Ball Joint question

My Jeep has an offset ball joint on the right side that was adjusted wrong.
I would like to pull the BJ and reinsert it.
A friend told me that once you install a ball joint, you cannot reinstall it.
Is that correct? I'd rather not spend the money for a new if I can reuse the existing.
I took the XJ for alignment, it was found to be +.7 which is .2 too much.
I have seen an offset BJ at NAPA that was for 2 degrees correction and by eyeballing mine I guess that it is between 1-1.5 degrees.
My BJ right now is installed with the grease fitting towards the tire.
I told the guy that if we removed rotated the BJ and reinstalled with the grease fitting pointing forward or a little less, it would eliminate the problem.
He says it would make it worse.
My caster right now is L6.6 R7.1

The original question didn't bring any replies, I know we have the knowledge, so I'll wait.
There is another question in the mean time, how can I remove the offset BJ?
Being offset it will prevent a socket from fitting on the bottom to press it out.
Or at least it looks that way on pictures.

I don't know if you can or can't reuse ball joints. Shouldn't be too expensive, though.

The wrinkle is that you should probably get the right offset for your application. Due to the way the offset balljoints are made, if you try to use less than the joint is designed for (i.e., a 1 degree correction instead of it's full 1.5 degree correction,) you'll be affecting both caster and camber. If you install it in the proper orientation, then you'll be affecting camber (or caster) only.

ChiXJeff said:

I don't know if you can or can't reuse ball joints. Shouldn't be too expensive, though.

The wrinkle is that you should probably get the right offset for your application. Due to the way the offset balljoints are made, if you try to use less than the joint is designed for (i.e., a 1 degree correction instead of it's full 1.5 degree correction,) you'll be affecting both caster and camber. If you install it in the proper orientation, then you'll be affecting camber (or caster) only.

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They go for over $100.
If I installed the same BJ rotated lets say 45degr CCW, It might bring the camber in while taking a little from the caster which is OK there is plenty of it already not to mention that the caster is adjustable with sims.
Thanks.

It is common for these offset ball joints to rotate after installation. To do it right, you need to tack weld them in.

By the way, you waited a whole 6 hours before you complained.
That must be a new record for patience..

I just took two offset ball joints out of mine, they came out fine. But then I always grease everything up during assembly. Copper paste or lithium grease.
I had to make an adaptor or two to get a good fit. The way the knuckle yokes are made it is hard to get a ball joint press on there straight.
My offset ball joints sure didn't last long. I went back to stock and just rotate my tires often.

8Mud said:

I just took two offset ball joints out of mine, they came out fine. But then I always grease everything up during assembly. Copper paste or lithium grease.
I had to make an adaptor or two to get a good fit. The way the knuckle yokes are made it is hard to get a ball joint press on there straight.
My offset ball joints sure didn't last long. I went back to stock and just rotate my tires often.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately the ball joint is not marked. If there was a way to figure out how much correction it makes then it would be easier to decide whether to go with a stock.
I'll probably do what you did, go stock rotate tires.
Can you post a picture of the adaptor you made?

old_man said:

It is common for these offset ball joints to rotate after installation. To do it right, you need to tack weld them in.

By the way, you waited a whole 6 hours before you complained.
That must be a new record for patience..

Click to expand...

I bought it with the offset in. It gave the wheel too much
camber.7 or .9 depending on who's checking.
Are you saying that it rotated and that's why it is out of limits?
One more reason why it would be nice to get rid of it.

Glad you were amused.
Thanks.

old_man said:

It is common for these offset ball joints to rotate after installation. To do it right, you need to tack weld them in.

Click to expand...

I don't think mine have budged since I installed them 4 years ago. I know for sure they didn't move in the first 2 years, I had the alignment checked then, and it was dead on spec.

As far as the noobs go, they apparently don't want to listen.

falcon556 said:

Unfortunately the ball joint is not marked. If there was a way to figure out how much correction it makes then it would be easier to decide whether to go with a stock.
I'll probably do what you did, go stock rotate tires.
Can you post a picture of the adaptor you made?

Click to expand...

There wasn't much to the adapters I made, just some pieces of flat steel and various sizes of pipe (cut in short pieces). I did trim one 1 1/4" threaded conduit coupling (that was near a perfect fit for the bottom) at an angle to get a little better working angle. I also shimmed the flat steel for the same reason. It didn't look pretty, but worked. On the bottoms especially it is hard to get a straight push with my ball joint press. It keeps wanting to cant, becuase of the way the knuckle yokes are cast at a slight angle to the ball joint hole. The tops are a a lot easier.

8Mud said:

There wasn't much to the adapters I made, just some pieces of flat steel and various sizes of pipe (cut in short pieces). I did trim one 1 1/4" threaded conduit coupling (that was near a perfect fit for the bottom) at an angle to get a little better working angle. I also shimmed the flat steel for the same reason. It didn't look pretty, but worked. On the bottoms especially it is hard to get a straight push with my ball joint press. It keeps wanting to cant, becuase of the way the knuckle yokes are cast at a slight angle to the ball joint hole. The tops are a a lot easier.

Click to expand...

I pulled the tire and looked at it, it looks like it has half the correction of a 2 degree offset I saw at NAPA so, I'd say it is pretty close to being a 1 degree ball joint.
With camber being around +.7, I think that I can go to a standard BJ and still be within limits.
I don't understand why the previous owner replaced it in the first place.
Thanks, I'll keep this info until ready to do it.

falcon556 said:

I pulled the tire and looked at it, it looks like it has half the correction of a 2 degree offset I saw at NAPA so, I'd say it is pretty close to being a 1 degree ball joint.
With camber being around +.7, I think that I can go to a standard BJ and still be within limits.
I don't understand why the previous owner replaced it in the first place.
Thanks, I'll keep this info until ready to do it.

Click to expand...

The reason I went to offset joints was for the extra camber and high speed stablility.
My stock joints ( 0 camber) typically scrubbed the outside tire edge in turns. The tires actually wore better with the negative camber. And the XJ was a whole lot more stabile at triple digit speeds.

And the XJ was a whole lot more stabile at triple digit speeds.

Click to expand...

Now that's a concept...:scared: