I hope someone here can help; is the aftermarket upper balljoint assembly (with new ball joints) for '99 Rangers different for 2WD trucks with torsion bars and those without? I bought a set of TRW upper ball joint assys with new ball joints (for trucks with torsion bars, thinking that it would not matter all that much), and the new ball joints will not fit in the top of the spindle - a bit too big.

The part numbers I have are TRW 10720 and TRW 10721 for the RH and LH assemblies- do I need a DIFFERENT upper control arm assembly with different ball joints for my truck? Again, I do not have torsion bars.

Please help - the truck is half apart. This is turning into a wild goose chase! Part numbers and vendors, too, if you know them.

Thanks,

Keith

 

TRW #104261 is listed for either side with coil springs.

 

Ken,

Thanks for the info, do you know if 104261 INCLUDES control arms? The info I have from the TRW website seems to indicate that 104261 is ball joints *only*.
The search for these parts is proving to be insane.

Thanks,

Keith

 

I'm not sure, the site was not very specific, go to rockauto.com they list all the Moog arms very clearly and they a good parts.

 

Well, I finally found the correct parts, but holy cow, what a hassle! Oddly enough, the place that had them the cheapest - and fully assembled - was the Ford dealer. Go figure, right? From the Ford dealer, both assembled upper control arms with the joints was $260 for both sides. Rockauto wanted almost $315. I will post the Ford part numbers here so no one else ever has to endure this hassle again.

Keith

 

Glad to hear you found the parts you needed.

 

I have a 2000 2 wheel drive Ranger, going to replace upper & lower balljoints, I shall this post makes me question the Ford dealer I called and order the upper balljoints from, he said he had them for $53 each, would he be mistaken?

 

There's no way he could be selling the whole assemblies for $53 each - that sounds more like a ball joint only price to me. I paid $130 or so for the complete assemblies per side from the Ford dealer. I'm going to the garage tonight and will get the Ford part numbers. Does your 2000 2WD have torison bars or not? The parts numbers I have are for upper joints for trucks *without* torsion bars. The size of the upper ball joint studs between the torsion bar trucks and those without is different.

 

Here are the Ford part numbers for the replacement upper ball joint assemblies (I'm guessing this would be '98 and up - I have a '99 XLT - 2WD with *no* torsion bars):

6L5Z-3085-BA (left side)
3L5Z-3084-DA (right side)

Hope this helps someone!

Keith

 

2000 Ranger 2 Wheel Drive Coil Springs, The $53 Is For Balljoint, The Question Is Has Ford Revised The Control Arm On The 2000 Ranger So You
Can Replace Just The Balljoint?

 

As far as I understand - and from my own experience now with this repair - the original upper control arms on the truck from the factory have ball joints that you *cannot* remove. The guy at the Ford dealer said that Ford recommends replacing the whole assembly because their research indicates that the original upper arm assemblies (which are tube framed) were prone to stressing, or something like that.

I tried separating the old ball joints from the original upper ball joint assemblies just for the heck of it - I had them out of the truck, so I figured why not give it a shot - and I don't see how the heck they'd be removable. It seems that you have to buy the replacement assemblies with the replacement ball joints, but the next time you have to do this job, THOSE ball joints are removable. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how I understand it.

So, in answer to your question, if you have the original upper control arms with the original ball joints on your truck, you have to replace the entire assembly. You cannot put a new balljoint in the old assembly.

 

(2000 Ranger 2 Wheel Drive Coil Spring)
None Of The After Market Local Parts Houses Had The Assemblies,
Called A Second Ford Dealer Spoke With Four Different People Finally
Found Some One At Ford Who Knew About Needing The Whole Control
Arm Assemblies, Got Them For $103.30 Each.
Thanks