Hey all,
Just got back from the Stealership for new spark plugs... again. (Note: don't use Bosch plugs!). When my wife picked it up, she was told it needs new ball joints. Has anyone done this? Is this something I can do in the garage? Ballpark price? thanks... I'd say I'm about a 3 out of 5 bannana mechanic!
Tom

Oh, yeah... this is on my '97 Expedition 4x4.

 

I also have a 97 Expy 4x4. After I replaced a broken tie rod in the parking lot at work during lunch break I took it to get aligned. They showed me that my lower balljoints were bad and told me $444.00 would get the job done. I had done ball joints on straight axle trucks before but not an IFS. If you think about it it's just bolts that get taken out and put back in.
I did the job myself in the garage. The balljoints were $33.00 a piece. The uppers were fine but if you need them the joint is part of the upper a-arm and they are $70.00 each and will most likely then require an alignment after your done.
I used a $39.00 balljoint removal/install tool from Harbor Freight which made it much easier. I pulled the axle shafts but have since heard of others being able to leave them attached to the diff and swing it out of the way. I couldn't get the shaft out of the way without taking it off.
First pull the caliper, rotor and shock absorber then remove the axle shaft nut. You might need a 3-arm puller to get the hub off but I can't remember if I needed one or not. Pop the lower ball joint taper loose then swing the knuckle out of the way. This is easy to do because the upper arm will now move up and down freely. If you need to replace the upper arm and joint then unbolt it now from the frame but only after marking its location in the mounts so you can get it put back together close to its original location. Unbolt the axle shaft from
the differential and slide it out. No fluid will be lost because the shaft has a flange on it. Now press out the joint with the ball joint tool (giant c-clamp). If you don't have a balljoint tool you'll
have to pound it out but make sure you support the lower a-arm so you don't bend it. Press the new joint in and put it back together. The first side took me about 3 1/2 hrs and the 2nd side took me 2 hrs 45 mins.
I consider myself a 2 1/2 -3 banana out of 5 mechanic. You could do 1 side one day and the other side another.

 

Hey, thanks! So... should I be able to tell if they're bad? The vehicle drives fine, nice and straight, nothing seems unusual. No abnormal tire wear.
Tom

 

i got quoted 550 for a bunch of new front end parts, took it by one of my really good friends (mecanic/ racing buddy) told me all my parts except one of my sway bar links looked brand new, i would say take it by a couple places and ask, also my stealership told me i needed new tires and brakes, when my brakes were 1 month old and tires 6 months old, so be very weary.

 

Usually bad balljoints would show up as following lines and ruts in the road rather than your input via the wheel. If it doesn't feel bad to you let someone else who is not repairing it take it for a drive. A bad suspension can sneak up on you gradually, so you might not even notice anything is wrong until it's really bad. I usually don't work on anything that doesn't feel loose or wobbly. I also agree on the several estimate thing. Make sure one of them is not Pep Boys, however. I took my 86 van with low miles in for a brake job, and they wanted $700+ to replace every part in the braking system. That was the LAST time I ever talked to a Pep Boy,,,,98


What's the deal with the "stealership" thing lately?? The parts and labor cost more, but you're also getting decent parts. I bought a Ford blower motor for my van after being disappointed with an aftermarket part. It had twice the output of the Autozone crap....

I guess I'm in the minority of people who actually like their dealer??

 

I also dont care for PepBoys much myself (we just got done with a $700 brake job as well )

I think most people dont like the dealerships because they charge alot just for labor. I agree with you though the parts are good

 

good parts....costly labor....i liked my dealership in Austin, TX and Stillwater, OK. This in Bryant, AR aint too good so far. The guy at the parts counter doesn't know too much

 

I used Moog Problem Solver parts from Car Quest. Generally the Problem Solver part will have corrected a factory weaklink if there is one. That being said the tie rod end I bought appeared to be the same design as the stock one which is a very dangerous design IMO. It has the inner ball then a very thin tin looking shim around the ball and these 2 parts are then enclosed in the outer housing which gets crimped around them. When the grease gets hard in the rod end the grease comes out as fast as you pump it in it doesn't get lubed. Because of this the inner tin type shim wears then the ball can pop out of the outer housing which happened to me in the parking lot at work.

 

lots of times a bad balljoint will go unnoticed for along time because there is weight on it when it is on the ground.

if you support the frame on jack stands with the front wheels off of the ground wiggle the tire one hand on top and the other on the bottom of tire and look for movement in the lower balljoint. now if you have a 2wd you have to becarefull not to mistake wheel bearing play for a bad balljoint i always readjust bearings and recheck balljoints afterwards. ive never seen a bad upper balljoint on an expy except after someone beat it to hard replacin the lowers.