Leveled Front End Issue
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 278
Likes: 1
From: Bethlehem, PA
I have the Hell Bent Steel 2.5" kit as well. I am right now dealing with bad ball joints. My truck has 40,000 miles on it; 19,000 when I got it, And close to 20,000 since the leveling kit. As far as I know thats where the noise is coming from. I will be ordering new joints shortly.
All the new joints come with grease fittings; So I am hoping they will last a little longer than Fords.
All the new joints come with grease fittings; So I am hoping they will last a little longer than Fords.
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
I must have just got a POS!
That sucks because the buddy of mine I was talking about hasent had a single problem either! I have had no luck with this truck. I wash the damn thing every week, change the oil every 3,000, never beat on it,
but it seems to give me nothing but problems. I am about one more problem away from buying
a superduty and fixing all the
problems, but I think I finally
fixed everything!
MAYBE?
That sucks because the buddy of mine I was talking about hasent had a single problem either! I have had no luck with this truck. I wash the damn thing every week, change the oil every 3,000, never beat on it,
but it seems to give me nothing but problems. I am about one more problem away from buying
a superduty and fixing all the
problems, but I think I finally
fixed everything!
MAYBE?
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Heres the up to date list.
-power steering pump (Stopped working)
-four wheel drive activation relay on firewall
-both heads, lifters, and phasers
-foam fell off of blendoor and caused the HVAC system to only work on one vent/temp(1 year)
-driveshaft was bent from factory(took ten trips of me bitching for them to fix)
-Both front seats lower brackets were broken from factory
-Drivers side door is gouging the rocker to the point it is curling the door skin back in lower front.
-Most of these problems took at least 5 trips each for the dealer to figure out!!!
So this last problem I think put me over the edge in more than one way!
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Lebanon,PA
I don't see the difference in the strut spacer and bilstein shocks. Either way the factory A arms are angled differently than stock. 3" might be a bit much, 2" sounds safer... I did a 2.5" autospring lift last week and like the looks. When I need new struts I might go with a lifted strut solution... Bigger tires and lifts are always going to put more wear on your suspension, just a nature of the hobby...
I paid $75 for my lift, i'll deal with issues as (or if) they come...
I paid $75 for my lift, i'll deal with issues as (or if) they come...
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Trailering
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Finally starting to enjoy
Heres the up to date list.
-power steering pump (Stopped working)
-four wheel drive activation relay on firewall
-both heads, lifters, and phasers
-foam fell off of blendoor and caused the HVAC system to only work on one vent/temp(1 year)
-driveshaft was bent from factory(took ten trips of me bitching for them to fix)
-Both front seats lower brackets were broken from factory
-Drivers side door is gouging the rocker to the point it is curling the door skin back in lower front.
-Most of these problems took at least 5 trips each for the dealer to figure out!!!
So this last problem I think put me over the edge in more than one way!
Heres the up to date list.
-power steering pump (Stopped working)
-four wheel drive activation relay on firewall
-both heads, lifters, and phasers
-foam fell off of blendoor and caused the HVAC system to only work on one vent/temp(1 year)
-driveshaft was bent from factory(took ten trips of me bitching for them to fix)
-Both front seats lower brackets were broken from factory
-Drivers side door is gouging the rocker to the point it is curling the door skin back in lower front.
-Most of these problems took at least 5 trips each for the dealer to figure out!!!
So this last problem I think put me over the edge in more than one way!
fficeffice" /><o
></o><o
></o>This is actually my first post on this site. I bought an 04 FX4 Supercrew with 55K miles on it this fall and I have poked around this site quite a bit as a reference for fixing/modifying my truck. I am currently looking at leveling kits, and I came across this forum. <o
></o>I am an engineer that has a decent knowledge of suspension mechanics. Here is a quick lesson for anyone who is interested:<o
></o><o
> </o>Any strut spacer is going to increase the force on the front ball joints and make it wear faster than an OEM front end. Taller spacers = more wear because of the change in angle in the strut. ALSO: another factor that will increase front end wear is rim offset. Any rim that has a different offset than the factory rim (and causes the wheels to have a wider stance) will also make the front end wear out quicker than normal (ball joints, possibly bearings, and other things depenging on the setup). So if you have aftermarket wheels and strut spacers, your front end can wear out much faster than normal. I don’t know if this is what caused SVTman’s problem, but it is a possibility. <o
></o><o
> </o>Example to illustrate the wheel offset wear: If you were to hold a weight with one hand right in front of your shoulder it would be easy to hold for a while (normal wheel spacing). As you move the weight out farther (simulating wider wheels), your shoulder gets tired much quicker (wearing ball joints).
<o
></o> I don’t know if this helps, but I just wanted to post my thoughts. <o
></o>
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 0
From: northern va
i have had my 2.5 level and aftermarket wheels for 25,000 miles and all is good, tight alignment and great tire wear. im shure it puts more strain on it but it is a ford truck not some pos ricer. i feel that if you want bigger tires and a little better stance than a level kit is still a safe way to go about doing it. you will have some issues on some trucks from them but you will also have some issues with front ends on stock trucks and ones with a 6 in lift. what causes more damage to the front end than anything is when people put a level or lift on then off road or play in the mud and when ***** wears out they blame the part they put on.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Its the leveling kit! Plain and simple! You can deny all you want. Just wait until every bump you hit causes a load bang in the front end. It will happen plain and simple. You will get to about 35-40k before it "WILL" show the wear.