I am in the process of changing my transmission when I noticed both lower and upper ball joints need replaced. So Yesterday I went to Advance Auto and picked up some Moog upper ball joints, got home and took out the old ones and dropped in the new one. The problem I ran into is that the new one has some play in it where is slides into the control arm. I spent a couple hours looking at different sites and everything and still get the same part number, I know there is the possibility that is was miss boxed or made wrong from my past 5 years of selling car parts. I assume my car has the factory control arms, so my question is do I need to change the upper control arm because on some cars in order to just change the ball joint you have to have previously changed the control arm I did not know if the eclipse/talon was the same way. Any info would be greatly appreciated, it has only been two days since slowly tearing it apart and am really missing driving it.

Well after trying several different brands of upper ball joints, I gave up and ordered the whole control arm with ball joint.

Yeah, that's what I would have done. Sorry you had to go through all that. Most of the time it's much easier to replace whole parts instead of getting bushings and ball joints seperately. Saves a lot of time and grief.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3130861

I should have done that in the first place it would have gotten me back on the road 2 days earlier, but oh well crap happens and you learn from it.