 Honda Civic EX > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Thanks for your help. Assuming you have the correct socket and large (breaker bar) lever, soak it in penetrating oil for a long time, then apply heat via a torch, or even one of those little handheld gas units, and it should come off. And of course, an impact gun would be best as well. Good luck. One of the castle nuts just turned with the ball joint stud this past summer when I was doing some suspension work. It is possible all you will need to do is put a jack under the control arm and lift a bit. This will put the weight of the car back on the ball joint and join it again, holding the stud securely enough to free the nut. The cut-off route: You can use a die grinder, grinding one side of the nut until little is left, and being careful not to hit the stud threads. A new or recently sharpened chisel, applied of course in a direction that tends to loosen the nut, should come in handy, too. I chipped and ground away at the nut, and even drove a bit on it (though don't be driving out of the neighborhood), and it ultimately freed. Make sure you have a SIX sided socket and a breaker bar. If you really think it might strip or break, warm it up with an acetylene torch. Propane isnt hot enough. -Speedy > 1990 Honda Civic EX > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Thanks for your help. >Propane isnt hot enough. "Some heat is better than no heat" I have had success with the handheld propane torches, but true...an acetylene torch can get it much hotter. |
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