Dana 44 top ball joint insert issues

[hauland]

Should the upper ball joint insert pass through the yoke?? Is this OK??

I am replacing the ball joints on my pass die after snapping the ears off inner and outer axle shafts and finding my upper ball joint very loose at least a 1/4 inch play.

Upon removal I noticed the insert was threaded into the hole to the point that there were several threads exposed inside the yoke. First pic on the left is removal.

The next two pics show the new ball joint and new insert on install. It threaded through the hole and was compressing the ball joint rubber boot/seal and still didnt reach the 40ftlbs of torque. This is with the lower ball joint nut torqued to 80ftlbs.

Thanks

 

[methcat]

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149886

mine was worse. can't explain it, and i'm pretty sure it wasn't like that before i rebuilt... i wound up going with it.

 

[Broncitis]

I've seen some simlar. Not much you can do with it other than try another bushing in case that one had the tapered bore a bit too deep relative to the first thread thread.

Try the old bushing and see what it looks like. If it is the same, then the position of the paper of the new ball joint stud is the issue.

It does not look off far enough to raise a great enough concern to me to replace try another ball joint if you can not resolve it easily with the old bushing.

 

[hauland]

I had an issue with this knuckle 4 years ago when I rebuilt the front end. The knuckles are F150 which shouldnt matter, the ball joint is the same for 150 and bronco from what I learned.

4yrs ago when I installed the knucle it was sloppy loose...the whole thing would move in the wind. It was the first set of ball joints I had done so...I redid them with better results.

The insert that came out this tear down came out in pieces so I cant reuse it.

I wonder if the ball joint got trashed when the axles snapped, I only say that because its the same side, or if the overly inserted insert caused it?????

 

[ol gray mare]

I wonder if the yoke might be bent/collapsed a little. I'd check the measurement against the other side.