Anyone ever replace a control arm/ball joint assembly and it turned out the ball joint was defective?

I have 195k on my '98Q. The driver's side ball joint was bad, so I ordered the new control arm with the ball joint already in place and did the job in my garage.

Everything went back together fine and all was well for a week and the first several hundred miles. Now I'm getting a rattle (more of a clunking) when my right front wheel hits bumps, especially rapid "stutter" type bumps.

I removed the wheel and checked/tightened all the bolts/nuts removed when installing the new control arm. Everything is tight.

Could this be a coincidence? Maybe something in my strut is bad? My sway bar bushing seems fine and so is the spring on my strut (both strut springs broke in years past and have been replaced).

Thanks,
Don

10 second guess is that your pads are loose in the caliper.

30 second guess after reading a bit more is that the strut mount is cracked.
easy to verify.
pull the rubber plug out of the top of the mount and feel/watch the nut and exposed stud of the strut as you bounce the car.
the nut/stud should move with the car. if there is any lag or non-movement, particularly when rebounding after the push down, then mount is cracked on inside.
I did do this on an FGY33, so it happens.

Figured out the issue.

On the front strut, when you lift the car, you can see a nut w/ ball bearings that is screwed into the lower part of the strut. I assume it's there the allow the mechanism to move up and down without causing wear the to the walls of the shock absorber.

The one on my passenger side appears to have backed out/unscrewed. So when i hit bumps, the sound is coming from this metal nut/bearing part bouncing up and down on the shock shaft.

Unfortunately, I don't think I can get it screwed back in without pulling the strut. I'll get to it when I have time, but at least I know it's not a safety concern like a ball joint or tie rod.

yeah, i had one get ever so slightly loose on the pass side of the fgy33 a couple years ago.
it would click when turning, yours is absolutely a safety concern, please fix it right away.
that collar is the only thing holding the strut piston into your strut cylinder.
And holding the strut in the cylinder keeps your spring under tension even when the assembly is removed from the car.
I was able to tighten mine by raising that corner (so the coils would spread), and getting a pipe wrench in between the coils to tighten it.
it should be quite tight (50 ft-lb+).if your nut is already backed all the way out, then try to thread it in several threads and get it at least finger tight.
so the spring doesn't completely unload and blow a hole in you as it frees itself when you raise the car.

look for an old post from me around march 2005 if you want some pix on how to actually change the struts.