OK, I had my truck in a dealership yesterday for a WDS scan, front end/suspension/brake inspection. Everything checked out fine except ball joints. They said I needed upper and lower ball joints, both sides and an alignment and that they would be happy to do it for $900. That isn't going to work. I think I will do this myself, except for the alignment, even though I have never done any front end work. I'll just follow the Haynes manual.

My questions are, should I go ahead and change the tie rod ends while I'm there being that is the part Ford sent the letter out for( I didn't get one, read about it here) or just the ball joints? Shouldn't the tie rods have worn first?

I have a vibration at highway speeds and the steering does feel a little "loose". I have had the tires balanced twice in the last 6 weeks and the vibration is still there. Ball joints cause this?

Thanks,
Rich 2000 4.2 5spd 2WD 106,000+ miles

 

Its impossible to say what should have worn first, since the service conditions are not known, but the tie rods are probably relatively inexpensive. I would be more concerned with doing all the ball joints. I guess its possible, but it seems unlikely, that ALL would be that bad. I believe that the looseness would be visible, so I would want them to show me the "play". Then I'd take it somewhere else to see if the story was the same. Otherwise they might just be doing a sales job on you.

Changing ball joints is a fairly big job, requiring special tools. Since you'll have to pay for the allignment anyway, I'm not sure its a good use of your time, but only you can make that judgment. In any event, $900 seems way out of line; definitely get a second opinion. Sometimes if you say that, the Ford dealer will suddenly get "more competitive".

 

Just cahnged both upper and lower ball joints on my '97. Dealer told me $750 to replace them. Lowers at advance auto parts were $30 @ piece, uppers are sold with upper control arm for $58 @ piece. My mechanic charged $40 @ side to replace them. Total charge to me = $256. Sounds a heck of a lot better than the dealership. I would also change the tie rod ends while im poking around in there just to get it overt with. I replaced mine a few months ago, im not sure of the exact cost but they are cheaper than the ball joints and you can change them yourself.

 

Replacing the ball joints is easy, if you have the tools. On the uppers, unless you have had them replaced previously with a non-Ford part, then you will have to replace the entire upper control arm as they are not replaceable in the factory upper control arms. The price is not bad so don't get too worried. Plus, you get new upper control arm bushings at the same time! Moog makes a good part and is less money than the factory part, plus, if you ever need to replace the ball joints again, they can be replaced in the Moog control arm. If the uppers are bad, the lowers are usually bad, but not near as bad at the uppers can get. You will need some tools though to do this job which, you can get from Auto Zone for free, leave a deposit which you get back when you return the tools, and that is a pretty good deal of you ask me.

On the tie rods, they are relatively inexpensive so, as long as you are on your back, do it, get it over with all at once. Besides, you need to pay for an alignment anyway. Might as well make them work for the money they charge for an alignment. I just recently did mine, took about three hours for both sides including the tie rods. When I took it to be aligned, they only had to set the toe, nothing else was out of spec.

 

Thnks very much everybody. I appreciate the info.

I talked to a local indy shop this morning. The price really didn't get much better, although this time it would include tie rod ends and alignment. $840, I think. Better, but not good enough. I think I'll try to take it easier than I have been and drive it another week. That will give me the time to get the parts, tools and look through the Haynes so when I do it I won't have to look at the book non-stop. Like I said, never messed with the steering! I don't think I'm going to give it a whirl on a worknight.

Thanks again.

Rich

 

I a do it your selfer and i think that if i was in your situation, i would buy the parts seperate, then find a decent mechanic that knows what theyre doing. fords just gonna stick their non greasable stuff in there any way which in turn will have you going to get them replaced sooner than you would if you had greasable ones. its a vicious cycle. JMO

 

I think the greasable ones are cheaper too. I couldnt find any greasable uppers but they did have greasable lowers. They were way cheaper (by half) but I passed them over cause they were made in taiwan.

 

Good call not buying the really cheap ball joints.
Greaseable ball joints, tie rod ends etc are only good if you grease them. If you're like most people and don't do really regular maintenance you might be better off with sealed joints as they don't allow water and junk in as easily. Greaseable joints rely on fresh grease to keep the water etc out.

 

I just got off the phone with a guy that works on my dad's work vans. He said he would change all the ball joints and tie rod ends and install new rotors/bearings for $150(labor). I thought being that everything would be new, why not have all new. These rotors have been turned twice...although the dealership tech didn't find anything wrong with brake components .... Maybe new shocks instead of rotors this time.... These shocks are original, so I'm sure they are worn.

At any rate, I thought $75 per side seemed pretty cheap. I may still do it myself, not only to save a few bucks, but for the experience. Decisions,decisions.

Rich

 

that is still a pretty decent price. i had mine done so cheap cause ive known this guy for years. the uppers and shocks are easy to change. as i was watching him change all this stuff i remember thinking wow i could have done that and saved money, but im glad i watched him cause i wouldnt have known where to start.

 

Crap! I was just reading the Haynes manual. Do I have to change the lower control arms to change the lower ball joints? I thought the lower joints were serviceable.

On a related note what are good name brand aftermarket replacement parts for this thing. Any brand in particular to stay away from? I saw Moog mentioned by Johns9163, which I can't seem to find local. We pretty much just have NAPA, Advance and Autozone stores. I think there might be a Carquest. That's about it, that I can think of.

Thanks for the help everybody!

Rich

 

Rich,
The lower ball joints can be replaced in the factory control arms. Only the uppers can not be replaced in the factory arms. I mention Moog because I have had good experience with them for many years on many vehicles. Ask your local parts guys if they carry Moog, quite a few do. Moog is a brand name, not a parts store. Stay away from stuff that is made in Taiwan or you will be doing this job again sooner than you think.

John

 

Napa and Carquest carries Moog where i live anyway

 

Ihad previously worked for ford. theyre ball joints and tie rods are crap. upper and lower ball joints are really straight forward on these. take youre time and think. use good parts and get good alignment from reputable shop. the alignment is key facter and also easy to fudge. alignment tech must be trustworthy

 

like you i couldnt find any moog parts here either. dont go woth autozone they may have cheaper parts but i passed them over as i said earlier because their stuff is made in taiwan. advance has a pretty decent price for all that stuff with a lifetime warrenty. the brand name is trw which is supposed to be a trustworthy name from what i hear in the mechanic world here anyway. i have always used trw parts and havent had problems before.