Ball Joints
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Ball Joints
I lifted the front of the truck up today because when steering, it'll pop occasionally, so I wanted to check to make sure they haven't been worn out. I lifted the front passenger wheel, and the top joint didn't budge, but when I grabbed the bottom of the tire and lifted up, the entire joint shifted about 1/4 inch around. I've done this repair before, on a 2004 Super Duty, but I've never seen this amount of play in a joint ever. Are they supposed to move that much or do I need to get it replaced? As a precaution, the truck is not going to move. It's not going to be driven until I figure this out. It's a 1997 Ford F-350, 84k miles.
Tie rods are fine, tires aren't worn bad (they have less than 30k miles on them) but that joint moves a lot. Due to where it is parked, I can't check the driver's side. I'm at school and I live on campus so there is someone parked next to it a little close.
Tie rods are fine, tires aren't worn bad (they have less than 30k miles on them) but that joint moves a lot. Due to where it is parked, I can't check the driver's side. I'm at school and I live on campus so there is someone parked next to it a little close.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,098
Likes: 1,504
From: western SD
If the ball joint moved that much it needs replaced. You should not get any movement from the joints except the normal pivot as when steering. If it was the tire moving up and down, It could be the wheel bearing is loose or shot, which needs attention also.
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