Exploding Ball Joint

[Canyon Man]

Hello all,
I just saw my life flash before my eyes. I am a pretty safe guy I'd like to think. I have my safety glasses, fire extinguisher, fire blanket.....So I was trying to get the lower ball joint out and not getting anywhere. So after 1/2 hour of getting nowhere I broke out the acetylene torch and heated the area around it till it was a nice faint cherry color, then all of a sudden KABOOOOM. I was thrown back and my ears ringing for at least 20 min. What had happened was the ball exploded out of the joint, blew a chunk of concrete out of my floor and landed 10 feet away. The only thing I can think of is that there may have been an airtight seal between the ball and socket and the residual grease steamed up and had nowhere to go so next, KABOOOM. In 30 years I have never had this happened.. anyone else hear of this ever

 

[Erich Zeppelin]

Oh snap! How's the Expedition?

 

[Canyon Man]

After that, I pinched myself, checked for blood, and called it a day.
But no damage to the expedition

 

[walnuts4x4]

damn no video???? lol... glad your safe but that had to scare the out of ya

 

[Erich Zeppelin]

Thank God, it's cheaper to fix you than it is to fix the Expedition!

 

[Canyon Man]

You aint kidding..some of the estimates....well today I go back to hopefully finish the job. I'm RR the front rotors,upper and lower ball joints,wheel hub assemblies, inner outer tie rods,spark plugs,pcv valve,air cleaner,oil change and air filter, interior air filter.. I THINK that's it. Ok maybe I'll be done tomorrow .

 

[walnuts4x4]

sounds like a fun full day of work.... wanna come do mine when your done???

 

[treycool94]

Oh snap! How's the Expedition?

this is all we care about...

 

[Canyon Man]

and thats why I love this forum

 

[Canyon Man]

Well I talked to a local mechanic the other day and he had the same thing happen only he was not as lucky. The vehicle was on the rack when the ball joint exploded. Broke his arm in 6 places and he would have bled to death but the ball joint was red hot so it cotorized the length of his arm. He has a scar about a foot long,1" wide and 1/8 deep. He did the same procedure I did and he believed it was also due to the lack of the grease fitting on it.

 

[KWT2000]

the 1st warning in alldata is do not heat up press fit ball joints!!!

well glad you are ok, and good lesson learned the hard way

 

[Canyon Man]

What the hell is all data?

 

[KWT2000]

it is similar to mitchell on demand.. it is a step by step how to with all warnings and tsb's

 

[socomboy]

getting mine chaned soon upper and lower both sies. 300 seems like a good deal. would do it myself but hard pressed on time. glad you and the expy is okay

 

[Canyon Man]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So after all I've been through, I'm similar to wolverine.