Working With The Stock Axle Ball Joints

The stock ball joints can often be troublesome to remove, especially if you haven't had a lot of practice with them. Many people are not even aware that Traxxas provides a tool to make removing and installing the ball joint easier. The tool, in case you've lost yours, is available in this set, and looks like a flat piece of metal with a slot in it. Below is a picture of the ball joint tool.

To remove the ball joint, you simply slide the tool in between the ball and one of the ears on the plastic axle. The tool should be positioned so that one of the pins on the ball joint, fits into the slot on the tool. Then simply hold the axle with one hand, and pry away from the ball with the other. It may take a small amount of effort, but the ball should pop out fairly easily.

If you still find working with the ball joints difficult, try heating the plastic joint up with a heat gun or hair dryer. This will help soften the plastic, and make it flex a little easier. You'll probably want to use the high setting for the hair dryer, however the heat gun should be set to low to avoid damaging the plastic.

To install a ball joint, you'll first place one pin on a ball into one of the ears on the axle as shown below.

Then take the tool and place it between the ear on the axle and the ball, once again make sure the pin is in the slot on the tool. Then pry towards the ball. You may find it necessary to push the ball into place with your finger once the pin is close to the hole.

I would recommend keeping a couple of spare axles, or driveshafts, on hand, especially if you are new to this procedure. While the plastic ears on the axles are tough, they can break from time to time, and you're much more likely to have this happen the first few times you walk through it.

While the stock tool has worked wonderfully for me, some people prefer to have a little more leverage and a nice handle on their ball joint tool. An old screwdriver, with a slot cut in it, works nicely for this. You'll find a good example provided by Swami here.