Ball Joints ZJ
Feel like I am taking crazy pills here... bought a complete pack of ball joints (just mopar OEM ones) and went to install them. Everything went well on the drivers side, although there was a grease zerk on the lower ball joint that interfered with the axle. I just took the grease zerk out, and I noticed that there was a little plug on the joint that I took out so I put it on that joint. No big deal everything seemed to line up so I tightened it down and went to the passengers side.
I pull the upper ball joint, then I noticed that the lower did not have a zerk hole. I pulled it and opened the package for the new one, and the ball joint that came with the kit did not have a grease zerk. I figured that maybe the joints were supposed to be that way? So I pressed in the lower ball joint and put the knuckle back on. I tightened everything down and got it all back together. Then I noticed that tightening it down had actually drew the ball joint out of the C a little bit. Only like 1/16 of an inch, but it is no longer seated up against the bottom of the C.
To me this says that the taper on the joint is too short, or it is too small. I did not crank the thing down, just normal snug to seat the taper in the knuckle and put the cotter pin through the castle nut. Normally I would think that they must have sent the wrong part, but the fact that the parts I took off happened to be configured exactly the same makes me wonder if I am overlooking something here.
Thanks for the help.
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