Does anyone else struggle with replacing ball joints? My 98 Cherokee takes only the ball joints that fit exactly to the originals but barely any place sells ball joints that are the exact same sizes. I have found the front upper Moog ball joints fit perfectly but every lower ball joint I have tried just will not fit and is never the same size as the original. This is becoming an issue as my lower needs to be replaced yet I cannot find any that fit! Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4900530

They can also be purchased individually...

 

Have tried the spicer balljoints that dont have splines?

 

are they too big or too small ?

Oversize ones are available, the metal seat gets flogged out

Alternatively, if you are saying the ball joint id too large for the hole, they are usually splined, and these could be carefully filed down

I believe there should be an ~.003" interference fit (not 100% sure on the number)

I have a .005" OS upper ball joint to fit asap

Do you have accurate measuring gear, such as micrometers and T-gauges ?

 

The Spicer ball joints I used fit perfectly

 

Are they not fitting on just a single side or is it both lowers that they aren't fitting on? If its just the one side I'd be concerned about perhaps the housing for the balljoint itself being worn out somehow? A more complex solution, if you haven't done so and would be interested in it, would be swapping to the WJ knuckles. (Balljoints can be confusing on such cause it ends up being 2 different ones to make it work, but I've found they are more available and fit as expected. In my own experience of course)