Are the stock ford balljoints sealed? I bought mine used with 61,000 and I noticed it has zerk fittings on all 4 ball joints. So i grease mine about every 5,000 miles

 

Does anyone have NAPA part numbers for the axle seals?

 

Another question, does the Powerstrokeshop.com Moog kit have every part I need to do this job?

 

I do believe those are dealer. There are 3 of them on each side. I did get the ball joints from napa. Dana... nice and w/grease fittings....nice. I certainly hope I don't have to do those again.

Peace

 

There should be no wobble as long as the hubs are good. Ford original equipment ball joints were sealed and didn't come with a grease fitting. I think they have replaced the lowers with ones having grease fittings but the uppers are still sealed. The Powerstrokeshop.com kit contains everything you need to do the ball joints. The hub seals and hub o-rings are dealer but the smaller dust shield seal is available at NAPA as well. So you have three seals on each side, the blue hub o-ring, the larger axle to hub seal and the smaller axle dust seal. The smaller hub seal and o-ring don't require any special tools to replace but the larger axle to hub seal does, I made a tool to install the seal using a 12" piece of threaded 1 1/4 galvanized pipe, screw on end cap and a floor flange available at HD or Lowe's. You will also need a good vise. Some folks have taken the larger seals and axle shafts to FoMoCo and have had the seals installed for a nominal price. Again, if you have a vise you can make the seal tool yourself.

John

 

You asked about if I have a picture of the seal install tool that I referenced in my earlier post. I am at work so I will try to get one tonight and post it. However, I can explain it probably just as easily. At HD or Lowes buy a 12" threaded piece of galvanized 1 1/4" pipe. Black iron would be better but they didn't carry all of the parts needed in black iron so I had to opt for galvanized. Also buy an end cap that will screw on to the end of that threaded pipe. This is going to be where you will strike the pipe with your heavy shop hammer. Get a floor flange that will thread on to the other end of that pipe. The round floor flange is just slightly smaller in diameter than the large hub to axle seal but will work fine. The floor flange is a round threaded flange used to mount a pipe to the floor, it has holes for screwing the flange on to a flat piece of joist, floor, beam, etc. Take your new seal with you and match it to the size of the flange. I am pretty sure 1 1/4" is correct, 1" is too small and 1 1/2" is too big. After your have the old seal off of the axle, secure the axle in your vise with the spline end facing vertically. Lube the axle shaft where the seal will be installed with some antiseize, petroleum jelly, lubriplate, etc., and push the seal down on to the axle shaft. Now with the fabricated tool you made, place the tool over the axle shaft down on to the seal with the flange against the seal. Using your big shop hammer drive the seal down onto the axle shaft until it is seated. I didn't have any problem driving that seal on using this method but I also had a nice workbench mounted vise and a large ball peen shop hammer to work with. The flange tool will keep the seal square to the shaft so that it is driven on straight. Don't even try to install that seal unless you have something similar or you will wind up cocking the seal or it won't go on or you will ruin it at a cost of about $25+ for each seal. Again, a good machine shop could do it for you and as I mentioned earlier some have taken the seals and shafts to FoMoCo and had them install them. Also, the flange tool works well in setting the seal and axle shaft back into the hub on the truck. Just tap the seal into place using the same tool you used to install the seals. Let me know if there is anything else you need or if you still need a picture of the tool. Also, I bought my ball joints at NAPA and got their NAPA Chassis ball joints which are supposed to be their best and may be the same as the ones provided in the Powerstrokeshop.com kit. My problem was I couldn't wait to order them I had to get them right away as I was in a time crunch.

John

 

Thanks, I look forward to the pic's. I will make the tool this weekend then perform the job after T-Day!

 

With directions form Guzzle, Powerstrokeshop.com, and your seal press idea, I've convinced myself to try this job. Lucky for me I work 5 minutes from Powerstrokeshop.com. I bought the Moog kit today at lunch....

 

Is this "dust" seal part of the kit? I kind of looks like the big seal, but without having it apart it is hard to tell? I ask because mine looks just like the picture in the first post.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...in-things.html

 

There are two seals on the axle, the larger one is pressed on to the axle with the tool I described and the smaller one can be installed on the axle by hand. The larger one is then seated in the hub assembly to seal the hub area from water and dirt. The smaller one rides on the axle at the differential and is for keeping dirt out of the differential. However, that seal does not seat in the differential it just turns inside of it and is a loose fit. Water can get past it but there is a seal inside the differential that the axle rotates in that is sealed to water and dirt. Make sense?

John

 

Yep, makes sense. So you don't feell it's worth buying them seperate and replacing them?

 

Oh most definitely I would replace them but I thought that the Powerstrokeshop kit included the two seals and blue hub O-ring for each side. If not, the smaller seal is available from NAPA for about $5 each. The other two are FoMoCo, about $25 for the large pressed on hub seal and about $5 for the blue o-ring.

John

 

Sorry to keep beating this to death, and thanks for the help.

This is what came in the kit:

2- F81Z 4A322AA Yellow Orings between the hub and knuckle

2-F81Z 3254CB Hub seals

2-F81Z 1S175HCA Axle seals

Witch seals are this one in the pic in this link?
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...pin-things.html


The kit only has one set of seals that are that big. Is the one in the pic the one that needs to be pressed in using your homemade tool?

The reason I'm trying to get this straight, is because I thought someone on here said the seal in the pic is actually split in half, with the other half remaining inside.

Really, thanks for your patience. I just don't want to be running to get seals once I get tore into this thing.

 

has anyone seen ball joints brake? and the front dropping off?

i know mine are bad, and have been making a clunking noise only when im stopping, but only dose it most of the time. but no noises when im turning or going over bumbs. im making a 700 mile round trip this weekend, and i was just wondering if im in danger of anything bad, all road driving, going down to washington D.C.? iv had the truck sins september, when i did my brakes, i havent really noticed any weird tire ware, but that both uppers and lower ball joints had some movement in them. ill be doing the ball joints hopefully the fallowing weekend. getting the napa once with grees fittings.

 

You have all of the seals that you need, three per side. I said blue hub o-ring when I should have said yellow hub o-ring. I have the AC blue o-rings on the brain! In that picture it is hard to tell but it looks like the larger hub seal is still intact and that seal you are referring to is the axle to differential seal. In the process of pulling the axle shaft out it is sometimes necessary to drive out the old axle to hub seal to free the axle. I was lucky on my one axle in that when I pulled on the axle the axle and seal came out as one assembly. However, on the other side I had to drive out the old seal and when you drive out the old seal it often breaks into two parts, the metal ring and the rubber seal itself. When I reassembled the knuckle, hub and seal, etc., used antiseize on everything including the seals. It helps in reassembly and also in the event of when you have to break the knuckle down again. That yellow o-ring is used to seal the hub inside of the knuckle to prevent a vacuum leak, important if you have the ESOF. I assume it also helps to keep dirt and water out of the hub and knuckle assembly. The vacuum connection on my knuckle is plugged off with a tough rubber sleeve. If you don't have ESOF make sure that vacuum connection is plugged or it will allow water and dirt to enter the hub and knuckle assembly.

John