Drop arm removal help.

dantips · May 15, 2012

Is there any way of removing the steering drop arm without pullers?
My defender failed its mot on the ball joint but I can't get the drop arm off and it's had it.

jamesmartin · May 15, 2012

wheel off and hit it with large punch and large hammer

ratty · May 15, 2012

2 hammers or else change the ball joint in situ.

Andy Land · May 15, 2012

Or do what I did and cut very carefully in a vertical line with an angle grinder. Go very slowly when you get to the end as you don't want to damage the splines. That's the only way I could get mine off after having no luck at all with any other method I tried.
Good luck

sible88 · May 15, 2012

Big hammer

Robbo5833 · May 15, 2012

Have you tried hitting it from the side? It normally helps "shock" them off

dantips · May 15, 2012

ratty said:
2 hammers or else change the ball joint in situ.

I tried changing the ball joint but couldn't get the metal top piece out, also the rubber cover won't stay in place because the arm has been abused in the past.
Is the rubber an mot fail?

Andy Land · May 15, 2012

dantips said:
I tried changing the ball joint but couldn't get the metal top piece out, also the rubber cover won't stay in place because the arm has been abused in the past.
Is the rubber an mot fail?

I believe it is, like a track rod end boot is a fail but not 100% sure. Mine had perished so I changed it before the MOT.

jamesmartin · May 15, 2012

i use a half shaft as punch and large lump hammer ,but you could cut yours off since your replacing it

Shifty1962 · May 16, 2012

Use a "thin" cutting disc on your angle grinder and cut almost all the way through before splitting with a cold chisel. Just be careful not to damage the splines or get things too hot or you could fry the seals in the steering box. Likewise dont be tempted to warm things up with a torch or you will melt the steering box output shaft seal.

I dont like belting them with a hammer as it can damage the steering box output shaft bearing.

jamesmartin · May 16, 2012

never seen knocking them off damage bearing or shaft

gse1986 · May 16, 2012

depending on how quickly, some form of oil (penetrating oil maybe....?) Luckily the reason I had to remove mine was because the box was leaking, which had nicely loosened things up, so as soon as the huge bolt was undone the drop arm fell off

Shifty1962 · May 16, 2012

I know of one that leaked constantly after being malleted. No obvious damage but it never did seal again. A second box that started leaking after an arm change showed signs of lateral movement in the output shaft which may have been down to the beating it got before the arm gave up and dropped off. Cant be sure but I dont like the hammer method so I dont use it.

jamesmartin · May 16, 2012

fair enough ,ive stripped built quite a few ,in a recondtioners ,bearings occasionally break up but we found were already from the rotational marks on the shaft ,but vast majority showed no untoward signs ,most of the time a good few whacks were needed with puller on it but to generally agree

Dads toy · May 16, 2012

You can soak it in releasing fluid for a week, thump it with hammers, on the side on the 2 "ears", with a long drift for a few days but unless you're lucky will end up cutting it off - so save some aggro and cut it off!

Malcolm

sible88 · May 17, 2012

I have never had to cut one!!
Use a big bar from the top and a swift wack with a hammer and she will budge.
Can see any harm cutting it as your replacing it thou.
Ball joint splitter works too.

dantips · May 18, 2012

Quick update, I decided to take it for the retest and see what they said, he never mentioned it and gave me a nice new certificate.
Think ill do the disco conversion at some point though.

Shifty1962 · May 18, 2012

Just shows you what a lottery the MOT test can be.

discomania · May 18, 2012

Good you got your MOT sorted, I would suggest you do get it fixed though, it's a critical part.

I agree with shifty, don't hit them, the bearing is not designed to take that sort of hard shock, shaft and bearing may not looked damaged that that's not to say you haven't just knocked 10000miles of it's life. The bearing in normal operation doesn't have to endure large laternal forces, it's design will suit radial forces.

Two hammers and at the same time, strike the arm either side of the shaft to shock it off, what you are actually doing is causing the metal around the shaft to go oval, opening it up enough that it will enventually just fall off the shaft.

It is critical that you hit both hammers of the SAME size at the same time, thus minimising the forces on the steering box.

roamingman · May 18, 2012

discomania said:
Good you got your MOT sorted, I would suggest you do get it fixed though, it's a critical part.

I agree with shifty, don't hit them, the bearing is not designed to take that sort of hard shock, shaft and bearing may not looked damaged that that's not to say you haven't just knocked 10000miles of it's life. The bearing in normal operation doesn't have to endure large laternal forces, it's design will suit radial forces.

Two hammers and at the same time, strike the arm either side of the shaft to shock it off, what you are actually doing is causing the metal around the shaft to go oval, opening it up enough that it will enventually just fall off the shaft.

It is critical that you hit both hammers of the SAME size at the same time, thus minimising the forces on the steering box.

Thats what I have allways done both sides together.

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