Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and - Joined
- Aug 26, 2008
- Messages
- 1,094
- Vehicle Year
- 1994, 2001
- Transmission
- Automatic
- My credo
- Failing is easy. Everyone can do it.
Hello Campers! Yeah I know I've not been around for a while. Life takes over and throws us for a loop.
Any rate. Still have the 1989 Bronco II RWD.
Sadly it failed inspection. Bad tie rod end. So it's been replaced and then a few days later I noted a shake/shimmy. Only thing I could find was a bad lower ball joint on the right side. I also found out that NYS no longer bombs inspections for a bad ball joint, unless it's ready to blow apart.
Mine had about 1/4" play, so yeah....not good. Changed it out and the upper at the same time.
First off, I'll vent. China sucks at making a castle nut. Right part, but the castle nut was to short and the hole for the cotter pin wasn't lined up (the hole was tooooooo high. So I had to customize the cotter pin to do the job.) Not the first time I've had this issue, and the old castle nut is a different thread, but about 1/4" higher. So I couldn't reuse it.
As for the upper ball joint? Now the one that came out wasn't doing to well. Spun free...seized...free....seized...free...you can get the idea. Had a heck of a wear pattern inside.
Here's the question. The retainer for the upper ball joint--the one that does the alignment. Yeah it's a factory one and looks to be dead center for the joint. I'm planning on having a shop align it when I get my tax refund to make it proper. But here's the issue. The ball joint appears to be just below flush with the top of that alignment cam thing. The old one was flush. The new ball joint when installed actually has the cam bushing lifted about 1/4" from the spindle. I spread the clamp(s) to allow more room for the ball joint stud to rest in the seat, but it's like it's hitting solid metal and that cam bushing won't sit flush with the spindle.
Anyrate, we horsed that thing down as tight as possible...still sitting above the lip a fair distance and refuses to go down. I installed the new clamp bolt and torqued it to spec to hold things in place.
It drives fine, no issues. I just do not want any headaches down the road. It looks a bit odd with that flange sticking up that far. I did verify the parts and everything was ordered in and correct for the truck. I've had issues where the wrong one was ordered in as most in my area are 4wd, and this is 2wd.
Any ideas? Or am I just chasing shadows..... The alignment shop I'm going to has all the older cams and adjusters for this, but I still wonder about that cam flange sticking up that far.
S-
Any rate. Still have the 1989 Bronco II RWD.
Sadly it failed inspection. Bad tie rod end. So it's been replaced and then a few days later I noted a shake/shimmy. Only thing I could find was a bad lower ball joint on the right side. I also found out that NYS no longer bombs inspections for a bad ball joint, unless it's ready to blow apart.
Mine had about 1/4" play, so yeah....not good. Changed it out and the upper at the same time.
First off, I'll vent. China sucks at making a castle nut. Right part, but the castle nut was to short and the hole for the cotter pin wasn't lined up (the hole was tooooooo high. So I had to customize the cotter pin to do the job.) Not the first time I've had this issue, and the old castle nut is a different thread, but about 1/4" higher. So I couldn't reuse it.
As for the upper ball joint? Now the one that came out wasn't doing to well. Spun free...seized...free....seized...free...you can get the idea. Had a heck of a wear pattern inside.
Here's the question. The retainer for the upper ball joint--the one that does the alignment. Yeah it's a factory one and looks to be dead center for the joint. I'm planning on having a shop align it when I get my tax refund to make it proper. But here's the issue. The ball joint appears to be just below flush with the top of that alignment cam thing. The old one was flush. The new ball joint when installed actually has the cam bushing lifted about 1/4" from the spindle. I spread the clamp(s) to allow more room for the ball joint stud to rest in the seat, but it's like it's hitting solid metal and that cam bushing won't sit flush with the spindle.
Anyrate, we horsed that thing down as tight as possible...still sitting above the lip a fair distance and refuses to go down. I installed the new clamp bolt and torqued it to spec to hold things in place.
It drives fine, no issues. I just do not want any headaches down the road. It looks a bit odd with that flange sticking up that far. I did verify the parts and everything was ordered in and correct for the truck. I've had issues where the wrong one was ordered in as most in my area are 4wd, and this is 2wd.
Any ideas? Or am I just chasing shadows..... The alignment shop I'm going to has all the older cams and adjusters for this, but I still wonder about that cam flange sticking up that far.
S-
