ball joints bad

[mrbita]

can anyone tell me how to replace the ball joints on a 2001 ford ranger, i was told to replace upper and lower, also how do i go about bying the right ones, there are 3 different ones listed for the truck?

 

[JhnZ33]

can anyone tell me how to replace the ball joints on a 2001 ford ranger, i was told to replace upper and lower, also how do i go about bying the right ones, there are 3 different ones listed for the truck?

Bottom ones are pressed in and need to be pressed out with a ball joint tool (or a couple of good whacks from a sledge). The new lower ball joints must be pressed in with the ball joint tool. Don't forget to remove the retaining clip before trying to remove the ball joint and reinstall it after pressing the new ball joint in.

Upper ball joints are integral to the upper control arm and not a separate serviceable part. You must replace the entire upper control arm if the ball joints are bad.

As far which lower ball joints you need, given the right vehicle information, the person at the parts store should be able to supply you with the correct lower ball joints.

JJP

 

[rd_turbo]

Most people insist on Moog, likely for the fact that they have grease nipples. I opted for second like with grease nipples on my Sport Trac and one out of four got noisy 6 months later...then again the OE balljoints didn't fare much better. I used the same second line on my Mazda B (aka Ranger) and they've been great. The dreadful suspension design on these vehicles will always lead to ball joint woes.