Took the ol' girl to a shop this past weekend to have the brakes/suspension checked out. 95 F150 5.8L ECSB 4x4. What they said was it needed a lot of work. I wasn't not expecting that. Over $1500 worth, however. Should I seek a 2nd opinion at a different shop or is what they quoted about average?






Also, they checked and the oil pan gasket is leaking AND the rear main is leaking...NOT good.

 

I may be wrong, but a local shop of mine told me these trucks don't need 4 wheel alignments since they are solid axles in the rear it makes sense, but I haven't done business with that shop before it was over the phone when I was calling around don't remember which said it. Only the front wheels can be aligned according to that shop. Someone else here needs to confirm or deny. If you can take the wheels off and check the fronts pads and rotors is there uneven wear or deep grooves? Same thing in the rear with the shoes and drums. See if you can move the steering components by hand, or if they have play in them when the wheel is turned or if they have rust affecting structural integrity. Does the wheel have play in it, if it does, make sure its not the steering gearbox before replacing tie rods, and things of that nature How do the steering components look? Look at the shocks, are they visibly good, does the truck bounce up and down before settling when you jump up and down in the bed? I couldn't tell you anything about wheel bearings and bushings. If you can't do these things find another shop to look over those same things, one with good reviews and maybe Napa certified or AAA certified. Get another option wether its you or a second reputable shop. The trucks old don't be surprised if it does need all of those things. Have those components ever been replaced by you or a shop recently?

 

There is a lot of play in the steering wheel and the tech showed me where the front tires are feathering. There is also a noise in the front end like a popping noise whenever I turn and go over bumps. The brakes are soft. Pedal goes almost to the ground. He told me that there is uneven wear on the pads in front. These things are why I took it in. And, the fact that before my truck was stolen....I didn't get the chance to have the brakes etc looked at so who knows what the thieves did to it.
I didn't have any service or maintenance history of my truck and so I had just planned to have it looked over...well, that was before it got stolen. And now...I am just trying to get the little things done before the major things like the rear main seal and the oil pan gasket. It's leaking fairly decent under there. I dread having a trans shop look it over...I'm afraid of what they're gonna find...like shavings in the pan. That's my worst fear as I do not have the money to do any major trans repairs. Trans shifts ok so...it's the E4OD.
Friend of mine told me we could do the brakes, the shocks and possibly the tie rods. But he said that the rest he would have a shop do.
I will have to get back to you on the shocks...I haven't really looked them over.

 

If you can do the brakes with your friend, you can do the tie rods. My 88, you just take off the cotter pin and the nut holding the tie rods in, you would then get a pickle fork and hammer it between the tie rod and the spot it mounts, as the pickle fork gets deeper in between the two parts the tie rod will just fall out. Replace the drag links too. Hit the tie rods out before the part in the pitman arm. otherwise the part in the pitman arm will not want to come out. Someone else will have to tell you the names of each part I can't remember. I couldn't tell you how to replace the pitman arm id assume its a similar story, as I didn't do mine with my steering components. And to reinstall, you just measure the length of the exposed threads, and then you would put the new parts to that, and that will get your alignment close enough to drive it to a shop and get it properly aligned. If you do get the steering components yourself and do it, if you purchase the MOOG brand paint it before you install, mine are getting surface rust. Turns out that they don't paint them they just put a coating on them to prevent them from rusting in the package.

 

i agree. you could probably doo all that work for around $500 in parts.
i dont see why they say it needs a pitman arm. the only way that can go bad is if it is installed wrong, or bent.
and why only one side wheel bearings?
they are probably fine, and just need a slight tightening of the adjuster nut.
as far as the "four wheel alignment" goes, the front is all that gets aligned on these trucks. but by matching the front to the rear you insure the truck will track straight. if you do not match front to rear, the truck will "crab walk" if the rear axle is not centered due to a bad centering pin, or loose mounts.

 

Having overhauled the complete 4x4 front end on my 95 F150 myself, the parts prices don't look bad, its the labor that adds up. You probably could get less expensive parts from Rock auto or the local parts house, but in the end, what is the time and aggravation worth to you of doing it yourself?

On the brakes, Powerstop has a nice front and rear kit that has pads, rotors and drums. Additionally, if you are in far enough for the wheel bearings on the TTB 4x4 front, you probably should look at the axle needle bearings and seals, along with the front U-joints. No sense tearing everything apart later when you were almost there once.

I will say that the pivot bushings under the motor are a PITA to replace, but definitely worth it. Radius bushings are fairly easy, especially if you remove the bolted on bracket to get the inner part on.

 

I do not know where you all live but around here, independents charge upwards of $200 an hour and dealerships almost $300.

Steering and brakes are a safety concern and I would not learn how to swing a wrench on those systems.

ALL front suspension systems need alignments, 4WD or not. Anyone that says they do not has no clue what they are talking about. A good alignment is going to keep your front tires in good shape.

I live in a place where rust is not a problem so that is something you need to concerned with, if you elect to have it done by someone else [or DIY]. That estimate may just be the tip of the iceburg. You cannot estimate the additional time that may be needed to take things apart.

WTF 3 day alignment warranty?

Yes, without a doubt, unless you have a really good working relationship with the shop, I would recommend a second opinion.

 

I live in El Paso, TX now. I moved from NM 3 months ago No worries about rust here
I took it to this place because it was close to my apartment. I don't want to be driving it too far due to the wear on the tires and the brakes being not that great. I personally have not had the opportunity to get under my truck to see what they mean by a bad pitman arm etc. Have not had the chance to check the brakes myself. I HATE HATE HATE drum brakes Has anyone ever converted their drums to disc in the rear?
I was always under the assumption that since my truck is a 4x4, that both axles need aligned to be done properly. I have done brakes, I had a 2001 F150 crew cab that I sold back in 2020. I miss that truck. But, the motor was one of those 5.4's that was notorious for spitting spark plugs. Had to have one of the cylinders heli-coiled. Not my idea of a fun time. I did the pads on that one. My last truck before this, my diesel that I sold back in December, I have done the brake pads on that one. But I really have not messed with suspension...
Friend of mine he said we could probably do the brakes, shocks and possibly the tie rods...but he said the rest of it he would leave it up to me to have it done at a shop.

Guess I will be seeking a 2nd opinion somewhere else.

Truck is in the local Ford dealer today to have the Speed Control System Modification RECALL done. Once I get her back, then I will see if I can look at the pads etc...shocks...take pics to put on here. I'm not that great with figuring out what parts are bad when it comes to this stuff. I know like bushings are fairly easy to determine if they're bad or not. Dry rot etc...But other stuff...

I am learning all of this as I go. I have had a few trucks, but my last one, I didn't work on all that much. Given it was a 2012 F250 SD 6.7L, I didn't know a thing about diesels...which is partly why I sold her. I LOVED that truck. Lariat, 4x4, crew cab. All the bells and whistles, short of a sunroof and real leather and a good stereo. My ex ruined it.
Reason for buying this truck...it had NO ties to my ex. My fresh start over...I loved my diesel...but couldn't work on it myself. And my ex destroyed the rear diff by letting it run dry. That's a different story for a different time.

 

The shocks are pretty simple as well.
The indicators they are bad are usually:
The truck bounces more than once after hitting a bump or something
Covered in oil
I’m sure there’s more that’s what I know of.

 

I have no idea what labor rates are around here since I do all my own work.

We have already agreed to disagree about that topic. Brakes and steering are some of the easier systems to work on. I suppose you would rather someone rebuild their engine verses replacing pads and rotors.

No one said it does not need an alignment. What was said is it does not need a four wheel alignment. There is nothing to adjust in the rear of the truck. All it needs is a two wheel or thrust angle alignment.

How does the shop know if you hit a giant pothole or a curb one or two days later. How long is the warranty supposed to last? It was in specs when it left the shop as confirmed by the before and after printouts.

Definitely gets second estimate. Are the replacing all those steering parts because they saw play in the joints or because they don’t think they cannot get the adjuster sleeves to move? There wasn’t any play in the steering gear or did they not look there. The pitman arm should not need to be replaced since there is nothing there to wear out

 

There is a lot of play in my steering wheel...I do not know if it's the steering gearbox or if it's the suspension. It does make quite a bit of noise going over bumps and turning. Bounces more than once when going over bumps, at least in the front. They did tell me that the rear shocks were still good...but the paper says to replace all 4. I am definitely taking it somewhere else. I don't want to be ripped off. I am already waist deep money-wise into repairs as it is on this truck from when it was stolen...I am not about to get ripped off from some stupid shop. THAT is why I don't like taking my vehicles to somebody...just cuz I am a woman does not mean you can take advantage of me. I have a good friend who lives in WI, he said, get all the parts you need, then when the time comes, pay someone you know or can find to be reliable to have it all done at once, or go slow and start with the major stuff. Major stuff to me is the trans that is leaking, the oil pan gasket that is leaking...and YES, the brakes and suspension. The rest will come in time. She's not going anywhere now that I got her back. Still have to wire in 2 kill switches. Not going to lose her again.

 

So at least front shocks should be done. But for the steering play, what I did is turned my key to the run position, so it unlocks the steering wheel, and then I grabbed the intermediate shaft from the column to the gearbox. And I moved that by hand and it would move in the play. So just move that and if the play is in the gearbox, when you move it the pitman arm won’t move, on my truck it’s visible from the front only, so you’ll need a second person, and then if it’s not in the gearbox you’ll see the pitman arm move, and then you trace down where the play is in the linkages.

 

OK. Yeah, I don't have a 2nd person here near me that can check it like that. I will ask around for a decent suspension shop and have them look over everything. Including u-joints etc.

 

these are the components, you can see that middle linkage, that’s what connects to the pitman arm which you can see it’s the one facing up. It’s fairly simple, you don’t have to know what you’re looking at, you’ll see one part moving and the other(s) not moving and where it stops moving you replace that component. Even if you can’t check it yourself this will give you an idea of what it is that the shop is gonna tell you
That shaft I said to turn is simple as well it’s what goes into the column it almost reaches the firewall.
This truck is a 1988 that I uploaded a picture of so it may be different but it probably didn’t change that much. From what I know at least.

 

Here is the video they sent me by text showing what they saw...I did not see them actually take anything off to look at the brakes. Just used this tool for a measurement...

https://tvidnow.com/bmNDp4V.