'99 Ford Explorer Sport Grease Fittings

[chuckwagon101]

I have a 1999 Ford Explorer Sport, 4 wheel drive, 6 cylinder.

This vehicle has no apparent grease fittings. All I see are close fitting metal coverings. I could not get the "coverings" to budge with very light tinkering (did not want to damage something before checking!)

The Haynes manual says there are "plugs" on some Explorers that have to be removed and fitted with grease fittings.

How do I do this? Is this a job that a "shade tree mechanic" such as I can do...or does it involve special equipment and have to be taken to a dealership? (God forbid!)

Any help on this matter would be appreciated!

Chuckwagon

 

[Cobraguy]

If there is a plug or cover in the fitting, remove it and see if there are threads for a grease fitting. If so, then go to your local auto parts store and purchase them, install them, and grease your joints.

 

[gijoecam]

Haynes is smoking something... From the factory, the OEM components are 'lubed for life'. There are no grease fittings on any of the OEM parts.

The places to look would, of course, be the ball joints, tie rods, and u-joints. Assuming they're stock parts, it's unlikely you'll find any.

 

[Tonka1]

It's a sealed system no need for greese, but all aftermarket balljoints, tierode ends come with them....

 

[Cobraguy]

I have seen what Haynes is talking about. The joints literally have a plug in them. Some are threaded, some are not. In fact, I've even seen it in the factory manuals where is says to install a zerk, grease the joint, then remove the zerk and replace the plug. I kid you not. But that was a LOOOONNG time ago.

 

[chuckwagon101]

Thanks for the info guys! I will run this vehicle until a problem develops and then install the after-market parts.......with grease fittings!

 

[TheJackal]

Hmm... I never knew this. Is this applicable for the sport only, or all 99 Explorers?

Either way it doesn't matter, the original balljoints are on their last legs.

 

[gijoecam]

Pretty much every Ford built in the last 15 years is set up like that. There are two on my F-150, but only those two from 97-03/04 heritage editions. Those are the only ones I've seen on a Ford truck in eons...

-Joe

 

[spinnn]

The first thing I did when I bought my 97 was to take it to Jiffy Boob. After ascertaining that they knew that the trans/transfer gets Mercon, I asked them pointedly to grease the chassis. They said that they found 7 fittings, but when I looked under I saw none. Assuming that they found four in the driveshafts, that leaves three. Which I can't find...

 

[gijoecam]

If I was going to guess, I'd guess that the previous owner replaced ball joints, tie rods, and one of the u-joints... That would give you six on the front end and one on a driveshaft. If they had done all the joints on your driveshafts, you would only have three there...

That's another possibility... three on your driveshafts, and four on the ball joints, or some combination of the ball joints and tie rods....

The only way to know is to look.

 

[spinnn]

Yeah, I looked, didn't see anything but the dirt and grease might have been obscuring them