Update- the arms arrived today. Ordered them yesterday from Island 4x4 in Kent. Just fitted them- 45 mins per side. Quiet as a mouse now! MOT retest in the morning, jobs a good un! 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Stealer just quoted me 5 hours labour to replace both rear control arm bushings. Parts are reasonably priced but 5 hours seems a bit much, no

mike.

I had creaking noises too ... popped it into my local independant - ball joint on one side - £110 + VAT

Quite happy with that I think ...

Would have been a days work for me !

 2003 Vogue 4.4
2005 BMW 330d
Gone - 2002 TD6 HSE

Edited Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

Apologies for resurrecting an old post, but it might help others at some point. The advice about using a trolley jack and spanner to 'ping' the ball joint out didn't work for me. What did work though was £5.99 spent at Machine Mart for a ball joint splitter (it looks like a tuning fork). A good whack with a lump hammer once it was in place and the hours that I spent fiddling were suddenly forgotten. If you do buy a splitter make sure it's a big one - mine has a 22mm slot.
Hope this helps someone.

Chris

I embarked on replacing front and rear arms and the rear arm ball joint, but all did not go well so beware.

With various creaks and rattles, I also noted that the bush on the rear arm was not existent.

There is an optimum order of tasks necessary.

1. Remove front arm to make space to access rear arm and ball joint.
2. Remove rear arm
3. Remove rear ball joint

All good fun with lots of hammering and grazed knuckles until item 3. Totally seized. Drifts, hammers, pneumatic chisel all failed.

Ended up reassembling and taking to local garage who put it on the ramp. They needed heat and everything heavy they could hit it with.

After looking forward to this job for months, all very disappointing.

Not sure what I could have done to ease it up, as I had been applying easing agent and freeze spray over the past few days in preparation, except making sure over the years ensuring that the underneath is protected from corrosion. Having said that, this was not just sealed in by surface rust, there was clear signs of galvanic action between the concealed body of the ball joint casing and the hub.

I checked the vehicle service records which I have kept since I picked it up new in 2005. It appears that all these components were original after 200k miles. This is pretty impressive, even if it resulted in yet another feeling that middle age is taking its toll. 2014 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography & 2015 3.0SDV6 HSE Lux Discovery 4
2005 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE & 2011 3.0SDV6 HSE Discovery 4
2002 4.4 Vogue
2000 4.6 Vogue
2010 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE
2009 Freelander 2 TD4.e 2009
1992 Mercedes 300D
1986 Renault 2.1 Turbo D
1976 Morris Marina 1.8

I have a somewhat unorthodox method for removing stuck ball joints when all else fails.

Just undo the nut and retighten ligthly by hand then unscrew half a turn and put pack the split pin or locking tabs as the case may be. Then take the car out for a short drive over speed bumps, natural rough terrain or whatever is available that will make the suspension work hard. Don't go far though and check after a short while so that as soon as it gets loose you drive back to the garage slowly and carefully.

I've used this method succesfully in the past but never tried on a RR yet. It works best on control arms and other highly stressed parts, not so well on steering ball joints.

Sometimes it is possible also instead of driving to jack the car up and down a few times, each time lifting the wheel off the ground and then lowering completely. Raising and lowering the air suspension might also work but you will need to start the engine which might be a problem if you;re working indoors.

Hmmmmm....

That would be an interesting insurance claim.... How accident happened... I slackened off all my suspension arms and..................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why not just use the proper tool... your saving yourself loads by doing it yourself anyway...

Always found a good whack with a club hammer on the side of the joint works, most people who DIY are scared to hit hard enough because they think they will damage it... just watch a trained mechanic to see how hard to hit.... If you don't want to hit it then use a splitter as RRBlue says....  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

I did say 'when all else fails', that is all else up to and including a hydraulic extraction but short of an oxyacetylene torch or explosives.

As long as you leave the nut in place secured with the split pin nothing is going to come off, it will just be a bit noisy.

This was the ball joint. It was not the tapered fit to the suspension arm that was the problem. It was the plated casing and bolted flange totally bonded to the knuckle.

Click image to enlarge

I have just done this on the passenger side of my 2012 today.

What a right royal PITA.

ended up knocking the actual ball and plastic out of the casing then cutting the casing with a hacksaw threaded through the middle followed by smashing it out with a cold chisel....

not a fun job and one I probably shouldn't have started...... However it came out in the end and the new one wound in with the bolts so at least re fitting was straight forwards.

No real technique, just brut force and ignorance. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

I once did a similar job on my old E39 M5, similar looking ball joints and was a pain to remove, I bought a pickle fork to break apart the joints no luck.

On the M5 forums everyone recommended this very specific brand of pickle fork, cant remember it now I ordered it looked like the one I had been using, after a few taps with this pickle fork the joints separated. Current:
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2003 Range Rover V8 HSE
2014 BMW 125i

Previous:
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2005 VW Golf GTI
2001 BMW E39 M5
1991 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6
1995 Range Rover P38 4.6 HSE
1991 Suzuki SJ413

Too many others to mention

cant see any photos im in the middle of the job now