ball joints or u joints?

[Bix]

Recently i started noticing that when i turn left only i hear an inital click at about 40 degrees and then two or 3 more clicks when im turning at about 70-90 degrees. i drove in a parkin lot with my window down and head out the window listening more carefully. I have also tried to turn my wheels parked and like i assumed i dont hear any clunking and clicking. Is there a way to tell if it is my ujoints or ball joints? or if it may be anything else? Id like to track down the issue instead of redoing my ball joints and u joints since im not employed at the moment even though id love to redo my front end i am not able to right now.

any suggestions would help thanks!

91 XLT 210,x.. kms very well maintenanced but alot of original parts.

 

[Anime]

The front axle u-joints shouldn't be in motion when not in 4WD, but they can still click or make some noise if they're shot because they still have to move passively to allow wheel travel and steering movement. You can check the u-joints visually, if they are loaded with flaky rust and have dried up rubber seals that are leaking, chances are good they are in need of replacement. Most stock u-joints on a 91-94 are in need of replacement at this age, unless they haven't seen much engagement or harsh weather.

Ball joints you can check by jacking up the vehicle, grabbing the tire on the top and bottom, and moving it back and forth as hard as you can, or getting a long lever (a wooden shovel handle works ok) and pulling up on the bottom of the tire from the front, and looking at the lower ball joint for movement. If you notice the spindle moving side to side 1/8-1/2 an inch, the lower ball joints are shot.

Being unemployed is a good time as any to do work on the vehicle over a period of days. Nothing says you have to spend big money and redo everything. Look around for a deal on the parts, new ball joints / u-joints at a discount might be better than driving with worn out ones, even if you only keep them in the meantime until you get a job and better quality parts.

 

[Bix]

Thanks alot i looked at my u joints but and they do have rust of them but not nearly as much as some ive seen on this site but i will take a close look at the seal and see the condition of them and if they are leaking. Every time i have my truck jacked up n the front i have always moved my tire side to side and up and down as a random ball joint test. I havent done it while looking at the ball joints themselves so i will do that. Both parts seem ok but im trying to think of what else would cause some clicking n clunking noises while turning on this side and havent been able to come up with much else. Thanks again for the info and i will be re checking using the advice givin anime.

 

[OneofMany]

I have no idea what Anime is talking about but he can check his front end how he wants.
Bix, is the noise occurring during steering input or cornering at a set steering angle? Does the noise continue once you stop moving your steering wheel?
You talked about ujoints so i assume it is a 4x4. The front axle should not be turning the ujoints without the axles locked. Ball joints can be checked with the vehicle on the ground by grabbing the tie rods and twisting them . there should be plenty of resistance. Check the drag-link too. You can also have someone wiggle the steering wheel while you are under the front back and forth to see whats loose.

 

[Bix]

Yes the first clunk is usually at about a 40 degree turning angle and then two or 3 more in closer repetition around 70-90 degrees. I am not too positive on if the noise continues after i have stopped turning my steering wheel but i am pretty sure it does. Like i mentioned above im not sure if its my ball joints or u joints, just assumed it would be something of the two from past experiences with turning noises on one side only. It does make sense the u joints may not be the problem since i do not use my 4x4 in the city during summer months but we do have harsh winters here with pleeenty of snow. usually. If there are any other things that commonly make noise when they are worn out and turning please let me know and i will do all the nessesary checks to find out what it is.

Thanks again fellow exploraholics

 

[OneofMany]

You will have to narrow down when this noise is occurring. so far its pretty vague. 70-90 degree angle? of the wheel of the wheeling wheel?

 

[Bix]

the turning angle of my vehicle when doing a 90 degree left turn. I have found a blown lower ball joint on the left side ( its not factory original like the right side because it has a grease nipple ) but it is not holding anything and explains the clunk if i go over bumps, i am still trying to find another source of the noise when i turn. I am planning on replaced both upper and lower ball joints. i am going to take some photos tomorrow as i have some more questions on what parts to get when replacing them as some dont match and not sure which ones better since i have one of each,

 

[Bix]

i also plan on changing my u joints while i have it apart that far and have some more questions about parts i should change while im in that deep to the front end

 

[Bix]

Ok say i have a few questions on how to replace a few parts and what they are called when i want to find the parts. while investigating my ball joints and u joints i noticed just a 'few" parts werent holding grease anymore an I could tell my front end was getting loose when driving. first off i have one ball joint ( im almost postive thats what it is ) that has a grease nipple Shown below.

it is constantly without grease and is always covered in a mess of greasy dirt after cleaning and filling. My passenger side is a bit different and from what i have read on here ford made the originals without grease nipples. Shown below

I will be changing both uppers and lowers prob since im going to be doing two anyway i figured i should do them all and i was wondering if the original ford ones are better than the greased ones since they do not have space to burst and fail? i figured the greased ones will prob be significantly cheaper since it isnt a FORD part but if they are alot better than its worth it for the X. I also noticed i have significant play back and forth on the drivers side.. not sure what the part is called but this is the picture below.

and its not holding grease either along with the same piece on the passenger side shown below.

I was wondering what these pieces are called that hold the grease and the end of the bars and how easy or difficult they are to change. I wouldnt imagine they are to difficult but im preparing to do my u joints and all my ball joints and want to do this all at the same time since it will be open and easy to work on anyway. Thanks again and sorry for not knowing the exact part names. This is my first vehicle i have Truly owned to myself and just getting to know everything about it.

 

[Bix]

im hoping i can just take off the castle nuts and bang em out and put in new ones.

 

[swshawaii]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218254&highlight=lower+ball+joint

 

[Bix]

im familliar with how to change my ball joints and u joints. i was asking questions about factory replacements or others and what the parts were called to replace.

 

[Bix]

i did learn the ins and outs to the u joints and ball joints from that thread. it is an awesome how to.

 

[swshawaii]

Check out RockAuto for great pricing, selection, and ease of navigation.
Generally, premium grade aftermarket parts are preferred for suspension,
brakes, and steering, and usually much less expensive than stock OEM parts. GL

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1119608,parttype,10070

 

[Roadrunner777]

The factory units I have seen (rockauto.com) have grease fittings. In the aftermarket, there are service grade ball joints, typically less than $20, usually sealed, no grease fitting, or a premium ball joint, $40 or more. The premiums I have seen have grease fittings.

I have a '94, and I think it is possible that your '91 has a different front axle (Dana-28 vs Dana-35). So, I am not going to offer part numbers because I could be wrong.

In terms of brand, I did a lot of research and ended up with Raybestos. MCQUAY-NORRIS is comparable. A person here, actually, a moderator if I am not mistaken, had his Moogs wear out long before he expected, so I kept away from them.

Raybestos were the best ones I could find, but they are $45 or so, plus, you need 4 of them. My logic was simple: This is my daily driver, completely stock. I could have gone cheaper, but I don't want to do this job again... ever!

By the way, the part that is causing the steering slop is called a 'Tie Rod End'. They are easy to change, pull the cotter pin, loosen the nut and knock on the nut side with a hammer. I would spray some penetrating oil on the nut the night before, and the clamp where it threads in too. When you loosen the nut, it may just spin on you. You can jam a pickle fork in where the rubber boot is and try to jam it.

Next, you see that the part threads on to the tie rod. This is an alignment adjustment, and you need to get the new ball joint as close as you can to where the old one was. Then just reassemble the ball end to the truck and you are done. In theory, you should get an alignment done after this work. If you are doing ball joints, you should do an alignment after that too, so try to do the tie rods and ball joints at the same time, or within a month or so.

If you can, do the this stuff sooner than later. If one of these breaks at highway speeds, your truck is toast, and you probably are too.

 

[Roadrunner777]

I have a faded memory of another thread that discussed something about the size of the long threaded part of the tie rod end and the clamp it threads into. I looked around a little bit, but it is embedded in a thread too far for me to look right now. When you get your parts, LIKE ALWAYS, carefully compare the new to the old before you get into the job.

 

[Bix]

thanks alot, i have noticed the reybestos ones are the best looking ones design wise also. I will be doing this within a month for sure. Just waiting to start working again, i have my drug test to get on site then im back to work. I counted the inner splines on my axle shaft when i was changing over to warn hubs and i had 27 that fit the warn ones and from my research that means i have the dana 35 front axle. i dont mind spending the money like u said cuz i dont want to have to do it again and i like to things right the first time if i can avoid dis-assembling and buying another 4 ball joints.. I do not have a credit card so i will try n see if napa or somewhere can order the reybestos ones for me. Thanks alot for the help guys, like always i really appreciate it

 

[Bix]

also i do not plan on keeping this truck stock so the stronger the better, just trying to get her up to speed before lifting and other stuff. I will for sure keep an eye out on the size of the threaded bolt and carefully compare. thanks for the reminder!

 

[Roadrunner777]

There is some interesting discussion about u-joints, by the way. It would be intuitive to choose greasable ones, particularly if you anticipate getting in water. You can grease and flush them out. BUT... greasable u-joints are weaker because they have grease passages where solid metal normally would be. Food for thought.

You will be going through some other parts on the way to the ball joints... bearings, seals, so on. Buy Timken.

What are your plans for the rear diff? You might have a factory posi-traction and at your mileage, it's surely worn out. Well, maybe you are going to lockers, what are your ultimate plans for the truck?

 

[Bix]

I am going to replacing the bearing too if needed, when i changed out the auto hubs i noticed they needed to be repacked, i saw on here a thread about cleaning them and looking for any wear on the bearings so im going to go that method. Thanks for the heads up about the greas-able ujoints, i didnt know those existed ( like i said i am just turning into an exploraholic i havent been one yet so im not used to all this 4x4 stuff ). I do not plan to be in alot of water but i do plan on doing alot of off roading when its ready so maybe its a good option to explore, When u say they are weak do you mean like rock crawling weak or just general off roading weak cuz i do not plan on doing any serious rock crawling. what seals will i be going through on the way to the ujoints? can i buy a timken kit for them all? The owner of my x had no clue what anything was on it and neglected it but the original owner took care of her well so there is still alot of good with it. The door stickers were ripped off but i found a reminent of one in the owners manual and i looked up my differential code and my rear is 3.54 gears and is OPEN which im pleased about because i want to put an detroit ez locker in the rear for sure and ive read alot on here its way easier when its open. Im also happy i have a bit lower gears than the 3.27 so if i get some bigger tires it wont be as bad until i can afford the locker with 4.10 gears. Is posi traction like an anti slip diff? Theres about 130,000 miles on it now. I do want to do a full flush of my differentials and tranny soon, I know it was done at 100,000 km cuz its written on the firewall when the mechanic did it. I want to check the fluids for metal deposits with a magnet and also inspect the gears and im hoping i can get a good look at them. My ultimate goal for the truck is all new suspension all the way around, 4.10 gears. Locker in the rear only at first when its still my daily driver but locked in the front too once i get a another vehicle during the process, hopefully another first gen but maybe a second ( im hooked ), 32-33 max tires, and all the excessories to go along with it ( winch , ect.. ) I really want to do a tranny swap with maybe a 5 speed manual but im not sure i could pull that off with my abilities and space and tools.