Hopefully Some One Can Help Me With This! My 2000 F-150 4wd 5.4l Is Making A Squeling Sound Come From The Front Driver Side When The Truck Moves(forward And Up And Down)my Father In Law Thinks That It Is The Shock But I Think It Is The Lower Ball Joint. If Any One Has A Way To Test Just The Lower Joint I Would Be Greatly Appreciated If They Would Share That With Me---thanks!

 

Ball joints make a ratteling sound almost like when your shaking up a can of spray paint. To test them youd have to take the front wheel off to look at them and see if the rubber around them is cracked or worn...then you can tourqe your wheel back on and try to see if you have excessive movement by putting your hands on the top and bottom of the wheel (while its up on the jack or jack stands) and try to move it by pushing back and forth alternating from top to bottom. If it moves a lot and you hear the ratteling then its ball joints.
-Chris

 

Thanks. I Will Try That And See If It Is The Ball Joints. If Its Not The Ball Joints Any Other Ideas As To What It Could Be?

 

Could just be that you need a good lube job if youve never had one done.. it is a 2000 and grease does break down as well as dry up..chances are that it hasnt had one in a while or at all and could use one badly. All of those moving suspension parts create a lot of heat especially on long trips so keeping them greased up is vital to keeping them from wearing out.
-Chris

 

Will Do A Lube Job Tonight And Check Ball Joints Also. I've Read On Here That You Can A Hole In The Joints And Pump Them Full Of Grease. Any Ideas About This(good Or Bad)? Thanks For The Help!

 

greased up? not sure about you guys, bu my 2001 F150 SuperCrew balljoints don't have zerk fittings.

 

They don't come stock with grease fittings but in theory you could drill/tap a hole to add one. That may get you a bit more life out of the joint. Although you are better off just changing them.

 

Moog does make them with zerk fittings for some models. My truck supposedly needs L and R inner AND outer...which it appears only the dealer can do the inners...well, at least in the Utica NY area...even checked with the "specialty" shops.

 

the ball joinst are top and bottom, not in and out. to check you need to have the truck level, but with the tires 2 inches off the ground. jack up under the A-Frames on each side, not under the center with the tires "hanging down".--- get your buddy to lay down and watch the lower ball joint on the A-frame while you pry it up and down by sticking a 4 ft 2 x 4 under the tire a few inches and pryin gup and down. the truck weight is on the jacks, all you are lifting is the tire. if no movement, then you are o.k.--- if it goes up and down 1/8 inch then the ball joint has internal clearances. you can also do this with the top joint, but a little more difficult.--- with the tires off the gound, stick your buddy under the radiator passenger side and look up at the stationary idler arm bolted to the frame. you jerk one tire in and out by hand and let him see if the idler flexes with slop, or just rotates slightly. you also need to look at the tie rods at this time. they are about 3/4 inch rod about 18 inches long with a joint at each end. clearance in these joints is alos a possibility. this might be the "in and out" joints mentioned above.-------- the lower ball joints are quite a job to do. you need a press to push them out after you loosen the wheel hub from the main knuckel.--- the top ball joint comes with the upper arm as an assembly. cost 3 times as much, but change out in 30 minutes per side.

 

sorry, i'm speaking of tie rods....bad day LOL


Rob
http://sgtsandler.tripod.com/index.htm (no updates in a about a year)
2001 Ford F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4X4
Hypertech Power Programmer
Hypertech Powerstat 160 Thermostat
Custom dual rear exit pipes with Flowmaster muffler
K&N Series 77 Cold Air Intake
Cooper ATR 265/70-17

 

Yes they are oriented on the top and bottom BUT... if they are worn excessively you can move the spindle side to side ( in and out) and be able to hear the ratteling which I mentioned earlier ...which normally you would not be able to do if they were not worn.



As for grease fittings on ball joints they do make them with them BUT...I was refering to lubing the suspension as a whole not just ball joints ( like upper and lower A arm bushings..tie rod ends etc.)

-Chris
PS The ball joints can be a pain to replace..Ive done them before thats why I recommended checking them first vissually to see if they have anything obviously wrong with them then physically...if you end up having to do them have patience and go ahead and lube everything while you have it torn apart.

 

Thanks To Everyone That Helped Me With My Ball Joints--- Truck Drives Way Better And I Saved A Bundle Of Money-