Bad ball-joints.......serious???

[explorer4x493]

Went to the mechanic the other day to get my brakes and rotors replaced. I told him that almost every time when i turn my wheels to back up, or even when i hit a bump in the road that i hear a pop!
He honesly started pounding down on my upper ball joints and determined that was where the clunking was coming from.
How bad or serious are these being bad?

 

[BradE.]

I'd replace em'. Get Moog units, they are warrantied for life and have grease fittings on them.

 

[Pheonixx77]

yeah it can be bad, worst case if they break apart you wheels COULD fall off, that would be bad an prolly rare but its a possibility, i think. i got mine from autozone decent price, and they had grease fittings. i would not do it myself though, i can do alot but with some stuff i like a gurantee on the work. oh yeah you might need an alignment after the work too.

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by explorer4x493

How bad or serious are these being bad?

Its really nice to turn the steering wheel and know that the truck is going to head in the direction you intended.

I'd get them replaced soon.

 

[dgibson]

very soon

 

[etc]

The balljoints look intimidating at first to replace, but if you got the right tools, it's pretty easy, although it might take a little time.

 

[Opera House]

I just did my lower today

at 141K they had a little movement but almost impossible to detect by just rocking the tire around. Not a hard job if you have the tools. You just have to loose that fear of beating on things with a large hammer. Not for the faint of heart.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Opps

 

[Nate1]

Hrm. Mine have been popping and groaning with articulation for a few months. Am I in any danger here?

What do I do, get some Moog ones from carquest? They last longer dont they? Who can install them if I get them though? I know Ford will charge an arm and a leg.... these are just balljoints, its straightfoward right?

Thanks guys
-----Nate

 

[Mbrooks420]

They are groaning because the grease is long dried up. I would change them ASAP. The Moog balljoint will outlast a stock balljoint by 2-3 times at least. I think they also come with a warranty. Changing them isn't the most fun to do, but isn't overly difficult. Air tools help, and I'd presoak the bolts with penetrant. If you run into any problems I'm sure someone here can walk you through it.

 

[BradE.]

Moogs have a lifetime warranty, if they ever fail, you get new ones for free. Don't skimp on these parts, get Moog, accept no imitations.

I strongly recommened you rent a ball joint press instead of pounding on them with a hammer. You can rent one at AutoZone, and they refund your deposit when you bring the tool back. Basically, you get to use it for free.

 

[Nate1]

Ok, but is this something that I could mess up badly. If I am not totally confident I could do it, is it something I should take to sears? The balljoints hold the spindle to the upper and lower arms? Since it is so integral, I would be more comfortable letting pros do it.

 

[Opera House]

Upper ball joint

is held to the wheel assembly with a single taper bolt and to the frame with two bolts. These two bolts are also part of the alignment. The end washers are offset and can be rotated to move the arm in and out. I'd chisel or grind a mark on the top of each one (4) before removing. The upper arms come as a complete assembly. Only hard part is getting the old ones off. Breaker bar, pipe extension, impact sockets, oil and a hammer. Don't try any front end work with 12 point sockets. May be doing mine soon. Mine didn't seem bad but I still have this bow out problem after doing the lower.

 

[etc]

http://www.haroh.com/explorer/ball_joint.html

That's a pretty good write up and it doesn't involve dismantling the brake system.

opera: why do you say not use use 12 pt sockets?

 

[jasonb]

probably b/c 12pts are easier to strip out and the bolts there are in there pretty dang good..

 

[BensBud]

Originally posted by muncheese
http://www.haroh.com/explorer/ball_joint.html

Bookmarked that bad boy! It's excellent!

Question: is a ball-joint press a special-fit / single-vehicle item? If I buy one for my X, and then end up with an F250, can I use it on both (or on my wife's Saab)? There's a few for $60 to $80 on ebay.

 

[etc]

They come with three different receiving cup sizes. At least the one from Autozone does ($100 refundable deposit). The three different cup sizes should be able to fit a variety of sizeballjoints. My 96 used the larger cup size. As for the ones on e-bay, no idea.

 

[Red97EBV8]

Originally posted by nweibley
Ok, but is this something that I could mess up badly. If I am not totally confident I could do it, is it something I should take to sears?

I did ball joints on another vehicle with an Autozone borrowed tool. I messed up one side a little. The ball joints needed the small cup on both top an bottom. Since the tool only had one small cup, I used one small and the next larger size. The ball joint wound up starting into the seat a little crooked. 13K later, I found the ball joint completely loose from the control arm. I installed a new one and found the seat to be too loose. I am planning on putting a little crimp in the seat and applying some Loctite. I expect that to be more than enough to do the job. I would not let Sears do the job, as I'm sure I'm more diligent with my vehicle than Sears (or anyone else) would be. Just make sure the ball joint is straight as it starts seating.

 

[SteveVB]

If you are afraid of messing up the install, then just disassemble the front end, and take the steering knuckle to a shop and have them press out the old and press in the new- thats what I usually do. I dont have a press and sometimes the portable rental presses arent enough. Better to go to a shop with a "real' press not have to worry about it. Only costs a shop charge - around here $60 bucks for both sides.

If you get one in ****ed I would replace the arm- I doubt the locktite will be tough enough to handle the pounding the joints take.

 

[Opera House]

Just a little tip

The old ball joint can take a bit of force to get out. When the clamp gets a bit hard to turn, give the clamp just a little tap with a hammer in the direction that the joint is coming out. It will instantly jump. Great example of static and dynamic friction at work.