I put new bushings in the lower control arms and put the TL-S swaybar on the wife's 04 TL this weekend which was mostly painless. However in the process, I noticed the boot for the lower ball joint was cracked on one side.

I've got a pitman arm puller and a nice 2 jaw puller however I can't seem to get the sleeve off the ball joint that goes into the control arm to replace the boot.

Any other suggestions? I planned on running by HF and getting their little $20 ball joint separator to try also.

 

That bushing bushing should have stayed in the arm bur sometimes it does'nt. Soak it real good a few times with penetrating oil & peck around on it with a plastic hammer while prying upward with a screwdriver, be careful & don't ding it up beyond repair cause I'm not sure you can buy it seperatly. Warm it up a little with a propane torch & soak while it's expanded, it will finally turn loose.