Montero ball joint question

[John Many Jars]

I have a 97 LS. I'm replacing everything I can on the front end. One of the many snags I've hit - I've apparently got the wrong lower ball joint for the driver's side. It has the little nut thing on the wrong side. I guess it's actually for the passenger side, even though it has correct part number on box and bag. It also doesn't look like a Moog part like it says on the box, not the same as the right side one, which has a nub, not a nut, and it has no grease fitting.

What is that little nut thing on the side of the ball joint for? If I take it off, it looks like it will fit. Any other difference between right and left sides other than that thing?

I ordered these parts two years ago (been traveling, no chance to fix), so can't return it now. Nearest parts store is 45 minutes away. Truck has been on stands for over a week and need it fixed now.

So can I use this one? Thanks.

 

[NickSchmaus]

My Moog ball joints had a nut thing on one side and the grease fitting on the other. Seemed to fit fine.

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[Salonika]

Ball joints are a critical component, safety related.....I wouldn't mess with it. Get the right one. I have no idea what that thing is for either, but I'll bet Mitsubishi did.

 

[bluebear]

I noticed that the moogs I ordered had the wrong size hole to access the grease nipple. I had to grind it out slightly with a dremel for the gun to fit.

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[SlimPickins]

I had the same issue with inability to access the grease nipple which required grinding the control arm hole some. I've had nothing but problems with aftermarket suspension/steering components in terms of fit and alignment. I went with all ACDelco parts and had to grind several areas on both lower control arms as they had excess material which got in the way of fitting the frame brackets. Probably just bad luck...? I had a shop look over everything and they told me install looked fine but in the future, I'll stick with OEM. Maybe overkill in your situation but I want to avoid more headache.

I noticed that the moogs I ordered had the wrong size hole to access the grease nipple. I had to grind it out slightly with a dremel for the gun to fit.

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