Ball joints

[Robsbrd99]

Hey Guys,
Was in for a state inspection and they found the lower joint on the passenger side is getting loose. Isnt 54K a little early to have one go bad? Extra warranty will cover the job. Was told the top was fine. Warranty wont cover the top if it isnt loose. Should I go ahead and pay the extra to get the top done too?

thanks

 

[guilateen]

54 does seem a little early. Your truck has very low mileage which leads me to think its mostly city miles, which can be hard on a vehicle. I would leave the tops alone if they dont need it but make sure you do bottoms on bottoms on both sides. If you were doing the work yourself i would say change them all. Since your already in there. The top will most likely fail soon but wait and maybe the warranty will cover it.

 

[imp]

I have an '04 with 119K; the upper ball joints are just fine, still. The lowers seem to be OK also, none have ever been touched.

The lowers are subject to much more severe conditions of load, as they "carry" the weight of the vehicle. However, your mileage total IS low, regarding ball joints. If it were mine, I would carefully check the condition of the joint on the "good" side, and if acceptable, leave it alone, replacing only the "bad" one. Lower ball joints on these Explorers may be replaced individually, without disturbing or replacing the entire lower control arm. Uppers require replacement of the entire ball/support arm assembly; those joints are not removable.

The lower joint replacement is fairly involved work. If any amount of bending of the parts has occurred, the joint's stud will be very difficult to get clear of the knuckle, after removal of it's nut from the bottom. imp

 

[guilateen]

You can replace just the ball joint on the upper. I just did mine. You will need a press.

 

[94Eddie]

If you went to a Ford dealer for an inspection it might pay to get a second opinion. I took my wife's to the local Ford dealer for a state inspection. The Ford dealer said that the lower and upper ball joints on both sides were bad. Said it was the worst case of bad ball joints he had ever seen and it wouldn't pass state inspection. The bill for the dealer to repair was $1,400! Well, I have never seen all ball joints go bad at once so I took it to a local gas station that does repairs for a second opinion. They look it over and tell me it is a worn tie rod end on the passenger side! Then I asked if they checked the ball joints and they said "Yes, they are fine." One $200 repair later (included the state inspection fee) and the car drove just fine. A small suspension based knock was taken care of by this repair so I think they hit the nail on the head in the diagnosis. My advice it to get a second opinion, and repair price, because new car dealers are not to be trusted blindly. However, if yours is covered under warranty it may not make a difference to you what the cost, or accuracy of the diagnosis, is.

 

[imp]

You can replace just the ball joint on the upper. I just did mine. You will need a press.

Only because someone REPLACED the upper control arm with an aftermarket arm having replaceable ball. Original from Ford was made with the ball joint non-removable. imp

 

[JCR]

As has been stated both the upper and lower ball joints are replaceable on our explorers. Moog has replacement ball joints that are grease able. Getting ready to order mine and have them done. A press for ball joints/bushings will be needed.

 

[Robsbrd99]

thanks guys,
just dropped the truck off. I don't think I'll be fixing anything other than that lower joint. I've got a 50 dollar deductible and it doesn't seem like it the top one should go bad anytime soon. I will be sure to save the old joint to make sure that everything was bad
That they said was bad.

 

[Robsbrd99]

Hey,
Just called to check on that thing. It has almost a quarter inch of play in that bad joint. They're doing the lower and upper on that side with the moogs. All I have to add is 20 bucks! Yay Costguard and Lou's auto repair! With that joint being so bad, anyone care to guess how long it had till failure?

 

[Robsbrd99]

Hey guys,
Everything went in fine. One side has greasable moogs and the other side has factory. Another good point with the moogs is the lifetime warranty.