Dana 44 ball joint….bent knuckle maybe???

strange1

strange1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Location
Elkin
never had this happen before, and need some advice. Passenger side seems to go smooth, but when I torqued the drivers side, it appears to be pulling the ball joint out of the knuckle. Order of business…. Tighten the lower as much as possible (impossible to torque properly with RCV in the way. Torque upper adjuster sleeve to 50, torque upper nut to 100. Not really wanting to fight this thing back over the RCV. What’s your next step?

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Is this a new axle build? Ball joints for maintenance? Are the adjuster sleeves the same distance that in the hole?
 
iwaxmyjimmy said:
Is this a new axle build? Ball joints for maintenance? Are the adjuster sleeves the same distance that in the hole?
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Chris_Keziah said:
I would guess that the adjuster sleeve wasn't ran down far enough.
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New build. I didn’t compare the depth of the adjuster to the passenger side. I just followed the sequence above, which is supposed to be correct for the axle. I did try to knock the BJ down with a punch and hammer, ran the adjuster down further, and it still started pull the BJ out before reaching 100ft/lbs on the upper nut. I’m going to try to get a snap ring under the BJ and see if that helps hold it in place, but I am almost convinced the knuckle is bent, or the inner C is bent open.
 
measure distance in the hole, because you can clearly see the adjuster threads in one pic and not the other.
 
iwaxmyjimmy said:
measure distance in the hole, because you can clearly see the adjuster threads in one pic and not the other.
Click to expand...
Even when running that side adjuster down significantly lower than the ‘good’ side, it still starts to pull out.
 
That’s not good, when pressing the ball joints in was it super easy on that side? What does the measurement of the inner C comparing sides look like?
 
Have you measured the distance between the ears of the yoke?
 
Looks like the outer knuckle is 1/16” - 1/8” shorter than the other side. If I can get this BJ seated far enough to get a snap ring under it, should I send it?

I should add, these RCV’s make assembly a massive pain in the ass and I am not looking forward to having to disassemble them.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
Are the lowers tightened the same amount? Do they both seem to be in the knuckle the same way/depth?
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Everything seemed to be normal, and the same from side to side, until I I torqued the drivers side upper nut and the ball-joint started pulling out.

after some non-scientific measuring, I believe the drivers side steering knuckle is 1/16-3/32 shorter than the passenger side. I probably pressed the new ones in too tight, or didn’t support the knuckle properly when pressing. Now I’m trying to figure out if I can get a snap ring under it (this one has a groove but did not come with a ring) Will that be enough to hold it in place for me.
 
strange1 said:
Everything seemed to be normal, and the same from side to side, until I I torqued the drivers side upper nut and the ball-joint started pulling out.

after some non-scientific measuring, I believe the drivers side steering knuckle is 1/16-3/32 shorter than the passenger side. I probably pressed the new ones in too tight, or didn’t support the knuckle properly when pressing. Now I’m trying to figure out if I can get a snap ring under it (this one has a groove but did not come with a ring) Will that be enough to hold it in place for me.
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The casting shape of the knuckle will not allow for the upper ball joint snap ring. Even if you are able to press it in far enough to get the snap ring on, you'll likely break/bend the snap ring when tightening down the nut because it will not have a flat surface to land against. When putting in the upper ball joint, did you use a ball joint press or just put it in a shop press? Putting in a shop press without proper fixturing will bend the knuckle and can lead to this issue.
 
adamk said:
The casting shape of the knuckle will not allow for the upper ball joint snap ring. Even if you are able to press it in far enough to get the snap ring on, you'll likely break/bend the snap ring when tightening down the nut because it will not have a flat surface to land against. When putting in the upper ball joint, did you use a ball joint press or just put it in a shop press? Putting in a shop press without proper fixturing will bend the knuckle and can lead to this issue.
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Shop press without proper fixure of course.
 
strange1 said:
Shop press without proper fixure of course.
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Well I can say you're not the only one who has had this happen. I made that mistake when I built my 44 the first time for my old XJ. I attempted to bend to bend it back and failed miserably. Ended up just finding a used replacement and went about my way, correctly installing them after that learning experience.
 
So reading through this. You bent the knuckle pressing the ball joints in the knuckle? I only ask because I have to do this soon.
 
ghost said:
So reading through this. You bent the knuckle pressing the ball joints in the knuckle? I only ask because I have to do this soon.
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Use a ball joint press and it won't be an issue. If you use a shop press without proper fixturing/support, the ball joint can kick at an angle. Usually with a ball joint press, it'll find its home and be good but, with a press and unsupported knuckle, it will bend the ear like what has happened here. I learned this lesson my very first time because I thought I'd be slick and do it quickly which cost me much more than the rental fee for the correct tool to do the job.
 
ghost said:
So reading through this. You bent the knuckle pressing the ball joints in the knuckle? I only ask because I have to do this soon.
Click to expand...
98% sure I have to take to blame for this one.
 
adamk said:
Use a ball joint press and it won't be an issue. If you use a shop press without proper fixturing/support, the ball joint can kick at an angle. Usually with a ball joint press, it'll find its home and be good but, with a press and unsupported knuckle, it will bend the ear like what has happened here. I learned this lesson my very first time because I thought I'd be slick and do it quickly which cost me much more than the rental fee for the correct tool to do the job.
Click to expand...

strange1 said:
98% sure I have to take to blame for this one.
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That sucks. I have a ball joint press. It's been so long since I messed with a D44 when I was trying to remove the knuckle yesterday I realized the BJ were in the knuckle.
 
Update if anyone is interested. Taking RCV’s apart in an old school 44 sucks. Pulled the ball-joint to measure and it appears to be within spec based on some measurement I found in an old forum post somewhere. But the adjuster sleeve is significantly looser than the old that I pulled out of the trash. Rockauto should have a new BJ here Monday, I’ll press this one properly and run the tightest adjuster sleeve I can find. Hopefully will have good news to report next week.
 
So the second ball joint adjuster sleeve was a tiny amount tighter than the first one, but the old one that I took out in the beginning was the tightest. It was protruding from the bottom of the inner a good bit before reaching torque spec, so I back it up to about the same as the passenger side and left it. I watched closely as I torqued the upper nut and at about 90ft/lbs (spec is 100) or had pulled the ball joint up about 1/16”. I put the cotter pin and quit. Fingers crossed that the bus load of nuns will be able to get out of the way. Today was the first time the truck rolled in 6 months, still a lot to do but it’s mobile for now.
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