lower ball joint fit issues

I recently replaced the upper and lower ball joints on one side. The upper was a driverworks cheapo from advance and the lower was a trw one.

The problem is the lower seemed like a loose fit. There is no type of retaining device however it doesn't look like it's going to fall out or be a problem when driving. It didn't need to be pressed in and could barely hold it's own weight without dropping out.

After tightening the upper the lower pulled down a lot almost half way out of the hub when i tightened it. This could cause more play in the future because of the loose taper fit.

There is no noticeable play when jacked up.

I'm just not satisfied with the loose fit but if you guys say it's normal i'll leave it.

i just did lowers and uppers myself...

something is amiss, the lowers should be tight. when you say the lower pulled half way out of the hub do you mean the lower part of the C its mounted in? regardless, it shouldnt do this. it should be fully seated and stay there...

Yeah when i tightened it it pulled itself out of the C a little.

That is definitely not how it's supposed to be, and I would not drive it like that (this coming from a guy who will drive some pretty janky junk.) Either the balljoint is badly made and is undersize, or your inner C is wallowed out or cracked. Hope for the former, I'd try another set of (better brand) balljoints. I have had great luck with TRW ones from Crown Auto, and the Spicer ones I got from alljeep for 40 bucks a side were OK but for some reason came with no nuts so if you get those check before removing your old balljoint so you can make sure the nut is reusable if needed.

Did the old ball joint have that loose fit also? If so, your problem is the the inner C. If the old ball joint had a tight fit, then you might have been given the wrong ball joint from the store.

I went to a napa and got a new lower ball joint...this one had splines on it and fit a little more snug. I used ball joint adapter and hit it in with a hammer.

When it started getting tight it started to pull out so i took everything out and hit the top in a few spots with the arc welder. Next time i tightened it up it was more snug but i didn't crank on it. Probably about 30 or 40ft lbs.

I have a bad habit of not listening to torque specs and i stripped the brake bolt finishing it up...another 2 hour project that will take 5 hours.

Combatcm said:

When it started getting tight it started to pull out so i took everything out and hit the top in a few spots with the arc welder. Next time i tightened it up it was more snug but i didn't crank on it. Probably about 30 or 40ft lbs.

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Tacking the ball joint in is OK as long as the joint is not heated too much so that it damages the internals. The ball joint needs to be completely pushed in before tacking.
The FSM calls for the bottom ball joint to be tightened to 80-ft lbs and then seeing if the cotter key hole lines up. If not, continue tightening until the next hole lines up. Install a cotter key.
The bottom ball joint stud is a beefy piece of metal so do not be concerned about stripping it just as long as you follow the FSM instructions. Get it too loose and it will start moving and possibly screw up the taper in the knuckle.