I have started collecting parts to replace the shocks and brakes (pads & rotors) on my Expy (99 EB 4WD, LLS, 150k mi.) After looking in this forum, I think I should also replace the ball joints as a safety issue. Since I will have the front end taken that far apart, I'm thinking I might as well go ahead and replace the upper ball joint, too.

On the upper ball joint, would you:

1. Not worry about it and just replace the lower ball joint
2. Replace just the ball joint
3. Replace the entire control arm

The cost difference between options 2 and 3 is not that great - plus if I went with option 3 I could easily stick in the camber adjuster as well.

I don't want to replace every part on the front end BUT this looks like a good opportunity to replace some common wear items while I have it apart. It just kills me to have to re-do things because I was to lazy to do them right the first time.

The car is a daily driver and I'm planning on keeping it at least another year, so I am not opposed to spending a little on it now.

I'd appreciate your thoughts/opinions.

 

I'd replace the control arm while you are in there and will need an alignment anyway. Its not all that bad of a job to do and as long as you have it that far apart anyway might as well git'r'done

 

Where are you getting your control arm? If it's Ford, won't you just get another non-serviceable ball joint? Get Moog parts. What's wrong with your control arm, is it bent? Don't replace parts unnecessarily. Is there something wrong with the upper ball joints? If not, why replace them? You could replace the whole vehicle if you want, I'm sure there are other parts with wear on them.

 

I'm getting the parts from Rock Auto (rockauto.com) - they seem to have a good price and reasonable shipping and I can get all the parts from one place. I'm getting all Moog parts - ball joints have grease fittings.

This project started out as a break job and shocks - the pads are almost gone and the car bounces like a bucking bronco - I asked the wife if she ever noticed it bouncing and she said she didn't - it was so bad it almost made me sick.

While researching these projects on this forum, I discovered a lot of suggestions to replace the lower ball joints for safety purposes - I have 150k on the thing and it gets daily freeway-speed driving. I don't need to have it come apart with the wife and kids in the car at 60 MPH.

The upper ball joint is debatable - hence the start of this thread. The debate is that to replace the lower ball joint you get it disassembled to the point that replacing the upper is trivial (or so it seems from this thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ce+ball+joints). The price on an OEM non-greasable ball joint (Moog) is about $30 - the whole control arm w/new bushings and greasable ball joint is $60 - so the price difference seemed to make replacing the whole arm a no-brainer.

And if I do all of this and need an alignment, I might as well add the camber kit to the uppers while I've got it off.

My main goal in going this far is to avoid having to tear the whole front-end apart a second time next year to replace something that I could easily replace this go-round. Of find out that the front end is still lose because a $10 bushing is shot and have to dive into it again.

I'm planning on keeping this for a while. If I did all of this, I should be set on the front suspension for more years than I want to think about.

 

I've replaced uppers and lowers. The uppers are very easy to replace as they're incorporated into the control arm and install as a unit. Since you have such high mileage and since the parts are relatively inexpensive, I'd replace them without even thinking about it.

 

You're definitely making the smart choice. Better to replace a few things that aren't NECESSARY than possibly having to replace them in the near future anyway. Especially since you'll have it torn apart up front. A no-brainer indeed.

 

Patrick, you can change whatever you like. I don't believe in going hogwild changing parts cause they may need it someday. What will you say when a piston shoots through the hood tomorrow, "Darn I should have rebuilt the engine."? And bringing your wife and children into the conversation is irrelevant; you could be driving and run over a baby when your wheels fall off. Pulling on heartstrings shouldn't be part of a factual debate. My original point was not to just change for the sake of change, but if you've researched it careful (which it sounds like you have) then it may be sensible in this case. I take good care of my cars and use quality parts. But that doesn't mean I go a radiator cap overhaul every time I hear a squeak. Good luck.

 

When it comes to suspension work I would much rather replace things early than when they fail. For one, you won't pay for as many alignments. Also, suspension parts are usually worn out by the time the truck hits 150k and it hardly makes sense to not replace such a cheap part as long as you have the front end apart. That and I love the way a vehicle feels with a front suspension rebuild.

 

You're a professional auto tech aren't you?

 

Nope, I'm just a regular guy.

 

On LLS, are there any shocks to replace, or is the air ride unit an integral shock?

 

I think the term is "preventive maintenance" here. I have limits on this term however! I recently replaced my Alternator and Alternator belt because I have 170K and I travel so much. I also have experience with those two failures before and would rather take the "PM" route. Good thing, too. The Auto Electric mechanic took mine apart and showed my the rotors inside were almost wore out!

 

With LLS on my Expy, the front shock has an air line and is the leveling mechanism as well as the shock.

I could only find one replacement (other than from a dealer) - Monroe. I ordered a pair of them to try.

The rear shocks are different than the non-LLS but they appear to be just a plain shock - the leveling mechanism is a separate air bag and not in the shock.

 

PM is a good term for what I'm doing.

I'm normally a 'wait til it breaks' guy - but if I have to tear into something (especially if there is unplesantness like stuck rotors involved) I like to fix as much as I can of the things that are likely to need fixing in the next year or 2.

Plus, IMHO, the parts aren't too expensive - my formative driving years were behind the wheel of an Audi - every time that thing needed a part it was $500 just for the part - and this was 15 years ago - and it needed a lot of parts. Maybe that experience skewed my perspecive on buying parts.