Ball joint problems?

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03JeepJeep

03JeepJeep

It's a hoot!
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Hey guys and gals need some help from the experts.

Picked up my dart and had my mechanic check it out while I am at school. Both front upper ball joins needed replaced so they ordered them and went to replace them the drivers side went in fine but the passenger side was to small and sat loose in the slot, they were able to shim it so they could move it around. The measurement of the ball joint was 1.835 inches.

So what could be going on?

Thanks.
 
Is it loose in the control arm or the steering knuckle
There are two different sizes depending on the year
Moog number are K704 small ball joint K772 large ball joint.
There is nothing to shim.
Also the upper ball joint screw into the upper control arm, many shops don't know this and try to press it out destroying the control arm.
 
If its the right ball joint for the control arm and its loose because the threads just wont bite, you can tack weld em in without issues. Or replace that upper control arm.
 
I would also state that a shop that doesn't know how to fix this shouldn't touch it again... This stuff ain't rocket science, but too many shops over the years have shown their inability to understand Mopar front ends...
 
william said:
There is nothing to shim.
Also the upper ball joint screw into the upper control arm, many shops don't know this and try to press it out destroying the control arm.
Click to expand...

And THIS is probably exactly what they did and why it won't fit right now.
 
Well since they have worked on these car brand new I figure they would know something. I'm just a middle man in info here.
No, I don't know what they shimmed but I was told they did to make it moveable.
My research shows there are two different sizes of joints. Abodies: 1.803 and E/C bodies 1.908. If the joint they have measures at 1.835 then it's to big for the standard abody but to small for a E/C body. So if the on they have is to small then I'm lead to guess someone has changed the control arm.
 
03JeepJeep said:
Well since they have worked on these car brand new I figure they would know something. I'm just a middle man in info here.
No, I don't know what they shimmed but I was told they did to make it moveable.
My research shows there are two different sizes of joints. Abodies: 1.803 and E/C bodies 1.908. If the joint they have measures at 1.835 then it's to big for the standard abody but to small for a E/C body. So if the on they have is to small then I'm lead to guess someone has changed the control arm.
Click to expand...


is your car large bolt pattern or small bolt pattern??
 
the large bolt ball joint will not fit into the spindle unless its reamed out. sounds like the upper arm may be stretched out.. a replacement may be in order. or maybe you have large bolt and the wrong ball joint was in the box? were the two ball joints the same? the shop doesn't sound like they know what they are doing. if they have been doing these cars since new i would think they would know how to fix the issue. any idea what they put a shim in??
 
Nope I don't know what they shimmed.
The ball joint fit the other side just fine, so it's the control arm my guess.
 
Very few shops have the correct ball joint sockets now a days.
I would just ask them if they they pressed out the old ball joints or used a socket, if they say huh, you have your answer.

You could just have a bad upper control arm...
 
03JeepJeep said:
Hey guys and gals need some help from the experts.

Picked up my dart and had my mechanic check it out while I am at school. Both front upper ball joins needed replaced so they ordered them and went to replace them the drivers side went in fine but the passenger side was to small and sat loose in the slot, they were able to shim it so they could move it around. The measurement of the ball joint was 1.835 inches.

So what could be going on?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Do you think it is possible the pressed out the passenger's side, then realized it was threaded when it wouldn't go back in tight and then did the driver's side right? I have never heard of shimming anything.

While the shop may have worked on these cars since they were new that
doesn't mean the tech has.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Do you think it is possible the pressed out the passenger's side, then realized it was threaded when it wouldn't go back in tight and then did the driver's side right? I have never heard of shimming anything.

While the shop may have worked on these cars since they were new that
doesn't mean the tech has.
Click to expand...

THIS is my guess at the problem. Or you could just have a control arm that has decided to retire.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Do you think it is possible the pressed out the passenger's side, then realized it was threaded when it wouldn't go back in tight and then did the driver's side right?
Click to expand...

This is what I was wondering.
If it was loose in the first place why didn't it just flop around before they messed with it?
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Do you think it is possible the pressed out the passenger's side, then realized it was threaded when it wouldn't go back in tight and then did the driver's side right? I have never heard of shimming anything.

While the shop may have worked on these cars since they were new that
doesn't mean the tech has.
Click to expand...

That's my guess^
 
I would check the threads if they are flattened downwards as in pressed out someone would be buying me a new control arm.
 
Nope wasn't pressed out, they used a socket. The control is what was messed up.
Thanks
 
03JeepJeep said:
Nope wasn't pressed out, they used a socket. The control is what was messed up.
Thanks
Click to expand...

The control arm is what is threaded.

How do you know it wasn't pressed, were you standing there?

It may also be screwed up because they used an impact gun on it.

It may just have given up but if they have worked on these since they were new they should know what the standard fix is.

This is why I do all my own work. That way if there is a problem I know what caused it, who did it and if it was done wrong.
 
Control arms fail. It happens. It is a 40 year old part. I don't have any extra upper arms, but maybe someone here does.
 
Revhendo said:
Control arms fail. It happens. It is a 40 year old part. I don't have any extra upper arms, but maybe someone here does.
Click to expand...

I know they do. The previous owner jerry rigged it so it would be movable. Good thing I trailered the car back
 
There are a couple of members that have offered some for sale recently that were cleaned up, ready to go recently and very very reasonably priced. I thought about buying them as spares because they were so cheap.

It might have been OldManMopar or SGBarracuda.
 
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