Is this how you tell if a ball joint is bad:
Jack up truck so wheel is off the ground...
Put a pry bar under the wheel and lift up and down...
And if you hear a cluck it's bad?

If so are they hard to replace and/or require any special tools? No I don't have a book yet, yes I'll be getting one. The two different auto stores by me where out and won't be restocked till next week. Just trying to find out what I'm up against sooner.

Thanks

 

I just replaced upper and lower balljoints on my 99 f150 4x4. Wasn't all that difficult. Wish I would have read racerguy's step by step before I did though. I rented a balljoint press from Autozone for $99. (you get the money back when you return it). Upper balljoints in my f150 are part of the control arm and cannot be replaced seperately. It's actually easier to replace the Upper control arm than it would be to press the ball joint out. I put a jack under the control arm, loosened the tire, jacked it up, put a jackstand under the frame, and then unthreaded the castellated nut on the balljoint (did not remove it). If you leave the nut on about one or two threads, it will prevent it from seperating violently.
Grab your picklefork ($9.99, Autozone) and smack that puppy! mine popped out after 10 minutes of hammering with a 5 lb. maul. don't forget to mark the control arm bolts with something before you take them out. ( wite-out has a neat little brush inside the bottle, like it was created for this purpose!). When you put the new control arm in, you can use the castellated nut to pull the balljoint into place. Don't forget the grease! a little grease in the steering knuckle where the balljoint goes, a little grease on the moving parts. As I was told by a friend from Maine.... Lubricate - don't Saturate!

If you need help with the lowers, just ask. Or you can check out Racerguy's post.

If I've forgotten anything, let me know guys!

Good luck!

 

Just to add a note here...


the clunk you hear when prying on the tire may not necessary be originating from the balljoint, so be aware of that.

Another note... My Haynes manual says that the lower balljoints are not serviceable, they too need to be replaced like the top. This was not the case.
( and I was glad - the lower control arm looks as if it would be quite pricey, if you can even find one...)

I called the local Ford dealership, and he said that they were in fact, serviceable. That's when I rented the balljoint press. The balljoint press did not work for removing the lowers. I removed the snap ring and pounded the living stool out of it with a 20lb sledge and a 3/4" drive rachet extension as a
"drift" or punch", (depending on where you come from). I know it was the wrong tool for the job, but it was the only punch I had handy.

 

The upper balljoints cannot be changed alone, the control arm must be replaced, it cost the same as a lower ball joint. aaronstottle, the same method using a B.F.H. worked for me as well.

 

I canged all 4 ball joints on my '98 F-150 2WD in about 2.5 hours. I bought new the Advance Auto ball joint press, since I will use it in the future.
The lowers came out just fine, and the uppers were very easy to change.

There really is no difference in racerguy's instructions for 4x4 vs 4x2, except you have the axle to contend with.

 

i work at a kwik kar and have a fitting that goes on the end of the grese gun looks like what u air up a basket ball with just shoot a little grese in and u r good. i have taxis come in with 300000mi and never changed a ball joint. just my 2c

 

Thanks for the replies. I haven't been able to get a book yet. Injured foot has laid me up a couple days. Last week I put new tires on the truck and had a bad tie rod replaced on the drivers side. Took it 5 days later to have it inspected (different shop) and they failed it saying a ball joint on the passenger side has 1" play in it. Called the place that put the tires on it and they said they checked the ball joints and everything was ok. Guy said something sounds fishy and to bring it back in and they'll check it out at no charge. Get these prices, the other shop wants $15 to turn 2 adjustment screws for the headlight, $18 to fix 1 of the 2 license plate lights and $220 to replace 1 ball joint. I've always done my own work but right now not being able to get around I considered letting someone else do it this time, just was shell shocked at the prices.
Advance Auto has the upper control arm and bushing for $68.88 and the lower ball joint for $31.48, I have a old used ball joint press that I bought years ago and have never used, guess it might be time to try it out.
Thanks again!!!

 

Just a reply to 71100 here.... Forgive me if this sounds bad...

A shot of grease will not always cure the situation. My particular balljoint had come up through the top of the control arm. When I cut the wheels to the left and looked at the balljoint, it looked like a compound fracture! The "bone" had broken through the skin. Definitely needed replacement. If I could have gotten away with just a shot of grease though, I probably would have. Beware of the underlying problem that isn't obvious to the naked eye. Just my 2 cents...

 

The plot thickens. Went back to where the tires were put on with the check list that they provided me, which stated that the ball joints were ok. 2 mechanics and thier supervisor say that to them it was ok. Took it by a different shop and had them look at it, mech. and mngr. both said it was ok and that to them the wheel bearings had a little play in them. So. I called the state police and have a appointment with them to look at it and make a final descision. I don't mind replacing it/them if there bad just can't get past 5 other mechs. say that it shouldn't have failed. Oh well, time will tell. It tells all.
Thanks for the replies.

 

Update. Had a meeting with the State Police at the shop that did the inspection. According to the S.P. you do not check the ball joints with a prybar. This brought about a intense discussion between him and the tech. So they call the local Ford dealer and talked to several service techs there who said that the Ford service manuals do not say to use a prybar either. It states that you grab the top and bottom of the wheel and "wiggle" it to check for lateral movement. After talking with the tech and reading the inspection guide I would have done the same thing that he did. I take my hat off to them for all they have to look for and how it differs from one car/manufacturer to another. So mine passed. However, I'm thinking about replace them anyway after my foot is taken care of. A day's worth of work and $200 worth of parts is a small price to pay for keeping my wife and son safe. Thanks again for the reples.

 

When I changed out mine thats what I had in mind. Only one tie rod end was bad and really needed to be replaced right then, the rest could have waited, but I never put a price on the head of safety and went ahead and did the upper and lower ball joints as well.