divil

I just pulled a control arm off my car to rebuild the ball joint and I noticed the bottom of the ball joint looks different to the one in Rennbay's video:



There is an RTV-like substannce on there... peeling it back, it looks like there is a brass piece pressed in:



The control arm has the part number 944 341 149 02 stamped on the bottom.

EDIT: the other one (passenger side) has part # 944 341 150 10 but the ball joint looks just like the one in the Rennbay video...weird.

It looks like I can't rebuild these? I see that the contorl arms most places sell have the part number 944 341 027 02...Paragon lists these as "not intended for cars with M030 sport suspension but can replace the M030 A-arms".

So I presume the ones I have are special M030 arms? Is there any way I can rebuild these or do I need to get another set?

Taymar

I need to do mine as well, and have been putting it off. I'd like to know if there are any rebuild options too since they're about 580 per side new.

divil

You can check the ball joint style and part # by just looking at the underneath. If they look concave (see the Rennbay video on youtube) I think you're probably good to go.

From googling those part numbers, I read up a little and it looks like the part numbers that are cast onto the arms are not the real PET numbers, so that might explain why Paragon et al have them listed with different numbers. But even so my left side one at least is definitely not the normal one.

divil

I think I got to the bottom of it...it's a 968 control arm with a non-rebuildable, pressed-in ball joint. Travis has the scoop here.

There are a few places that do a rebuild/core exchange but it's expensive and from the advice in the above thread it doesn't sound like it's the best way to go.

Looks like the only way to go is to get hold of a late offset 944 arm for rebuilding...if anyone has a pair for sale, hit me up. I'd take just the left one if anyone happens to have just that one, but a pair is fine too.

polarue

There is a way to rebuild these ball joints. I have done mine successfully. The non clip type of ball joint is a tricky bit of engineering from Porsche, but I have figured it out. Mine is porsche part # 944 341 149 02 and # 944 341 150 02 made in 1998 as direct oem porsche dealer installed replacements on a car with only 30,000 original miles. Do not throw these arms out, rebuild them as I did. Porsche ought to be ashamed that they do not last.

ramius665

Care to share how you rebuilt them?

polarue

To disassemble the ball joint, remove the control arm from the car. On the bottom of the joint, there is a thick steel plug pressed into the casting. In addition, porsche had the alloy extending over the end of the plug approx. 1mm all the way around. The plug is close to 33.88mm dia. X 12.52 thick. Cut back the bottom opening to the edge of the plug all the way around on an angle so as to remove as little material as needed. If you do not remove this material, the casting will most likely crack in an uneven manner as you press out the ball. I cleaned my arm of all grease etc. and then baked it for 20min. at 350degrees. The plug then pressed out easily with the rest of the joint. The ball diameter is 27mm in a 30mm bore just as the version with the clip and plate so you can use the bronze aluminum alloy bushing from rennbay to rebuild the joint.

polarue

I have read that the early style 944 ball joints for the steel arms have the same ball/pin. While they do have the same shaft dia. of 17mm. and length, they have 25mm ***** which are 2mm smaller than the ones in the alloy joints. So, they are not the same.

polarue

These ball joints should not have any play and can be preloaded lightly upon reassembly. This joint is a follower nonloaded ball joint and as such, it does not take the same loads and stresses of a loaded joint.

polarue

If you choose to go the metal on metal route, remember that this type of joint will need more frequent servicing, but if maintained, it will last the life of the car. Metal ball on metal bushings should have a grease fitting installed (center of the plug) and grooves in the metal bushing to fascilitate purging of the old grease when servicing the joint. Also, serviceable joints usually have a grease relief valve designed into the grease boot.