Lower Ball Joint?

[elks]

So I have a lower ball joint heading out on my 72 blazer with the 44 front. I just replaced the ball joints last summer and have only about 4,000 miles on it since. The passenger side is good and the upper does not have any play at all...

So can I just replace the lower and be good? I believe I bought mogs before, but not sure... I can't find my paper and frankly I am a little pissed it is loose. Is it possible the nut on the lower was not tight enough? What is the torque spec there? Could I possible just tighten the nut and be good if it is loose?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[diesel4me]

You can do just the lower one----but why,if you have the money,its easier to do it while its apart than to do it twice....and you might ruin the boot on the "good" ball joint during the knuckle removal too,which will let it get water in it and wear it out faster...

I have done "only" what was absolutely needed when I'm low on money lately,and it always come back to haunt you 9 times out of 10..

I have gone to replace a ball joint and ended up doing both of them,then find out the axle u-joints are about roached too ,once I get that far into the job...unless those parts have all been replaced recently I would say you might end up replacing them all while its apart...I hate getting the wheel bearings and spindle off the knuckle the most,its often tough to get them off without damaging the fine threads or where it always rusts together near the bolts...since the caliper and rotor has to come off,now would be the time to do the brakes if needed also...

 

[elks]

You can do just the lower one----but why,if you have the money,its easier to do it while its apart than to do it twice....and you might ruin the boot on the "good" ball joint during the knuckle removal too,which will let it get water in it and wear it out faster...

I have done "only" what was absolutely needed when I'm low on money lately,and it always come back to haunt you 9 times out of 10..

I have gone to replace a ball joint and ended up doing both of them,then find out the axle u-joints are about roached too ,once I get that far into the job...unless those parts have all been replaced recently I would say you might end up replacing them all while its apart...I hate getting the wheel bearings and spindle off the knuckle the most,its often tough to get them off without damaging the fine threads or where it always rusts together near the bolts...since the caliper and rotor has to come off,now would be the time to do the brakes if needed also...

Yeah I know. I actually did both sides top and bottom last spring. Since then the blazer has been to moab 2 times and hunting every weekend last fall. Total miles was just over 4000, the upper feels tight still as does the passenger side. I agree that the Ujoints are vital as well. I am running a set of chrome mollys and the strong u joints. They only have about 8,000 miles on them and get greased all the time. So they should be good.

Thanks for the info, I was just really trying to avoid doing the whole damn project....

Off I go to do it all...

 

[diesel4me]

What i sometimes do is buy all the parts I "might" need,then use only what I had too,and return the rest if I need the money that bad..or a customer cant afford to do "everything" all at one time...lately I've been forced to use things that really shouldn't have been,or even salvage yard parts ,better than not having the truck driveable..

If by chance you do find the lower BJ nut loose,I'd be sure the taper in the knuckle has not been hogged out,that can make the BJ snap off the stud or slop around in the knuckle ..