View Single Post
Old 06-07-2011, 08:42 PM   #11
Frodo
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,997
OK, here's where I am now. (I'm workin' on this in short bursts, when I get home from work. Not my DD, no huge hurry...except the weather is suddenly BEAUTIFUL, perfect driving weather, unlike what it's been for the past several months. So maybe I AM in a hurry.)

Per the above recommendations, got the endlink disconnected from the wheel bearing carrier, and got the inner bolt loosened on the control arm:



You can see how far the carrier has dropped on the strut. Here's the problem:




In the first pic, you can see I've gotten the carrier lowered by maybe 2" (see the horizontal line around the strut, separating dirty areas from clean, black areas)...it's still not enough. Looking at the second pic (taken from behind the wheel bearing carrier, ie from the inside looking out), I think I probably still need maybe another inch before I have any chance of slipping the wheel spindle/ABS piece (#5 on earlier schematic pic) out to start the actual wheel bearing work. The bottom of the strut (for the uninitiated, it's the more-or-less vertical black cylinder in the upper left part of the pic) is still in the way.

I've been tapping on the carrier (light hammer taps, with a piece of wood taking the blows) to get it as far as I have. My question now is whether or not I'm going to create problems with either the LCA ball joint:



...or the ball joint at the innermost end of the diagonal control arm:



It may be hard to tell from the photos, but they're both getting some pretty significant angles to them. (The carrier tapped down to where it is pretty easily; now progress is getting tough.) I'm really trying NOT to break anything here.

I guess my options are:
1) disconnect the strut at the top, which might give me some more play.
2) unbolt the bolts at the ball joint and/or at the inner end of the diagonal control arm.
I was trying to avoid #1, because I think everything then gets all loosy-goosy which, I would think, would make extracting the hub and bearing more difficult. (I'm working alone much of the time.)

Are there any "issues" involved with #2 other than just wrenching off the nuts? No ball joint tool involvement? (I don't have one---though I suppose I could pick one up.)

Would a spring compressor (available at the local Auto Zone or Advanced Auto) be of any help?

Any advice appreciated.
Frodo is offline   Reply With Quote