upper control arm and joint prob

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Nov 17, 2015 | 10:10 PM

bent1

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From: San Antonio, TX

upper control arm and joint prob

I am installing a new upper control arm with an upper ball joint already installed with the arm that I bought from Orielly's. The arm installed ok except when it came to torqueing the castlating nut that connects to the steering knuckle. I never made it to 39Ft.Lbs when I realized the nut was way past the hole for the cotter pin. Does this mean the steering knuckle needs to be replaced? Thanks for your help

Nov 18, 2015 | 03:51 AM

bgw70

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Was the original that way?
If not, did they sell you the wrong part or a part that was manufactured incorrectly?

Nov 18, 2015 | 04:31 AM

bent1

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The original was loose and had play if you shook the knuckle at the 6'oclock and 12'oclock position at the ball joint. Everything looks exactly like the old one and its the right part no. Was thinking maybe the upper hole in the knuckle had worn and gotten bigger. Anybody heard of that happening? I would think the ball joint is softer and would wear first.

Nov 19, 2015 | 06:40 AM

leadfoot4

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Does the stud of the ball joint fit TIGHTLY in the hole of the spindle? If so, I suppose it's possible that the b/j was made incorrectly, and the stud is too long. In that case, if the stud will "lock" into the spindle, you could always use a "nylock" nut.....

Nov 21, 2015 | 06:20 AM

bent1

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what I did was use an ARP head bolt washer after I torqued to 39lbs and the cotter pin lined up perfectly

Nov 22, 2015 | 12:29 AM

joecar

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Do you mean that the nut went on too far, or that none of the slots lined up with the hole...?

Nov 22, 2015 | 07:23 AM

leadfoot4

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Quote:

Originally Posted by joecar

Do you mean that the nut went on too far, or that none of the slots lined up with the hole...?

Sounds like he meant that the stud extended too far from the underside of the spindle, when he tightened the nut, so the hole for the cotter pin was below the slots in the nut.

IMHO, it could be caused by two things. A) the b/j wasn't made correctly, and the stud is too long from the outset; or B) the original b/j stud had somehow worked loose in the spindle, and over time, by wiggling around, caused the hole in the spindle to get larger. Then, when the new b/j was installed, the stud protruded further down in the taper, causing the nut to be further up the stud, when it was tightened.