Not looking to see the answer I "want"....just wanted a more technical discussion of the whys than I had seen in other forums when searching on the subject. And actually Bret, yours is one of the opinions I respect on this board, so I appreciate you contributing to the discussion. I would love to get a look at some of the engineering explanations in the books you mention. Of course I may find they just say....do it this way.....and not really explain the whys.
I wonder if antiseize is really completely squeezed out of the joint when applied to the surface here because I have seen the ease with which a setup like that came apart after several years assembled. The subject was brought to mind after attempting to pull apart the subframe donating the tubular A-arms and transverse leafspring front suspension to my car. The subframe in question was assembled about 4 years ago but never driven ( tree fell on the roof of the car before it was assembled), so had essentially new Moog balljoints.
I wonder if they are what I'm hearing referred to as "tall" balljoints, because the space between the spindle and the BJ required using 2 BJ forks....it was too wide for just one. The subframe was cut forward and aft of the A-arm mounting points, so I rolled it forward......now it was facing straight down. I put a fork from below braced against the ground, and a fork from above.
It took an 8 pound sledge, PB Blaster, a torch, and 3 hrs to separate 4 BJs....
The interesting part of this discussion is the "WHY" of it all. In other words, from reading you dont hear about balljoint failures anywhere. No discussions about....."Oh, did you hear about Joe? He lubed his BJ's......Yeah, I know.....No, I dont know whats going to happen to his kids...."
And there seem to be plenty of mechanics and others using antiseize. If the taper did manage to rotate in its tapered pocket I cant see that as being a detractor. It cant actually come out of the tapered pocket due to the torqued bolt, and under its greatest stress (hitting a pothole or bump at speed) it is actually being forced into the pocket or against the pocket sides.
Thanks to everyone joining in here...those that werent afraid to express an opinion. We all enjoy our cars, and I enjoy this website and getting to talk to you about subjects like this. PY is an amazing place, and so many people here have so much knowledge.
I do find it interesting that more people didnt join in. I know there are lots of certified mechanics here, certifiable insane people (ME!), and engineers. I'm wondering if there are people afraid to contribute to this subject.
|