just had a shop replace all my front ball joints (yes all clunks gone now) and now the rig drives different. it tends not to come back to center after turning or making small steering adjustments. called shop and they said was due to stiffness of the new ball joints and if not get better to bring it back

they said they checked the alignment and it was fine and it did not change. it feels like there is not enough caster in it to help straighten out the wheels but i am not sure if this is even adjustable and if it would change w/new ball joints

thanks

 

your just used to that sloppy suspension. give it time, hit a few bumps with em. but make sure to keep em greased.

 

Ditto

drive it for a week and see how it gets

 

The balljoints could be installed incorrectly. When I had a "friend of a friend" do mine, he over tightened them. I took it to the Ford dealer and they loosened them up (to the correct spec). It helped a lot, but I have other demons I'm still fighting with my steering (tires, tierods, etc - I'm running out things to fix).

 

i know from past dealings with a four wheel drive, if the u- joints at the outer axle, (knuckles) are stiff from no grease they tend to hold the steering from returning to straight ahead.they cause stiff steering and cause the problem you are having.

 

i could be wrong but i've never heard of taking apart any of the front end an NOT havin an alignment.

 

The OP said they did check the alignment and it was ok . I would just drive it for a couple weeks and if it doesn't straighten out take it back to them.

 

On a 4X4, you only have a toe in adjustment that you can make unless you have ball joints that are adjustable. I have heard of some aftermarket ball joints that are off set and can be rotated to adjust the camber, but I've never actually seen a set. Did they rotate the tires? The front tires probably had a wear pattern on them from running with worn out ball joints that, if not rotated to the back, and the rears put up front, (assuming they are in good shape) could make it drive a little funny. Other than that, it may take a little getting used to since you were adapted to driving with a loose front end. Been there, done that!

 

maybe i should REPHRASE that- i've never heard of the front end being taken apart and NOT needing an alignment. the shop says it never changed? i'll bet they just never did it OR never checked it. when u pull out of a shop after havin front end work that truck should drive straight as an arrow, not (work it shelf out), like its a charlie horse.

 

I did Moog left side ball joints at 45k miles and all was well. I did right side ball joints at 65K miles and they were so stiff it was dangerous on the highway ans changing lanes. I braught it back and the said dive it for a bit to see if they loosen up. After 1000 miles they did not. They took the truck back in and replaced the right side Moogs with another set of Moogs. It was just as bad. I told them find a solution. They did not want another set of Moogs because the first two sets were too stiff. I needed the truck so I said get the Ford balljoints. They did and all was well. The wheel returned to center and drove like it should.

The shop is one that I have been going to forever and all are good guys with top notch mechanics. The bent over backward to make things right. The drove 30 miles to my work to pick me up to get my truck. For some reason the Moogs were just too damn stiff.

The first set was great but the second was not.

They did a alingment twice just to make sure it was not that. The ball joints were just binding up not allowing the wheel to return to center.

 

all good points i must say, i returned to the shop today that put them in and got some more information, they are not factory ball joints but rather what they call extended duty ones and have fitting on them to grease. said i should pt 100 mi on it then decide what to do

my driving experience sounds like the one above that was almost dangerous on the hiway, and i am going to ask what brand of ball joints they used next visit

also said the checked the alignment and it was fine and that since the way it comes apart the didnt expect the alignment to change.

when i asked about caster they said ford uses a zero/zero setting ie no caster and no camber i think. shop said they could put some caster in it w/an ofset bushing in the upper ball joint and that that would help it return to center but might make it steer harder

has anyone messed w/the caster setting? is the zero setting right?
did it help, did it make it steer harder?

also if zero caster how do the wheels know to go straight in the first place?

 

As far as the caster camber here is the specs for a 99-04 4X4 trucks. Front left castor is 5.5 to 1.5 degrees and camber is 1.3 to -0.8 degrees and the opposite for the right. Ie 1.5 to 5.5 and -0.8 to 1.3 degrees.

 

From what you are discribing, it sounds like something is binding in the steering, likely the new ball joints. That being said, did you ask about the tires? Like I said before, if they had started wearing fromthe loose ball joints, that will make your truck steer funny. If that was the problem though it would want to wander all over the road usually. The only adjustment on these is toe-in. It should have about a 1/16th to an 1/8th of an inch toe-in. Have you set it up on jack stands and steered the wheels by hand by grabbing the tire and moving it with the steering wheel unlocked? That should help in finding out if there is something binding. Of course there is no weight on the front end doing it that way, but it should help in finding the problem.

 

thanks again, tires show no signs of wear and i put them on new a few hundred miles before ball joints
only had one ball joint that was making a clunk, but decided to do all 4 while in there
will give the wheels a turn as suggested

and are you then saying there is no way the change/adjust the caster? no offset bushings in the ball joints as i was told at the shop?

 

I believe there some aftermarket ball-joints available that would allow a person to make those adjustments, but they aren't factory on these vehicles. I could be wrong about them being available aftermarket. I just remember someone telling me about such an item. Unless the axle got a little bent, you shouldn't need them.
When you jack it up, do that with the engine off. I know I shouldn't have to say that, but with what I do at work, I run into a lot of people that don't know as much as I originally give them credit for. I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm just saying they've never been taught.