yeah but are you telling me just bang on the top of the knuckle and it will slide down the bottom ball joint and pop off? or are you saying that if i wack it that it will some how just pop off?

 

Hit it from the side. One hammer on one side, smack it HARD with the other hammer, on the opposite side.

 

I beat the **** out of those knuckles today. I literally hit the passanger side which was the one I couldnt get off that I kept trying to get off the other day about 100 times. It just wouldnt budge. Finally it did. I even used a sludge hammer. It was a bitch. After all this that lower ball joint still wouldnt free on the passanger side. WTF! So I then spent the rest of the time trying to get the lower ball joint of the passanger side to come out. So now I just hope that I can get these damn ball joints out.

 

Can you cut it off with a hacksaw or something?

 

on my daughters 4 runner, i unbolted the ball joints and then removed the knuckles with the ball joints still pressed in. then took it down to the local machine shop and had them press out the old and press in the new. i don't remember how much they charged for the press work, maybe 25 or so, but it was worth every penny.

 

Yeah but ours arent in the knuckles on the 1500's.

 

oops.

 

I finally got everything done! I replaced all the ball joints and replaced the passanger side wheel bearing. The passanger side knuckle just did not want to come off. I must of beat on it for an hour and ever used a sludge hammer. The drivers side came off in 2 or 3 wacks with and engineers hammer or mini sludge as some call it. I'm to post a write up with pictures soon. Thanks for all the help everyone

 

Nothing like the satisfaction of learning something new and a job well done,hey? Congrats. Just think how easy it will be in a couple thousand miles when you have to do it again. lol

 

Lesson learned: when in doubt, hit it harder with an even bigger hammer.