Have a 4WD F-250 P. Stroke 1995 that I took in to have the front end alligned. Was told that it couldn't be alligned due to wera on the ______?______(can't remember the name of the part.) which I was told was the king pin equivalent. The stearing is a bit loose but I'm pretty sure the tie rod ends are ok. I'm not doubting the garage, it's just that the $700.00 to fix it kind of took the wind out of my sails. How tough is this to do myself? Any suggestions?


Dan

 

The 95 4x4 had ball joints in liue of king pins and on the f250 it is actually a twin I-beam axle. The loose steering is not necissarily tie rod ends, but is most likely not the ball joints. Bad ball joints will in fact keep the front end from being aligned, but if they are bad, there will most likely be a clunk when you turn corners or hit bumps. Check em by jacking the truck from the axle till the tire clears the ground by about an inch or so, then have a friend lift the tire with a prybar from between the ground and the tire. While he is doing this you need to crawl on the ground and observe the joints themselves. Any side to side play or lift is an indication of wear. While you are down there, check the bushings in the center of the truck where the I-beam mounts to the frame. More likely than not, those are worn too. I typically lean towards replacing everythings in sets. If one or two are bad, the others are soon to follow, so just get it over with that way you won't have troubles in 6 months. Everything can be done by you if you hvae moderate mechanical abilities. You will need to get a special socket to remove the axle nuts on the outside of the wheel hub assembly. You will also need a ball joint press and pickle fork or tie rod removal puller. All these tools can be rented or borrowed (or bought) from most auto parts stores. You can find write-up on how to do it by searching on this forum(s) and I would buy a service manual. It will be a big pain in the behind to replace them, but it is doable in around 6 hours for the ball joints. First timers, it may take a weekend. Can save a bundle of money aournd $250 for parts.

 

Oh yeah, welcome aboard! This is a great site!

 

miker67,

Thanks for the info. I will have a look and see what I see. Then I will do the repairs.

Thanks again,

Dan