Ball joints - F250 - 4x4
#1
07-06-2017, 11:07 AM
#3
07-06-2017, 12:37 PM
Senior User
Personally, if you have the money I would do both yes. It save you less headache IMO.
As far as brands- When I did mine a while back most probably I've seen is XRF or moog.
Theres many how to videos- this was one I found with a quick search Ford Super Duty Ball Joint Replacement Procedure - Superdutypsd.com
#5
07-06-2017, 11:38 PM
#6
07-07-2017, 12:52 AM
#7
07-07-2017, 07:09 AM
this is a good tutorial on the work that needs to be done:
Ford Super Duty Ball Joint Replacement Procedure - Superdutypsd.com
I'll warn you that this is a rosy tutorial on a truck that is comically rust free.
having just done this, I'll offer some lessons learned on a rusty northeast truck:
the locking hubs would NOT come out. I had to pry out the locking ring with a vice clamp, hammer, and chisel. (the one that's supposed to come out with finger pressure). I looked around everywhere, even here, and got some good advice including heating the hub up cherry red and then dousing it with water to get the locking hub to pop loose out of the wheel hub. Still a fail. wound up bashing the exposed portion of the hub off to the level of the steel, prying out the steel locking sprag in the middle, drilling a a few holes in the aluminum body, and then using a chisel and hammer to break-up the hub body and force it inward in towards the axle shaft and away from the steel hub splines. Aluminum and steel do not like each other for corrosion. it was a mess. new manual locking hubs cost between $150-$250. a new pair of factory-ish (Dorman makes replacements) plastic auto locking hubs run over $300. just FYI.
the wheel and bearing hubs were rust-set into the knuckle and would not come free. I used a Harbor Freight hydraulic gear puller (this one https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton...ler-66657.html)
to separate the hub from the knuckle. worked like a charm, no other way to get it off without damaging anything.
After that, I had to get the knuckles off. my ball joints were topped by corroded blobs that once were nuts. I had to get my 4.5" angle grinder with a thin cut-off blade and zip the tops off the ball joints. then I stuck a pickle fork between the knuckle and the ball joints and beat the ever loving **** out of them until they popped. On the driver side, the top one WOULD NOT give, so it cut off at the top and bottom. left the shank in the knuckle, drilled out the center, and then was able to pound it out.
After you get the knuckles out, I would not replace the ball joints yourself, but that's me. I took them to a local automotive machine shop and they pressed them out and pressed in the new ones for $75. The tool to replace the ball joints (a good one) is a few hundred dollars, and it's one of those tools you hope you never need again, so I took the cheap way out.
Don't forget that there's other stuff, too. the seals will need replacement. the larger seal on the outer shaft will probably self destruct when you pull the shaft out of the knuckle. the inner one won't but it's cheap. just get new ones.
depending on how rusty your truck is, you may be buying new steering rods, too, just to get them off of the knuckles. look at your U-joints. they're cheap to replace now, but most of us really don't 'use' them much, so they're probably ok, but work the joint and look for leaks, binding, or crunchy noises.
my local shop quoted me $700/side, not including locking hubs, which they would have destroyed like I did. so what would have been a $1600 job I was able to pull off for $350, but I have all my own tools, got my parts off Rock Auto, and bought new Mile Marker stainless steel locking hubs, which were substantially cheaper than the Warn's I really wanted.
good luck!
Ford Super Duty Ball Joint Replacement Procedure - Superdutypsd.com
I'll warn you that this is a rosy tutorial on a truck that is comically rust free.
having just done this, I'll offer some lessons learned on a rusty northeast truck:
the locking hubs would NOT come out. I had to pry out the locking ring with a vice clamp, hammer, and chisel. (the one that's supposed to come out with finger pressure). I looked around everywhere, even here, and got some good advice including heating the hub up cherry red and then dousing it with water to get the locking hub to pop loose out of the wheel hub. Still a fail. wound up bashing the exposed portion of the hub off to the level of the steel, prying out the steel locking sprag in the middle, drilling a a few holes in the aluminum body, and then using a chisel and hammer to break-up the hub body and force it inward in towards the axle shaft and away from the steel hub splines. Aluminum and steel do not like each other for corrosion. it was a mess. new manual locking hubs cost between $150-$250. a new pair of factory-ish (Dorman makes replacements) plastic auto locking hubs run over $300. just FYI.
the wheel and bearing hubs were rust-set into the knuckle and would not come free. I used a Harbor Freight hydraulic gear puller (this one https://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton...ler-66657.html)
to separate the hub from the knuckle. worked like a charm, no other way to get it off without damaging anything.
After that, I had to get the knuckles off. my ball joints were topped by corroded blobs that once were nuts. I had to get my 4.5" angle grinder with a thin cut-off blade and zip the tops off the ball joints. then I stuck a pickle fork between the knuckle and the ball joints and beat the ever loving **** out of them until they popped. On the driver side, the top one WOULD NOT give, so it cut off at the top and bottom. left the shank in the knuckle, drilled out the center, and then was able to pound it out.
After you get the knuckles out, I would not replace the ball joints yourself, but that's me. I took them to a local automotive machine shop and they pressed them out and pressed in the new ones for $75. The tool to replace the ball joints (a good one) is a few hundred dollars, and it's one of those tools you hope you never need again, so I took the cheap way out.
Don't forget that there's other stuff, too. the seals will need replacement. the larger seal on the outer shaft will probably self destruct when you pull the shaft out of the knuckle. the inner one won't but it's cheap. just get new ones.
depending on how rusty your truck is, you may be buying new steering rods, too, just to get them off of the knuckles. look at your U-joints. they're cheap to replace now, but most of us really don't 'use' them much, so they're probably ok, but work the joint and look for leaks, binding, or crunchy noises.
my local shop quoted me $700/side, not including locking hubs, which they would have destroyed like I did. so what would have been a $1600 job I was able to pull off for $350, but I have all my own tools, got my parts off Rock Auto, and bought new Mile Marker stainless steel locking hubs, which were substantially cheaper than the Warn's I really wanted.
good luck!
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