Ball joint/strut wedge pin, Pulling through hole Options

[rjames]

So I got one of the ball joints installed into the strut housing without any issues. Went to do the other one and got the wedge pin tapped almost flush and then went to tighten the nut and got to 20 foot pounds (spec is 33) before the wedge pin started pulling through. WTF?!
Is it safe to leave it like this? This is a wedge pin from Porsche.

[technicalninja]

I disagreed with your method of ball joint to strut and then ball joint to control arm.

I do it opposite, the old school way.

I wasn't completely sure if it mattered AND your method MIGHT be better as the ball joint tightening procedure may be easier if it's all assembled.
You would eliminate the "floppy" using your method.

It might be a "better" way, so I was just watching how it went and what others posted.

So, I'm OK with alternate mounting procedures.

I'm just not OK when I see something that might hurt you down the road...

[rjames]

I disagreed with your method of ball joint to strut and then ball joint to control arm.

I do it opposite, the old school way.

I wasn't completely sure if it mattered AND your method MIGHT be better as the ball joint tightening procedure may be easier if it's all assembled.
You would eliminate the "floppy" using your method.

It might be a "better" way, so I was just watching how it went and what others posted.

So, I'm OK with alternate mounting procedures.

I'm just not OK when I see something that might hurt you down the road...

I went that route for a few reasons: I wasn't sure how much hammering I'd have to do to get the wedge pin seated and didn't want that force transferred to the bolts that secure control arms to the chassis and the new ball joint. The Koni instructions say to add antifreeze to the strut housing and given that the later strut housings aren't sealed (there's a hole at the bottom) trying to pour antifreeze while it's mounted to the control arm sounded like a recipe for disaster. Lastly, the strut gland nut would be easier to tighten on the bench.


OK, I just ordered new wedge pins and nuts. I just hope the strut isn't compromised such that the wedge pin doesn't pull through even when using the correct torque value. There must be a bunch of other people with over-torqued wedge pins since 33 ft lbs is stated in several threads on this site and in the Hayes manual.

@iankarr you might want to add the torque spec to video.

I'll post an update when the pins arrive and a give it another go. Should the wedgepin be greased? Other threads I read said to grease it before install, but I'm inclined to install them dry the 2nd time around to give a tighter fit given the circumstances.

[Shivers]

I'll post an update when the pins arrive and a give it another go. Should the wedgepin be greased? Other threads I read said to grease it before install, but I'm inclined to install them dry the 2nd time around to give a tighter fit given the circumstances.

Pelican:


"It is very important to grease the bore of the strut for the ball joint and the bore for the wedge-pin. All this needs liberal amount of grease to prevent corrosion.

Remember, the washer under the wedge-pin nut is a hardened Porsche part, not a plain M8 washer. The nut is a steel lock-nut "