We have a 2000 Ford flairside extracab ranger w/a 4.0 liter engine.Just wondering,while I was changing the oil and filter yesterday I didnt notice any grease fittings on the front suspension.Are there anything thats greasable on this ranger.Ive never seen any vehicle w/out any grease fittings!

 

I was looking at my 1999 Ranger, XLT 4x2 Super Cab
3.0L EFI-Flex Fuel
V6 150HP
White Black/Grey interior
and there's a rubber boot on the steering column down at the steering gear end. This rubber boot had torn and was letting the elements enter the U-joint that it covered. I tried to find a replacement boot but no luck. Ford wants close to 200 for a new lower steering column shaft. I found a universal boot at O'Reily's almost 30 bucks.

So I would reccommend checking the status of that rubber boot, might need some supplemental rubber protection, i.e. armourall type treatment. Or it might need replacement. Also check the steering rack and pinion boots for signs of leaking fluid. If they are leaking slightly it might be corrected by replacing the power steering fluid with fresh fluid.

I think the Ball Joint is serviced with the lower or upper arm, no lube fitting. The interesting thing is that the 1999 Maintenance Schedule calls for the ball joint to be lubed on the light trucks.

 

Welcome to FTE.

OEM suspension parts don't have grease fittings, they are sealed & lubed for life, or as long as the rubber dust boots last!!!! lol

The only way to lube them is with a grease needle through the rubber boot.

On my 99 Ranger, the upper & lower ball joint dust boots began to show dryrot signs at about 5 years, or 60K miles & were shot & cracked open at 7 years & worn out at 8 years & 70K miles , so keep a close check on the ball joints, if the rubber boots are showing signs of dryrot, or are cracked open.

I replaced my upper & lower ball joints about this time last year with TRW & they had grease fittings. So we can get aftermarket parts with grease fittings if we want them.

About the only OEM suspension part that needs scheduled maintenance lubing, or adjustment are the wheel bearings & we should be mindful of keeping them adjusted & lubed on time with the specified moly loaded grease.

If you don't have an owners manual to check the maintenance schedule, you can download one here.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp

Be sure to check out the "Tech Info" thread atop this forums thread listing page, it has lots of good maintenance, trouble shooting & repair info in it.

 

This was not one of Ford's Better Idea's.

 

Well it's not that the idea is bad, just it's execution!!!!

If a good quality moly grease is used & the dust boot is of good quality & doesn't breakdown, or get penetrated, the lube can't squeeze out, dirt & water can't get in, so in theory the joint should last longer, plus we don't have to crawl underneath on a regular basis to grease the danged things!!!!

As fast as they dryrot, it seems to me the rubber dust boots might now be made from that sorry recycled rubber that Ford makes our rubber break pedal covers from!!!! lol

My 78 Merc Zypher that I finally sold last year, still had the origional ball joints on it & the rubber dust boots were still just fine, so good quality grease & dust boot material is available!!!!