Hey, im new here, i have a 02 XLT, Triton V8, 4x4, i'm soon to be 18 and my friends and i have been hearing this very annoying screech, its like a Metal on Metal screech its coming from the Front Driver Side, and both back sides on my truck this is very frustrating, i have no idea how to fix it, or to be honest what i should be looking for if i go underneath and try to find it

i have gone to our towns lazer wash and taken the undercarriage spray many times, i have gone to the hand wash with the powerful sprayers and used many dollars spraying just that area

one of my friends tightened my front shoks i guess??? and he said he lifted the front up i guess an inch or so. other than this i have no idea how, where or what to do to fix this

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

Sounds like your ball joints are shot. You can either replace them or greasse them using a needle tip on a grease gun. This is only a temporary fix, to stop the noise.

 

yep the bj's are toast, take some luv-wd40 and lube them up, it should go away. but then you know that's what it is.

 

is there a permanent fix for those ball joints? and would it be expensive if i had to buy new ones, how many do i need, what kind etc,. i have no idea even where those are

or should i just take it into my towns ford house and have them order me that stuff and get it applied to my truck?

 

no, once they start squeaking, they're pretty much shot. ford uses sealed ball joints. if your not mechanically abled, i would take it in. i would avoid going to a ford dealer, they will use the same ones. go to a reliable auto repair and say that you want them replaced with greasable units. moog or mcguay norris makes better than oem ones for the older f150's. if one side is squeaking the other side isn't far away, you might as well do the whole front end at once, cheaper in the long run. thats my 2 cents

 

ok thanks ATOM, i talked to my dad about getting them replaced, he said that it would cost about 1 grand, i guess thats not too bad if it will ensure my truck to keep running safely, and without squeaks lol

just a quick question, should i also replace my shoks or just leave them???
and if i should, do i just tell the auto place to get them new or what? they are what came on the truck, and what kind should i get??

thanks for all the help!

 

a grand is quite high IMO, using aftermarket greasable parts, i would say a good 600-750 bucks depending on labor, also it requires a front end alignment. the last ford i paid 550 for all new ball joints and aligment. but i'm sure prices have gone up in 2 yrs.

 

would the alignment come WITH the new joints? and im going monday to the shop to get an estimate

im probably gonna have to split the cost 60/40 with my dad, 60 me URG!

 

A grand If you can do your own work, you should be able to replace all (4) ball joints and get an alignment for about $375.00. If not, it should cost about $650.00, and no, an alignment does not come with the ball joints.

 

i like the figures around 650 much much better than the grand, my dad just threw taht number out there, but i live in a small town and there is like two car shops, not including the ford shop where i live

but, ill go check on monday at the shop that i plan on going to
and if i could replace them myself i would love to save the money by doing it myself, but i don't have the place, nor time to be able to with school then basketball practice by the time i get out its dark, then homework, then sleep repeat

 

Sup, i have another question

i went to one of the two shops in town and they said they wanted to inspect it before i spent the money AND he said it could also be a "pivot joint" ??? i guess is what he said and its an arm that could also be one of the problems

oh well, if anyone could give me a suggestion lol i really don't know wtf is wrong i just want my truck fixed

 

probably talking about lower control arm bushings. When those go bad you will get more of a clunking noise/feel then a squeak

 

Ah ok, well i just had it checked and they are getting me a price check so i can look at my cash

 

If there is nothing loose under there, just go to the parts store and get the grease gun needle injector mentioned above by Yankee7985. Inject each rubber boot in the front end with about 3 pumps of grease. Then just give it about a week, I'll guarantee the squeaks will go away.
The is unless something else is wrong.
Unless you're in the mud a lot. the ball joints are probably still good.