Another Control Arm / Ball Joint Question

[BenB]

Hello, this is my first post on this Forum.

I have a 1990 5sp Festiva and have experienced the same symptoms as described in the recent "Strange Clunk" topic.

In fact, I had the knuckle separate from the control arm (at the ball joint) twice while taking left turns and under acceleration.

SO I replaced the control arm with a new one from festiva motorsports, but still get a strange clunk and am worried I have not fixed the problem.

When I jack the car up and remove the wheel, I can get the ball joint to slide up and down in its clamp using a long bar for leverage (and thus making the clunk I am hearing). But it will not come out of the knuckle no matter how hard I try.

Is this normal after replacing the control arm or is there something I missed. I did not have access to a Haynes or shop manual for this and am wondering if I just did something slightly wrong.

Thanks.

BenB

[Festy46]

Did you put the correct size pinch bolt in the knuckle when you installed the ball joint? If the bolt is too small and/or your hole in the knuckle has been worn from the old ball joint being loose in the knuckle, it won't tighten well. A good knuckle with a new ball joint and the correct pinch bolt should make the union "rock solid".

[BenB]

As best I could tell I used the right bolt (it is the one that came with the new arm).

Might that bolt have been for the other end of the control arm where it mounts to the body?? I did notice it was about a half inch longer, but the diameter seemed apropriate.

Ben

[mattswabb]

Are you sure you got the spindle all the way on the ball joint?

[skeeters_keeper]

the peice of the ball joint that goes into the hub has a grove around it. That grove is for the bolt to go through, if you don't have it in far enough you won't be able to put the bolt thru.
Unless, of course, you don't have in in far enough and the bolt is above the ball joint (very bad!)

so, go look at it again, and MAKE SURE you put the ball joint in the hub and *then* install the bolt ( :lol: ), and that the bolt does pass through that 'grove'. if it does, then it would be virtually imposible for the hub to come off the ball joint. unless something was really messed up (i.e. you bought the wrong ball joints or something).

also: just as a reference, the peice of the ball joint that goes thru the hub should stick out the top about 1mm or so... just a little, but it shoudl go all the way to the top! if it doesn't then you havn't inserted it all the way.

hope you get it fixed easily,

[BenB]

I am not worried about the two seperating.

I can see the top of the ball joint above the clamp. The bolt is through the groove. And no matter how hard I try (jacked, with a huge prybar) I can't get it to come out.

I am worried that, with that prybar, I am getting a decent amount of up and down travel on the ball joint.

LikeFesty46 suggested, the bolt size seems too small, and it is sliding up and down inside the ball joint groove. I will pull it out today, and see what I see...

[oldgrezmonke]

also the torque suggested is 32-40 ft/lbs on both the pinch and pivot bolts and 47-57 on the stabilizer to control arm nut.