Stiff upper ball joints?

[jsmithjr732]

Looking for thoughts here. I searched a few different sites but couldn't find a definitive answer.

I had a shop remove/install my upper ball joints today as I didn't have a press at the house. I come home, get ready to put everything back together, and see that one of the installed UBJs is tough to move around. This happened to a LBJ that I returned because of the same problem. LBJ issue was due to the bottom (ball side?) being hammered a few times by me. It was stiff compared to the non-hammered one, so I took it back.

Anyways, I look at the ball side of the UBJ and see evidence of it being hammered. Some of the paint has flaked off and the outward dimple on the bottom of the joint is flush. The other UBJ that they installed looks fine. It moves much easier and doesn't show any evidence of being hammered.

My question: should I have the shop re-do the UBJ, or am I overly worrying about this and it's ok to install?

I really want to get the T4R back together, but I don't want to put it back together if this is a problem. Thoughts?

 

[LittleCaesar]

Put it on, you will more than likely be able to tell if it is bad or not. Do you have any kind of warranty with the shop for the install?

 

[jsmithjr732]

Put it on, you will more than likely be able to tell if it is bad or not. Do you have any kind of warranty with the shop for the install?

Shop manager was a stand-up guy. If I bring it in and show him, I'm relatively confident that he'll take care of it. It's an OEM ball joint that I brought in, though. Unless a dealer in San Diego has one, I'll need to get one from NAPA. Not a big deal as I have other NAPA gear. However, i was hoping to stick to OEM for the ball joints.

I just installed the other (good) side. Went in without problems and looks good.

Tried to move the other one. Feels even stiffer. I'm going to call the shop tomorrow.