interesting...

 

Any ideas how to remove castle nut from LBJ on the knuckle? I'm pretty sure the ball and rod (no pun intended) are spinning with the nut. Or im blind and weak

 

did you take out the cotter pin.......

 

You mean that little thing that goes through the hole!!?? JK

Ya sure did

 

Also a ball joint can be a total pain to get the nut off. I assume you have the front end off the ground. In that case what will usually get it is to place another small floor jack under the arm directly under the ball and put enough upward pressure on it that the ball socket keeps the ball from spinning.
Another trick is before you started any work was to drive the car up on ramps so you have enough room to reach under and start the nut with the whole weight of the car still on the ball. That is still an option for you to get the job done even though it will take extra time.
When I'm not too concerned about wearing out a ball further I've been stubborn and used an impact wrench and the speed and vibration can also get the nut loose but the ball will also spin quite a bit at the same time. There is not really room in the front for air tools though.
Make sure you removed the cotter pin and try the jack or sitting on the ground trick and also keep your fingers crossed. Some can be very stubborn...

 

i wasn't trying to be a butt.... you just never know

 

lol its all good dude. I understand. Being the new guy on the forum ad all. I usually hesitate to ask any question until i have exhausted all other means. Or im just lost in the sauce Ill see about trying those tips. Thanks

 

Hey im not sure if this was answered yet but i noticed that the steering knuckles seem to be different from 03-05 and 05-08. i changed my pass side knuckle but dont know what year it is from. I need to replace the ball joints and dont know how to tell what year my knuckle is from. Ive searched images and tried to find some defining characteristics that would differentiate the two, but to no avail. If anyone can help that would be awesome. thanks.

 

i bought some from amazon for an 08... they were too small, went to auto zone.... too small, ended up replacing the steering knuckle from nissan

 

from my research and your comment it seems as though the aftermarket only makes replacement ball joints for 03-04 models. Hope i replaced with the same year knuckle.

 

Haven t seen an updated reply, but after research and trial these ball joints fit my 06 base. A little pricey imo but hell of a lot cheaper than knuckles. I did have to use slightly thinner cotter pins. The BJ threads are just a hair shorter than the OEM ones.

 

Here's what I had to do...



Big A$$ pair of vice grips. And put them on as tight as I could. Than heated the nut for about 1 minute with a small butane torch

 

Than used a pipe wrench to break free the little cone thingy <- Very technical term.

 

have any pics of the new one installed? and how did the cone shaped washer fit on the new ball joint?

 

I failed MD inspection today and have to replace UCA now. So when I do I'll get some shots

 

I have the same problem with my 2008 Nismo HR, so I guess I better check the ball joint then....

 

Bro did u really get that cone thing off? I tried for deal life and that **** wouldn't budge...

I ended up using some washers I had laying around as a replacement...But IDK how safe my fix is...

 

 

you need a ball joint separator to get the cone off

 

Yeah i just used a pipe wrench and it came off. But I also ordered the cones from amazon, just in case the BJ didn't come with them. Um and I definitely don't like the washer thing.