Hey I have a question for you. I hope that you can answer this is a tough one...
Okay, I recently bought a MOOG ball joint for my 1999 Nissan Maxima. ($50.00)
So I pressed the old ball joint out, and when I went to press the new MOOG one in, The MOOG didn't fit, it was too small for the diameter on my control arm!!! So I said 'Oh great just what I need...lol
So I figured that I must have damaged the hole in the arm so as a test I tried pressing the old bad ball joint in, and it was still a tight fit! The way it's supposed to be!! The diameter on the MOOG ball joint is black and smooth, while the old bad ball joint is silver and looks like the edge of a U.S. quarter dollar coin (It has little lines engraved). So apparently the MOOG is a bit smaller... I think I bought it on eBay a while back...maybe as a whole arm-balljoint deal...from Arm-Can... So I am still riding on the bad ball joint which is noisy and cannot use the MOOG because it won't fit. My question is, there a chance that my control arm is not made to Nissan Specs? I checked the part number on the MOOG ball joint, and it is correct for a 1995-1999 Nissan Maxima: k9818. So can anybody offer any insight?

 

I ran into the same problem with MOOG ball joints on my 95 200sx se-r. NAPA uses A Perfect Circle chassis parts and not reboxed MOOG so I tried thiers and it fit like it should.
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...ont+Suspension
Give that a look, should be more like what you are after. Hope it helps.

 

I have used MOOG ball joints with NO problems (drivers and passenger side). I don't understand why you are having problems. Then again my control arm is oem and nothing was damaged. I did however buy my MOOG ball joint from Advance Auto Parts.

 

What is the part number on your MOOG ball joint?


It should be that one, K9818

 

^ That's exactly what mine looks like.

 

I would assume you need a different control arm then.

 

part #k9818 yea!!!

 

press the old out and press the new in and call it the day!

 

Dude I already pressed the old one out and the new one is too small diameter to fit in the lca...did you read my first post? lol

 

Sorry I didn't read it all...My bad! Email Moog's tech rep and maybe they can find the typing error in their application list. It happens all the time in this computer/information world we leave in today...But for now you know what works with the Perfect Circle brand!

 

Parts like this I would buy at my local auto parts store just in case this crap happens.

 

the part might have been boxed wrong. it happens alot.

 

you oughta see how many different LCA are available for the 95-99 Maxima maybe it's been swapped by the previous owner!

 

I did too, and I also had no problems either

 

I would assume you have a NON oem control arm. Might as well buy a new one so you have the new bushings, or buy some off a junk car and repair them(new bushings and ball joint).

 

if you're going to do all that, and you think this car is worth it, might as well put in ES bushings everywhere.

Kevlo, did you have problems with ES bushings somewhere though?

I put mine in a year ago, so far they are all fine.

 

Mine made noise but that is all.

 

Ya I used es bushings a while back and then bought a complete passenger lca off eBay...so you guys kinda jogged my memory! I think that it is of another brand! So currently I have es bushings on only my driver side...hmmm This whole fiasco started with a bad wheel bearing. At least the wheel bearing is fixed.
I think I'll go to Nissan parts dept and have them see whether it will fit a 4th gen lca.

 

I have moog BJ's with the oem control arm with no issues. The problem has to be your ebay LCA.

 

did it go in the hole at all? Like at least somewhat go in? IT is supposed to be a tight fit. I hope you know that. lol

 

are u serious? it's supposed to be a tight fit? if you read my original post, you would see that it was loose and that the hole was too big. so yes it did go into the hole. not somewhat, all the way. it is a loose fit. oh, lol.

 

damn it, same problem, apparently these e-bay lca's come with a slightly larger bj.

Having a welder kicks *** though Tacked it very carefully and kept cooling it with water, Just a tip for anyone else in a jam, although I would recommend just replacing the flea-bay arms.