I followed Racerguys instructions and everything went just about perfect. The first side took my about 3 hours, but I had a caliper bracket bolt that gave me trouble. I borrowed the press from O'Reilly's and I froze the bottom ball joints for a day in the freezer. They slid in with almost no effort of the press. The second side took 2 hours. I replaced all the tie rod ends while I was at it, gave the brakes a good inspection and cleaned everything up. So 5 hours and $360 for parts which included the upper & lower ball joints, all four tie rod ends, 36mm impact socket, & new 18mm socket (broke one working on the caliper bracket bolt). I still have to get the alignment, about $60, so total should be about $420. The quotes I got ranged from $650 private shop to $850-$1000 from the dealer, neither prices included the tie rod ends but did include the alignment. So, on the low end I saved $230 on the high end $580, (plus the new tie rod ends). Either way I think it was a good savings and time well spent. Don't be affraid to tackle this project. You'll need; floor jack, jack stands, good socket set (both metric and SAE), snap ring pliers, pickle fork, 36mm deep impact socket, breaker or cheater bar just in case you run into stuborn bolts, & barrow the ball joint press from the local parts house. I sprayed all the bolts about 24 hours prior with WD40, seemed to help. Plan on a whole day to get it done. My hat is off to Racerguy for taking the time to post the info and helping us all save some money.

 

Good to hear that you got it done

 

just to be on the same page here, bad ball joints would be causing the terrible creaking and squeaking in the front end while turning, right?

if that is not what is causing that noise, does anybody have an idea what could be causing that?
every time i turn my wheel, i get the "look", like, "what a piece of garbage", or my favorite and most often heard, "yup, it's a FORD"
i love my ford, dont get me wrong, but i just wish it wouldnt sound like its 20 yrs old.

 

Ball joints can cause the squeek but a more common problem is the pitman arm. That is the arm that connects the steering box to the center steering link.
If you crawl under the truck while someone turns the steering wheel back and forth you can usually feel which joint is making the noise. It will vibrate as it squeeks.

 

what do you suggest i do? do i replace the pitman arm, or just grease till i cant grease no more? or is there a bushing inside that can be replaced?

the squeak is mostly heard while parked and turning the wheel, or when i am driving slow.

 

From the factory the pitman arm isn't greaseable.
If it makes noise you should replace it although some people stick a grease needle in the boot to lube it. I don't recommend that.
Have you tried listening underneath to see where the noise is coming from?

 

yes, i have used 2 tubes of grease on everything underneath mytruck that has a possibly of making noise. i have narrowed it down to the pitman arm, the tie rod ends, or the ball joints. i am also hearing a 'creak' comming from the rear of the truck, but ill try to find that one myself.

 

Wow, what a great writeup. I am planning to do this in the next couple of weeks and have a few more questions. Q1) On the upper control arms, can I reuse the large rubber bushings or do I need to replace these also. Q2) Is there a cam washer installed by the factory on the upper arm. I saw in a shop manual to mark this but crawling under my truck, I can't tell what they want me to mark. Can someone post a pic?

Thanks a bunch! BTW, I just found/joined this website. It looks pretty cool!
Mike-G

 

Hi Mike and welcome

If you are replacing the upper control arms they come with new bushings.
From the factory there is a plate instead of an adjustable "washer" on the bolts that hold the control arm on. If you are going to get an alignment done after you may want to install the adjustable bolt kit. Usually if you reinstall everything the same as it came out you'll be ok though. You can mark the plates so you get them in the right spot but it's pretty hard not to if you're paying attention.

 

Hey all,
This post has been great in helping me with this task. Just one question though. I destroyed some of the plastic dust caps for the upr & lower ball joints when busting the taper out of the knuckle. In addition to helping keep dust out, it looks like they also prevent the rubber boot from rubbing on the rough surface of the knuckle casting and lower control arm. Am I correct? Is it ok to not put these back on - or do I need to pursue new ones?


Thanks for any & all help,
Mike-G

 

Most people don't bother putting those back on and it doesn't seem to cause any problems.

 

Well, with that said I am done with changing the lower ball joints, upper arms and inr/otr tie-rod ends. There really weren't any surprises other than very stubborn lower ball joints. Racerguy made this job easy for me! Thanks for your help - the pic's were very helpful. Tomorrow, it's off for new tires and an allignment. I'm pretty sure I really messed up the rhs camber when I did the upper arm. Oh well, that what I'm paying for isn't it. I think the lhs is close.

See ya'll later.
Mike-G

 

Good to hear that you got it done

 

this is great info thanks racerguy

 

This has been great help. Working on replacing the lower and upper ball joints on my 1998 F-150 4x2. Question I have is on the upper ball joint w/control arm. Does that joint neet to be pressed in or just torqued to specs?