I'm going to try this on my own thanks to this thread. I've replaced the bearing assembly on each side (front) before so I'm kinda half way there. I bought the parts yesterday. I printed out the list on page 2 of this thread and went to NAPA auto parts. He read the list, brought the parts out and gives me a price. I say "Were you close to these prices?" He looks at me and says where did you get these from. Then I realized that this thread was probably a little old. Ha-ha............ Oh well. Prices have jumped a bit. About 30% my guess. BTW I'm going to replace the shocks with new Bilsteins too. After 250K miles I guess all this is about due.
Jerry
I have a 1999 F350 2WD 7.3 Diesel Crew Cab. I have owned the truck since it was new and I have never used the truck to anywhere near its capability. As a result I did not have to replace the ball joints until approximately 190k miles.
There seems to be a lot of write-ups on 4x4 ball joint replacement procedures but none that I've found for the 2WD. As a result, I'm posting the procedure I used to replace mine. I hope it may be a help to someone. (Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures.)
This is a very simple and straight forward process. Much simpler than it appears to be for the Super Duty 4x4. This is the first time I did it and it took me about 4 – 4.5 hours, without rushing and without good instructions, to complete both sides. Also, a good part of that time was spent cleaning things up and checking other things out as well.
I made the mistake of buying the Chilton manual for the 99-03 Super Duty trucks. After I got it home and removed the plastic cover it informed me that the 2WD ball joints were not replaceable. Not true. (I got my replacement ball joints from NAPA.)
1) Raise the front of the truck off the ground and support it safely on jack stands.
2) Remove the front wheels.
3) Remove brake caliper from the caliper mount. (You will very likely have to compress the pistons in the caliper to slide it off.) Don't let the caliper hang by its hose.
4) Remove the two bolts that hold the caliper mount to the knuckle.
5) Using a flat blade screwdriver, remove the dust cap from the end of the brake rotor. Remove cotter pin, nut retainer and nut that holds the brake rotor to the knuckle/spindle assy. Remove outer wheel bearings and brake rotor.
6) Remove the rotor shield (3 screws) from the knuckle.
7) Remove the cotter pin and nut that attach the tie rod end to the knuckle. Separate tie-rod from knuckle. (Do not use a pickle fork (tie rod separator) on this unless you intend to replace the tie-rod ends as well.) I thread the tie-rod nut back on upside down until the bottom of the nut is flush with the end of the tie-rod. I then use a scrap piece of aluminum (or other metal that is softer than the steel tie-rod material), hold it in place on top of the tie-rod and nut and use a small sledge hammer to knock the tie-rod loose.
8) Remove cotter pin and loosen lower ball joint nut. (Run the nut up flush with the top of the threads but do not remove.)
9) Remove upper ball joint pinch bolt.
10) Using a pickle fork and small sledge hammer, knock the lower ball joint out of the housing. Only the bottom ball joint has a tapered shaft. (The nut that you left on in step 8 will keep the knuckle from falling all the way out.)
11) Clean everything up and remove as dirt, brake dust, grease, rust, etc. as possible from everything.
12) Clamp the knuckle in a vice for convenience (if available). Remove snap-ring from lower ball joint. Using a ball joint press, remove the upper and lower ball joints. (You can rent a ball joint press from most auto parts stores for a fully refundable deposit.)
13) Clean any remaining rust and junk from where the ball joints go into the knuckle.
14) Install the new ball joints using the ball joint press. Install new snap-ring on lower ball joint. (If you purchased greasable joints, do not install the grease zerks yet.)
15) Install the knuckle onto the suspension arm and loosely install the nut on the lower ball joint.
16) Tighten* the lower ball joint nut and install cotter pin. (If the upper ball joint cam sleeve begins to slide out of the suspension arm while tightening the nut, use a large socket to tap it back down.)
17) Reattach tie-rod end to knuckle* and install cotter pin.
18) Install and orient grease zerks that can accessed easily for maintenance.
19) Install rotor shield to knuckle.
20) Now is the perfect opportunity to install new wheel bearings and seals into the brake rotor. Pack wheel bearings and rotor with a high quality grease and install on the knuckle/spindle assy. Install spindle nut, nut retainer and cotter pin. (Do not over tighten or you will damage the wheel bearings) Reinstall dust cap by tapping lightly around outside edge until fully seated.
21) Reinstall the caliper mount, brake pads and caliper assembly. (Before you install the caliper mount, it’s a good time to make sure the caliper slide pins are clean, greased and sliding properly.)
22) Put the tire/wheels back on and you’re ready to go.
*The torque values I used here came from the 4x4 instructions for the similar components. I did not post those values here because I did not have a way to verify those are the correct numbers for the 2WD. I did not want to give anyone bad information.
This thread deserves a bump up top. Despite the thorough instruction Racer has given, lol, I still ran into issues trying to replace the needle bearings. After going around acquiring my parts, I noticed a few different things on my 05 F350 then the pictured instruction.
I was told by the partsman at Ford that the 05 and above SD uses some different parts. The knuckle seals and o-ring are different.
One of the snags I ran into was the c-clip on the 05 hubs, they are a pain to get out. I actually couldn't get them out. The other thing was the rotors were strongly hugging the hub. I came to the conclusion that I am just going to grab new sets of rotors and pads and pretty much just replace my entire rolling suspension parts.
I have this annoying rumbling noise coming from the front end. After spending two days of searching this site I had came to the assumption that it was a bad needle bearing. So I made the attempt to replace it before it does more damage. After struggling for 1 1/2 hours trying to remove the rotor and the c-clip I called it quits and decided that instead of doing all this work and still run into the same noise I am going to replace the hub, ball joints, seals, u-joint, rotors, pads, and possible new stub axles. It kinda blow cause my final total will come around 1k to 1200 just in parts.
One other thing on the 05 + the hub locker is secured with torx bolts and no clip.
Yep, the 05s and up are different. I guess one of these days I could take some pictures of a newer truck when I have one apart. Or if someone else is doing the job on a newer one they could take some pictures and do a bit of a write up
__________________ Dave - FTE moderator Forum Guidelines
this space for rent
Ok, I finished my front end project and it took as long to find the parts as it did to complete the project (about 6 hours each - I worked slow and spent A LOT of time cleaning parts). For those wondering, I am not a mechanic (though I am mechanically inclined) and I have never touched this truck or any other Ford vehicle in the past. I didn't know what a ball joint, knuckle, U-joint, axle stub, or thrust washer was when I started. A huge thanks go to Racer and Fortyfords for their help throughout the project (and after).
Following is what I know regarding part numbers and prices - I hope this helps others avoid the same pain I endured finding parts. Everything I know is listed below - if it is not listed, I do NOT know. I used all Ford parts except the ball joints - I used NAPA for these. I'm told Ford now has greasable ball joints, but none of the dealers who gave me part numbers had them in stock.
Also, my 1999 F350 4x4 is a 1999.5 (I was just told that may make a difference in the parts needed - I'm happy to have the 'edit' button when posting).
Wheel Bearing:
Ford # C6tZ-3123-A $9.30 each
NAPA # B2110 $6.42 each
Small Knuckle Seal or "Dust Seal"
Ford # F81Z-1S175-HCA $15.46 each
NAPA # 21918 $8.99 each
National #710413 $7.84 each
Large Knuckle Seal or "Oil Seal" (pressed on with special tool)
Ford #F81Z-3254-CB $26.54 each
NAPA N/A N/A
Hub Assembly Seal (small yellow seal)
Ford #F81Z-4A322-AA $3.48 each
NAPA N/A N/A
Upper Ball Joint
NAPA #260-1248 $30.44 each
Lower Ball Joint
NAPA #260-1395 $48.69 each
Auto-Lock Hub
Ford #1C3Z-3B396-CA $279.00 each
I can't find the wheel bearing #B2110 at NAPA. All I can find are a bunch of different inner and outer wheel bearings and cups for a rear wheel drive F250. My '02 is 4x4. Is this the same bearing? Do I need four of these #B2110 bearings? Or since it is a 4x4, do I need to purchase 2 $400+ hub assemblies?
Also, do I need small knuckle seals or large knuckle seals or both? I did find the ball joints and bought them.
__________________
2002 F250 Super Duty S/Cab 4X4 5.4L Lariat
Well guys, I am joining the ball joint replacement crowd. Just got new tires yesterday and tech told me ball joints shot. Also told me the front bar on the sterring linkage is bad as well. I cannot remember what he told me the name of it was. But I will be changing that and the ball joints this weekend. Thanks for everyone who has convinced me this is something that I can do myself. I will rely after with my results.
Again Thanks
__________________
F-250 Lariat X-cab. PSD 4X4 Auto
Hi everyone,
Thanks to all of the good advice on this site I finally have the confidence to tackle this job. I was wondering if there is a particular brand of ball joint that is better than the others. I noticed that the Moog's are about 3 times the price of most others. Are they really worth it? Any advice here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and thanks for a great web site!
Finished the ball joint job on the 250 yesterday. The drivers side took 3 hours of beating to separate the knuckle while the passengers side was 5 minutes. Not because of all the experience on the other side either! Two studs on the drivers side were rusted solid. Also replaced the U joints while it was all apart and put in greaseable ones.
Handles better but will likely need a tie rod end as well. Thanks to Racerguy for the starting thread and the other ones for the parts list. Cost was over $450 for all the parts. Ford seals - Napa joints. Now on to the brakes...
Doing Mine this weekend 99 4x4 sd.. I printed out your instructions Racerguy.. Great instructions I laminated them too with the pics in numbered oder along with the directions... I'm nuts though...lol I just hate running inside every 5 minutes or so....lol Will keep you posted... thanks a bunch....
Ok, I'm in the middle of my ball joint replacement. I installed the new ball joints on the passenger side. The knuckle is back on and I replaced the seals on the axle. I'm am now trying to re-install the axle.
How do I know if the splines are lined up and engaged in the carrier? I had the axle installed in the axle tube and rotated the axle. Shouldn't I see the front driveshaft turn when I do this? Thanks.
__________________
2002 F250 Super Duty S/Cab 4X4 5.4L Lariat
Ok, I'm in the middle of my ball joint replacement. I installed the new ball joints on the passenger side. The knuckle is back on and I replaced the seals on the axle. I'm am now trying to re-install the axle.
How do I know if the splines are lined up and engaged in the carrier? I had the axle installed in the axle tube and rotated the axle. Shouldn't I see the front driveshaft turn when I do this? Thanks.
Did you have the drivers side hub locked? The drivers side shaft might be spinning instead. If the splines in the carrier arent lined up, the axle shaft wont slide in all the way.
__________________
Trevor
01 F-350 CC 8ft bed SRW 7.3L a/t. 149k
PAA Member #7
This forum is owned and operated by Internet Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation. It is not authorized or endorsed by the Ford Motor Company and is not affiliated with the Ford Motor Company or its related companies in any way. Ford® is a registered trademark of the Ford Motor Company.
He looks at me and says where did you get these from. Then I realized that this thread was probably a little old. Ha-ha............ Oh well. Prices have jumped a bit. About 30% my guess. BTW I'm going to replace the shocks with new Bilsteins too. After 250K miles I guess all this is about due.
I used all Ford parts except the ball joints - I used NAPA for these. I'm told Ford now has greasable ball joints, but none of the dealers who gave me part numbers had them in stock.
