Castle nut stuck

1990 Honda Civic EX

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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.

 

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.

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...

;-)

 

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.

 

sometimes you get frustrated...

 

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

 

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

 

"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.

 

definitely requirement.

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.

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!

 

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.S. I have rented a ball joint press.

Thank you again for your help.

 

unbolt from the bottom of the shock. leave the top of the shock in place.

gotta separate if you're going to replace the ball joint. do it before
you separate the top joint and the shock fork.

no choice!

 

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

 

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

I am indebted for your help,

Cole