does an unloaded balljoint need to be replaced?, want to disprove my friends pseudo logic Options

[enderswift]

hey everyone

heres the context,

I took apart my drivers side wheel to remove a dust ring that was making alot of noise. While i was taking things apart, i had to seperate the lower balljoint from the lower control arm in order to slide the cv from the hub. My buddy says that once a ball joint has been unloaded, like mine, it has to be replaced. I completely ignored this, put things together, and went about my life for a few weeks.... until my car started to make a sound every time i would accelerate a little more agressively. It almost sounds like somethings is loose... i cant explain it through a post so im not going to try. Has anyone ever heard of this whole balljoint thing??

[Stambo]

the bearings should already have some grease but it's recommended that you add a bit more before installing it. i'm not sure if there's a specific type of grease that should be used however..

me too, i dunno if there is a specific grease. I do have 2 tubes of grease, one saying wheel bearing/ suspension parts and the other body/Lithium grease.

I'm pretty sure our wheel bearings are sealed, i see no reason for bearing grease. Maybe a bit of oil around the splines to just get the axle in a bit easier.

Have you tried rocking your car back and forth on the ground to see if you hear anything loose? You'll be able to tell if something is loose if one of your buddies rocks your car and you look around by the knuckle.