I need advise/help. You guys have always been a great help in the past, so here goes the long detailed story.

A week ago Thursday I pumped up my tires and went to get a little top soil. I noticed a severe vibration in the front end. Any speed over 30 mph just gets worse. 50 mph is almost undrivable. The vibration was often really bad when trying to stop. I unloaded the soil and test drove again, no difference. I jacked up the front end and noticed that after driving just a little that I could not rotate the left front wheel (brake was locking up). So far I have 1) greased the caliper pins 2) replaced what I thought was a collapsed brake hose 3) replaced the whole caliper (tonight (happy mother's day)). It appears that I have solved the sticking brake by replacing the caliper. However, the front end vibration remains.

When removing the front tire, I realized that I need to replace the ball joints. The lower left has 1/4" play in it. The right lower is not as bad, but will be soon. I've heard a thump in the front end when braking for over a year, but thought it was the sticking caliper (probably was the ball joint going out).

My questions are 2 fold: 1) is the drivability likely the ball joint or am I missing another problem? 2) I know a shade tree mechanic that will do the ball joints for $250 plus parts. The best price I've heard from a local dealer is $650 total. This is not a job I can tackle on my own right now, due to time constraints. Is it worth it to shop around to local shops or just bite the bullet and go to a dealer? I'm a little concerned with the truck having the auto 4X4 hubs and having someone ruin the seals.

The truck is 2000, F 250 4X4 CC V-10

Sorry for the long post, I appreciate any advise. I'd like to take the truck on a camping trip next week, and need to get this taken care of.

 

Yes, a ball joint with that much play will cause some things to go wrong. If the dealer does your ball joints they would be under a warranty for a certain period of time I believe. Also if you decide to go with your buddy, buy the good stuff *MOOG* ball joints not a cheap off brand.

See if you have thrown any wheel weights since you say it gets worse as your speed rises. Check you tires for cupping too. It could be a couple things causing this though, but since you fixed the caliper go ahead n get the ball joints done then see where you are.

 

Called my local dealer and he said he would get to it tomorrow. He said he would do all the ball joints and alignment for around $650.00. I hope that will take care of it. I'll have to have him take a look to see if there is something else that may be causing this. I just had the tires roated and balance checked last Thursday, so they should be good.

Any other ideas of what I need to be looking for. The truck didn't come with a steering stabilizer and has driven fine for 8 years, so I don't think that's an issue. There's a school of thought that those just mask a problem anyhow.

 

Might want to replace the rotor also, I had the caliper pins sticking, blew the caliper seals, etc. on all 4! Changed everything but 1 rotor - looked good but it had a slight warp that was only their at higher speeds - 35+

 

So far the dealer has driven it and said he thinks it needs ball joints. He also said it needs to have broken exhaust studs replaced and one of the brake lines is rusting (not leaking) and should be replaced. He can do all that for a mere $2300.00!!! I asked if the ball joints were the cause of the vibration, and he's not sure, but doesn't see anything else.

I called a local tire shop that's been in business for 30+ years and they don't think that a ball joint will cause that vibration, but said I should bring it in for them to look at.

I'm getting pretty worried now. Looks like I'm going to get taken either way and no one has a clue what's causing this problem.

 

Dealer finally agreed to replace all ball joints for $686 plus tax. He also thinks an alignment will be necessary. Is this true? I thought that only the toe in was adjustable on this. He said that all other suspension components look ok. I'm still leary of this, as no one seems to know if this is likely the cause of the vibration. Most people I've talked to are skeptical that this will solve the severe vibration. I've heard that ball joints will make the truck wander, but not make the front end shake voilently. Even the tech that drove it felt that it was not safe to drive, but can only think to start with the ball joints, since he says they are obviously bad. He said that this dealership prefers to use Moog as they hold up a little better and are cheaper price than the Ford part.

They are going to start on them tomorrow. Any last minute advise? How about that alignment for $80.00? I can set toe in myself, the old fashioned way. I have a toe in bar and have set the toe in on my old mini van when none of the shops could get it right with their expensive equipment.

 

Would you drive it with worn tie rod ends? Probably not. If the ball joints are worn you would most likely get the same vibration.

 

I do agree that the ball joints should be replaced if bad. The concern is that this is not the cause of my problem. I went from near perfect operation to violent shaking overnight, like something has broken. It seems like an up and down vibration, but I can't be sure. I tried to look at the tires while driving by leaning my head out the window and still drive safely(boy that was a trick with the truck shaking), and can't really tell anything.

I can't be the first or only person this has happened to. One thing for sure, I'll keep posting the results as they happen, just in case anyone else runs into this though.

 

What about shocks or sway bar & end link bushings? How do they look?

 

The tech I talked to last night said that all other suspension components look fine. He said he has to get the ball joints fixed first to see if there is another problem, but he thinks it could just be the ball joints (although he has never had them act like this before). The other items he mentioned (broken exhaust manifold stud and rusty brake line going to the rear of the truck) that needed attention would not cause the drivability problem in his opinion.

 

You solved the sticky brake caliper, but you probably got the rotor hot and warped it. I would change the rotor. If the mechanic working on your truck is any good, he should be able to spot that. It's easy to spot, when you have it jacked up, spin the wheel and see if the brakes drag in one particular spot, and how hard, if they do drag.

 

Thanks, I did check that and the rotor and pads seem good. I didn't put it on a lathe, but with that kind of vibration, it should have been easy to spot. I first checked by holding the tip of a flat head screwdriver against it and could not see or feel a variation. Next, I checked while I was bleeding that caliper and noticed no problem. Finally, I held the brake on slightly while I was getting the vibration and the pedal was smooth, with no pulsation. So I'm pretty sure it's OK.

 

I had the ball joints installed yesterday at the local Ford dealer. As I was afraid of, it was not the cause of the problem. I believe that it was amplifying the vibration though, because of the amount of play. During the final test drive by me with the mechanic, he felt I had a bad tire and that I should take the BFG's back again to the tire store for another check. He said that anything over a 32 on a Roadforce balance would indicate a bad tire. We also noticed the truck pulling to the left when braking. I told him that I had replaced the left caliper the week before when I noticed it sticking. He suggested I check the right caliper when I got home. I did and found that it to was stuck. Threw a new caliper on the right side and it eliminated about 98% of my vibration. I dropped it off at the tire store for another check and when I picked it up an hour ago, they told me that the right front tire was appearantly bad, with a Roadforce number of 63. They will order a new tire and replace under prorated warranty, but I wish they would have caught this earlier Ive had the tires rotated and rebalanced twice since buying them, I thought the rough ride was just part of the deal of owning BFG AT's.

Well, nearly $1000.00 later with new ball joints and 2 new calipers and a new tire pending, I think I've about got it worked out. Many have suggested I drive the truck more, to keep the moisture out of everything and it will keep it lubed up better.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Hopefully this thread will help someone else in the future.

 

I've had sway bar bushings worn cause a severe vibration