Mixing ball joints from a 4wd on a 2wd

[WonderTruck92]

I hope someone can help me. I have a 1992 Ranger 2WD 2.3L 4cyl and I believe it has a Dana 35 axle (pinch bolt). I am in the middle of replacing nearly everything on my front suspension (bushings, leveling springs, shocks, ball joints, tie rods, rotors, calipers, brake pads). I ordered new ball joints but I inadvertantly purchased the 4wd MOOG model numbers from Rock Auto instead of the 2wd. I already pressed them into the knuckle and attached to the axle. Then I discovered they were wrong. Will these 4wd ball joints cause any problems on my 2wd truck? The lowers look identical to what was on the truck previously. The uppers are taller with a small snap ring groove but the diameter is the same. When I installed the upper, the knuckle is too thick to allow for the small snap ring to be installed which I think is okay given the 2wd were shorter anyway. The bottom larger snap ring fits fine just like the orginal. The lowers installed indentical to the previous ones.

Also I had a grease fitting break off on one of the upper ball joints so I went to O'Reilly's and purchased a new MOOG upper but it is the 2wd model number. What problems could I encouter if I use a 2wd upper ball joint on the drivers side and a 4wd upper ball joint on the passenger side?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[shane96ranger]

*****scratching head******

It has a Dana 35 axle.... but it's a 2wd?

 

[WonderTruck92]

I'm a beginner so I could have easily got the axle wrong. What I have has a pinch bolt to hold the camber bushing and upper ball joint stud. I posted some pictures in an album.

 

[bmerr98]

So the left upper just presses in with no snap ring, and the right upper (which is the 4wd one) has a groove for a snap ring but won't press in far enough to install it? I may be wrong, but if it were me, as long as it fit as tight as the other side and the only discernible difference is the length of the shaft and the snap ring groove, I might just run it. If you have a caliper type measuring tool (Harbor Freight sometimes has them for under $10) you could measure both shafts and make sure the diameters are the same.

I will stand to be corrected, but I think you may be ok.

 

[Teddyzee]

It's fairly common to run the 4wd ball joint int the '89-'97 front ibeam suspension.

 

[adsm08]

*****scratching head******

It has a Dana 35 axle.... but it's a 2wd?

I'm a beginner so I could have easily got the axle wrong. What I have has a pinch bolt to hold the camber bushing and upper ball joint stud. I posted some pictures in an album.

His confusion is because a 2wd doesn't have a front axle per se. The D-28/D35 designations refer to the differential bolted to the front beam. Since you are a 2wd with no front diff you have neither, just a set of beams to hold the wheels and steering to the truck.

 

[bmerr98]

Welcome to TRS, by the way! Good looking '92!

 

[WonderTruck92]

Thank you bmerr98 for the advice and warm welcome. I don't have any calipers but I did lay the two overtop each other and did not see any difference at all in the width. Plus Teddyzee's response is very encouraging to me so I will stay with it. If I encounter any problems later I will re-post.

Also thank you adsm08 for the clarification on the axle.

 

[WonderTruck92]

I may have my first problem already with the upper ball joints mixed between the 2wd and the 4wd versions. Right now I cannot turn the steering to the left more than 1 1/2 turns before it binds up not allowing it to turn any further. Turning to the right is normal at 2 1/2 turns. I asked the local suspension/alignment shop to look into it and quality control my work. At first look they suspect is the upper ball joints installed incorrectly or the mixing of the 2wd and 4wd. Any suggestions ? Do the MOOG ball joints have to be installed in a specific direction?

My suspicion is more to do with the 3.5 degree adjustable camber bushing I installed to try to correct the positive camber from the leveling springs. Is it possible the angle of the camber bushing turned to the maximum cause the binding of the ball joint not allowing it to turn? The bushing did have a warning sticker saying to not adjust the 2wd beyond 2.5 degrees.

I am on vacation so I will see what the shop tells me. Could turn into an expensive lessons learned.

Thanks,

 

[bmerr98]

Did you inform the alignment techs of the camber bushing you had installed? I honestly don't see ball joints limiting rotation. Maybe they could, but idk how, especially when the only perceivable difference was the length of the shaft that doesn't move anyway.

I do know that changing the height of the front suspension can mess with the geometry of your steering linkage. You may need a dropped pitman arm. I bought a '79 F150 years ago that did what you describe, steered tight right and wide left. It had about 4" of lift but a stock Pitman arm. I installed the right pitman arm and the steering linkage geometry was restored and all was well.

 

[WonderTruck92]

Yeah the technician doesn't believe it is the camber bushing either. I noticed the lack of turning after I tightend down the upper ball joint pinch bolt and re-installing the brake calipers. I thought it was pulling on the brake line but didn't look like it.

I was considering a drop pitman arm anyway after reading the tech reference about stearing and keeping the steering in line with the axles. I will search for a reduce price on drop pitman arms.