BX Steering swivel balljoint

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beemernut
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BX Steering swivel balljoint

Post by beemernut »

Having replaced the pivot droplinks on the BX (1.9 Diesel 1990), went in to get 2 new tyres to be shown that the passenger side swivel balljoint is slightly loose.

According to the "book of lies" this balljoint screws into the upper mounting and you need a "special Citroen tool" to remove it. Is this the case or can it be done at home?
BX 19 Meteor Diesel 1990
BX 19 TRS 1987
BX 17TZD Estate 1992
XM 2.0SI Mark 1 1990
In the words of OGRI "Stuff Everything - I've always got my bike" (or should that be Bike & Citroens?)
citronut
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Post by citronut »

lower swivel is screwed into the bottom of the hub,there is a special tool which is like a large socket with castleations on that fit into the 4 slots around the edge of the swivel joint,and then you refit the nut back onto the swivel pin to hold the tool in place whilst you undo and on refitting the swivel joint,the tool is sold by most of the motor factors like partco/lucas/ajays and halfrauds,dont remember how much they cost,these joints are done up to about 50 pound foot and then peened over at the edge which meets the hub
regards malcolm
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Lower-Ball ... ategory=99
This special socket is held in place by the swivel joint nut. You then turn the socket using a standard 35mm hexagon socket.

BEWARE :!: This sviwel joint is an unbelieveable incredible tight fit in the hub :shock: You MUST use 3/4" drive 35mm socket and a 3/4" tommy bar - with a waterpipe as an extender. Anything else will snap.
There are LARGE riscs you injury yourself or your car during attempts to remove it.

Only sensible method is to completely strip down and remove the hub, as then you have a decent chance to hold the hub firmly, while you apply the huge forces needed.
Anders (DK) - '90 BX16Image
Peter.N.
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Post by Peter.N. »

I can confirm - they are very tight. Any attempt to remove them without the proper tool will probably end in tears!
frankielunn
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Post by frankielunn »

There is one for sale on ebay at the moment...300023802520.only a few pounds.
i can confirm they are a pig to get out just using punches and chisels.
slim123
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Post by slim123 »

Please don't go the bodgy route and resort to a hammer and punch, you might move it, but in most cases you will only ruin the slots to take the proper tool, then nobody will be able to do it and you will have to by a new hub!!

These joints are fitted with loctite, to remove you will need the proper tool, when purchasing the new joint, dont forget the heat shield, it don't cost much and you will ruin the old one.

Remove the hub-cap
Remove the split pin and the drive-shaft centre nut
Depressurise onto axle stands
Remove the wheel
Undo the lower ball joint nut
Using a joint splitter, get the arm off from the ball joint
Pull the hub from the drive shaft
Put the proper tool on the ball joint
Place a suitable long bar through the centre of the hub (I use an old drive shaft)
At this point if you have an oxy acetalyne set, you can warm up the area around the threads of the ball joint
Working the bar against the "T" bar of a 1 inch drive socket set, you should be able to grunt and undo the ball joint.

Most parts that are fitted with loctite will respond very well to heat, loctite will free off at 300 degrees. To get the 300 degrees, put some standard bar soap on the part to be heated, the soap will turn black at 300 degrees.

Putting the bits back together is easy, but don't forget the heat shield, without this the disk heat will soon ruin the new joint.

Regards
Slim
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Post by bxbodger »

The special tool is easily available from good spares shops, if they look blankly at you tell 'em it's for a Pug 405, it's the same thing.

Make the job easy- don't even bother trying to do it on the car. get the hub off and in a vice, it takes 30 minutes or so to get it off and after 30 minutes of swearing and struggling with it on the car you'll wish you'd taken it off the car in the first place.....

The main problem with these is not the threaded bit- when you get it out you'll probably find it's not corroded. What sticks is the face that mates to the hub assembly where the collar is peaned over to lock the balljoint in. That rusts to the hub and causes the difficulties getting these out when they've been in for years.

First give it a good scrub with the wire brush to find where the collar's been peaned.You may or may not now be able to easily get them out with the socket: I never have,but I've got it down to a fine art now-I just stick them in the vice and cut them straight off with the grinder, you then find that the threaded bit just screws out.

The fancy socket is useful for putting the new one in, however, and use a bit of copper grease on the mating face. Loctite isn't neccessary as you pean the collar over to stop it turning. Both of my heatshields have long since vanished, but they don't seem to do anything, anyway.It's been fine without them.
slim123
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Post by slim123 »

"I just stick them in the vice and cut them straight off with the grinder, you then find that the threaded bit just screws out"


The heat from the grinding will release the loctite.

If the heat shields dont do anything, Why did Citroen feel it neccasary to put them on in the factory??

All car manufacturers think very carefull about using unneccasary parts, as a saving of £1 per car is one hell of a lot of cash at the end of a production run.

My advice would be to loctite them back in, peen over the tab and fit a new heat shield.

Have you ever seen what happens when a lower ball joint unscrews itself?

I have!! It causes a lot of damage, all for the sake of a couple of drops of loctite.

Regards
Slim.
citronut
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Post by citronut »

i dont think the factory fitted joints have loctite on,but i might be best to use it on the new one,also i would not use heat as it will travel up into the hub bearing and melt the grease,then not much later down the line you will be haveing it all apart to replace the bearing
regards malcolm
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Wouldn't a joint working loose rattle like ******y? - and probably make the car wander all over the road?
jeremy
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

I've often (well, relatively often...) wondered if those heatshield things are actually heatshields at all, as I can't see the disc generating anywhere near enough heat to cause damage to the balljoint.

Citroen refer to it as a 'pivot protector' but protection from what, exactly, isn't clear.
frankielunn
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Post by frankielunn »

In haynes they call it a DUST protector i should imagine they mean brake dust,incidently when i did my xantia bearing i left it off as it wouldnt stay on even after peening it over,
slim123
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Post by slim123 »

Yes the joint would rattle like hell. but some people ignore this!!

I can recall the time when I had to fetch in a young lady with her BX, the front wheel had dropped off, 3 days before she had got a couple of new front tyres fitted and the rattle started just as she got home, she decided to wait untill she was free to get it checked out, and continued to drive the car around, not knowing that she had loose wheel nuts.

The front whell dropped off just as she was about a mile away from me, coming to get her rattle looked at!!

Rattles dont allways put people off.

Another point, Yes the ball joint is loctited in at the factory, and the shield is there for a good reason, put it back on!!

Regards
Slim
citronut
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Post by citronut »

the shield is to protect the swivel joint from heat of the brake disc,just see how long you can hold you hand on the disc after you have been on a resonably long journy,and what holds these joints in place is the peening of the edge into the slots in the bottom of the hub
regards malcolm
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