Have you guys ever seen a ball joint failure like this?

4Gas$

4Gas$

Club Member
I'm at a loss here guys. Have you ever seen a ball joint failure
like this before?

The ball joint, half shaft and tire are all less than 100 miles old.
The ball joint is a "Moog Problem Solver", pricey top of the line.

Do you think Moog could / should / will be on the hook for the
complete repair on this or am I gonna eat all the other new parts
that this failure caused?

I hope to have a Auto repair shop document and repair it Monday.
My friend installed the ball joint and is very experienced in such
repairs, please look at the photos and share what you think happened.


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Looks like the bolt was to small to hold it in place, it didn’t fail it just popped out of the socket. I would bet if you remove the bolt it’s warn away. Probably needs a grade 8 maybe?
 
mikesfastss said:
Looks like the bolt was to small to hold it in place, it didn’t fail it just popped out of the socket. I would bet if you remove the bolt it’s warn away. Probably needs a grade 8 maybe?
Click to expand...


We used the new bolt that came with the new ball joint.
 
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The split in the knuckle should not have that gap. How easy is it to rotate the bolt? Same question for the nut..

The picture is hard to see for how thick the bolt is.
 
I can read 10.9 on the bolt head. From google........ Class 10.9 is stronger than class 8.8, and is commonly found in high strength automotive applications. Class 10.9 is similar to grade 8. Zinc plated for moderate corrosion resistance. A low carbon steel for general use.
 
Yes the bolt was torqued to spec. The new bolt that
came with the ball joint was installed.

I'm just not sure what actually happened. Will be
interesting to hear what the shop has to say.
 
Torque may have been set, but that doesn't mean it was achieved if angle or position during torquing could've been a factor. Hence the concern with that gap in the metal that is supposed to pinch the ball joint shank.
 
First, glad to see you stopped safely and did not end up in an accident.
Possible cause: looks like the ball joint stud was not inserted fully into the knuckle, if it was the bolt shank would have held it into the knuckle. The ball joint stud was only inserted to the bolt.
 
Razmiblackz28 said:
First, glad to see you stopped safely and did not end up in an accident.
Possible cause: looks like the ball joint stud was not inserted fully into the knuckle, if it was the bolt shank would have held it into the knuckle. The ball joint stud was only inserted to the bolt.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. Absolutely no markings on the ball joint stud where it should have came in contact with the retaining bolt. I think torquing the bolt held it in place until a good bump dislodged the ball joint from the lower control arm.

Also Moogs warranty likely states they are not responsible for any remedy other then a replacement part.
 
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I have seen improper hardware in the MOOG boxes. That bolt "may" be too small in diameter to retain the ball joint stud. If the bolt fits snugly into the hole then the issue was installation error. Ball joint stud was not fully seated into the knuckle prior to bolt installation.
 
Auto shop just called and reported problem / damage.

The upper knuckle housing was worn, oblong. Not
installer error, not faulty ball joint. As a matter of
fact, they think they'll be able to reuse the ball joint
and half shaft, it did destroy a sway link.

So a used upper housing, new sway link, reassemble
everything, front end alignment and then replace the
tire and I'm back in business!

Just one of those things. Could have turned out so
much worse, just very grateful my son was ok, after
all, that was the only important thing.
 
Glad your son is ok! That is NOT a stretch of highway that I’d want mechanical problems on. He did a fine job getting that thing stopped safely.

I’d have a talk with him, there may be some adrenaline and emotion he has suppressed from that. I’m sure it was stressful.
 
Golden said:
Glad your son is ok! That is NOT a stretch of highway that I’d want mechanical problems on. He did a fine job getting that thing stopped safely.

I’d have a talk with him, there may be some adrenaline and emotion he has suppressed from that. I’m sure it was stressful.
Click to expand...



For the average person, without a doubt. This son is the most calm, low-key dude
you'll ever meet. He knew how serious it was, but never lost his composure!

Me on the other hand, during my morning prayers, I'm still thanking God for his
safety.
 
Ball joint did not fail.
Odd the joint included a new bolt.... they are normally shouldered.
My guess is if you reinstall it into the knuckle the bolt will tighten up a lot.
 
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