Help! Which parts do I need?

[Bright_Explorer2004]

Hi All, I'm in the UK with a 4 litre rear wheel drive Explorer 2004, left hand drive. It has just failed the MOT and the garage can't source the parts. It looks like ebay has them, but I need to check exactly which parts are required. The first list in the attached photo is the issue. Do I need to replace the whole ball joint or just the dust cover? Should I replace the antiroll bar linkage pins and bushes?
I'd be grateful for any pointers.
Many thanks, B

 

[TechGuru]

Holy picky *****. I've had my upper ball joint boots missing for years.

RockAuto ships internationally.

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Ball Joint | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Sway Bar Link | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Sway Bar Bushing | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

The first item is a custom welding job to fix.

 

[Bright_Explorer2004]

Holy picky *****. I've had my upper ball joint boots missing for years.

RockAuto ships internationally.

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Ball Joint | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Sway Bar Link | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

2004 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Sway Bar Bushing | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

The first item is a custom welding job to fix.

Thanks TechGuru

 

[Tnmason969]

If nothing wrong with the bar just get the bushings that's what we do you only ever replace them when it breaks ironically I need to do it myself just the bushings

 

[iowa_hick]

Unless the shipping make the cost of the ball joints insanely high, I would recommend changing them rather than just the dust covers. The parts themselves aren't that expensive and pretty much all of the labor will be done getting it apart to put on the dust covers.

You might look on rockauto.com for some of the parts. I don't know if they ship internationally, but they are usually really reasonable on parts.

Good luck!
Jake

 

[410Fortune]

the report says you need to:
repair rust around the body mount
Replace the rubber boots on your front ball joints
Replace Front sway bar links

I would:
Knock off the rust and weld on a new plate for body mount
Replace all front ball joints
Replace all front sway bar links

 

[MrQ]

Wow, that's an insane level of inspection. Dust boots, really?

Here in Texas as long as it passed emissions (which is all they really care about anyway), you could drive with a missing windshield (yeah that's right, you don't have to have a windshield, but god help you if your wipers don't work) and no bumpers (but must have a front and rear license plate), with half the front end missing and dents and dings everywhere.

Sometimes an inspector can be real **** and fail you for fluid leaks, but most won't. In some states (ahem, Illinois) you don't even need safety inspections as long as your cat's work. The inspector may be sweeping up the rust from what's left of your frame after you left, but it will pass.

 

[TechGuru]

If nothing wrong with the bar just get the bushings that's what we do you only ever replace them when it breaks ironically I need to do it myself just the bushings

I'd go with polyurethane bushings. The rubber ones just do not last.

Front: More Information for MOOG K700542

Rear: More Information for MOOG K700540

 

[TechGuru]

Wow, that's an insane level of inspection. Dust boots, really?

Here in Texas as long as it passed emissions (which is all they really care about anyway), you could drive with a missing windshield (yeah that's right, you don't have to have a windshield, but god help you if your wipers don't work) and no bumpers (but must have a front and rear license plate), with half the front end missing and dents and dings everywhere.

Sometimes an inspector can be real **** and fail you for fluid leaks, but most won't. In some states (ahem, Illinois) you don't even need safety inspections as long as your cat's work. The inspector may be sweeping up the rust from what's left of your frame after you left, but it will pass.

Only Houston (Harris/Montgomery/Galveston?), Austin (Travis & Williamson), Dallas (Dallas/Collin), Fort Worth (Tarrant/Johnson/Parker/Denton), and El Paso (El Paso?) areas check emissions. No idea why San Antonio (Bexar) don't, they need to. Vehicles over 25 years old are exempt.

 

[MrQ]

The emissions inspection is set by the county, not by the city. Be glad if you don't have to do emissions, less money out of pocket. Since Texas tacked it on to registration, it's easily $100 for a truck to get fully inspected and registered in those counties. I'm not looking forward to dealing with the Harris county tax assessor to get the registration done on Red since I moved just over the county line.