Need lower ball-joints...HELP!!!
 

2001 F-150 4x4 w/ 63K mi.

Dealership showed me the play today while getting my oil changed. They said the lowers were shot but uppers, etc. were fine.

I got some regreaseable Motorcraft replacements at cost...thing is, I have never done ball-joints, tie-rod ends, etc...does anyone have a walk-though / quick how-to?

The dealership said I can knock the old ones out, but the new ones have to be pressed in...if I bring them in the spindle / control arm or whatever, they'll press the new ones in for me. Is this is best solution or is it more work getting the whole assembly out of there? Any special tools needed that makes it cheaper to let them do it @ 4.9 Hrs. labor? Any help / advice appreciated, thanks!!!

BTW, is now the time to upgrade to urethane bushings?

ok here she goes... raise the vehical. first off air tools is basically a must. with that said go rent a ball joint press... autozone or what not. http://www.autozone.com/in_our_store...oint_press.htm ok... take your tire off.. unbolt the caliper and zip tie it somewhere in the wheel well. dont let it dangle by the hose. take the disk brake off.. hammer probably next take the cotter pin out of the tie rod and spin the nut loose.. hammer on the spindle and the tie rod end should pop out. heres the fun part you have to get the upper out to do the bottom. im sure there might be a way around it but its a heck of alot easier with space. take the cotter pin out and spin the top ball joint nut off.. sometimes u can take a hammer and get that loose sometimes not. if not use a fork and hammer. next take off the axle nut. and push the axel out of the spindle. then u take the cotter pin out of the bottom balljoint. there is a clip on the top of it. take that off.. then just use an air hammer to get the old one out. use the press to get the new one in (air gun) and and put the clip on it. then reverse everything that i just said. this is a quick how to... plz someone comment if i missed something. i think i got it all though. remember to grease the new balljoint.

wow mine need replacing too glad I got the extended warranty....anybody got some pics????

Thanks man. I found this link...should help a LOT.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=364301

Should I also replace the upper ball-joints or the tie-rod ends while I'm in there?

depends on the mileage i guess.. tie rods i wouldnt worry about if their not loose ( to check jack it up off the ground and unlock the steering wheel (key in ON position nut running tho) and wiggle the wheel slightly back and forth (tire not steering wheel) if there is play before u are actually turning both wheels i would suspect tie rod. as far as uppers they come as an assembly. not just a ball joint. its the a arm and ball joint aready in there. if u have high miles and never replaced them... couldnt hurt by changing them out to greasable ones since u will have to in the future. if not high miles dont worry about it til it starts to go. and ball joint or tie rod requires alginment after.

Alright man, now to decide if I should stick with the Motorcraft greaseables or switch to Moog...???

I've never had luck with air tools for suspension work, a large 3/4" drive ratchet with a 1/2" adapter has never failed me

...

My factory control arm bushings are cracked all to hell @ 63K miles so I may as well replace the upper ball-joints too right? Will the new ones crack in 10K miles like the stock ones do? Again, I'd be using Motorcraft regreaseables (which I can get at cost) unless the Moog ones are a lot better. Are the $80+ polyurathane control arm bushings worth it?

thanks for that link that will help if I ever have to do it myself. I have a little library of useful links:rocker:

As long as you're doing the lowers, you might as well replace the upppers.
And since you're doing that, you might as well lift it :D

Called Moog about their ball-joints and they said theirs were of an enhanced design internally, as well serviceable / replaceable. I had O'Reilly price match Advance's cheaper line so I got them at nearly half price so I picked up the uppers as well as lowers. Rented the press, so all I am missing is the fork to seperate the joints, which according to the directions from the link above isn't necessary, (let's hope not) and a torque wrench that goes up to 254 ft./lbs. This should be fun...:o :help: Think I'll get started tonight and just make a 2 - 3 day job out of it.

If you're pretty good with, and have, all the tools, the lowers should take you about an hour per side. Maybe a bit longer on the first one, but then you'll be quicker on the other side. Put the new ball joints in the freezer untill you need them. They'll shrink just a bit, making the install with the press very easy. Also, if you are doing the uppers, make sure you have the cam kit to adjust them. And don't tighten the control arm bushings untill they are at ride height.

Thanks man, I got the adjustable cam kit from O'Reilly for $52, but I don't understand how they work....guess I will when the old ones come out...??? I just don't see where all these washers fit in there, or how to position them. Why are they required when I'm just replacing factory parts? I stopped by the dealership on the way home and they don't have any adjustable kits like this...just different sizes...???

Also, I have to do one side at a time due to my ****ty drive and jack-stand / jack situation...is this a problem? I have gotten the pass. side wheel, brake bracket, rotor, axle nut, and tie-rod nut off, but can't get the damn tie-rod end to pop off. It says to hit the shackle a few times with a hammer, so I beat the hell out of it with the soft side of a dead-blow hammer with no results. Is the joint suppose to slip off the stud or is the whole thing, threaded stud and all suppose to come out of there? Am I suppose to pull up or beat on the bottom side up??? I can tell this is going to be a time consuming b!tch.