Truck had been making a clanking sound for some time. Got to a good mechanic over the "furlough" weekend and he went through it and said it sounds like ball joints in the front end. Ford made these without any way of greasing them up, no grease zerks. I remember reading something way back about getting a needle type of grease gun and just shooting grease in there. I know I'll have to replace them eventually, but notice I used the word "furlough," money getting a little tight now. Is this one of those things where the front end is just going to collapse, or do I have some time if I can't figure a way to get some grease in there?
2001 F150 ball joints
- Thread starter Schmoe
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If they are already loose, no amount of grease is going to fix them. You need to replace them with new ones that have grease fittings like Moog or Deeza (make sure that they have grease fittings before you buy them).
That and I also have to wonder about your mechanic since they said that it "sounds like" they are bad. If they are bad you can see movement in them. If your suspension is making a sound I would look elsewhere as well. I don't know about trucks, but on a regular car, tie rod ends are easier to replace then doing an oil change.
That and I also have to wonder about your mechanic since they said that it "sounds like" they are bad. If they are bad you can see movement in them. If your suspension is making a sound I would look elsewhere as well. I don't know about trucks, but on a regular car, tie rod ends are easier to replace then doing an oil change.
You can check yourself to see if the ball joints are loose ...
I personally don't put the presence of grease zerks at the top of my list when buying ball joints. I actually prefer good-quality sealed models with a good boot design, just for maintenance simplicity.
The OP's sealed ball joints lasted 12 years. That's not too bad, assuming he had a decent amount of miles racked up. None of the ball joints have worn out in any of our vehicles. All three have sealed joints and the mileages range from 104k to 145k.
The only vehicle I've owned that needed new ball joints was my S-10 back in the day and it had grease fittings.
But back on the original topic-
Loose ball joints can be dangerous. If one breaks while driving that is very bad on most vehicles. I guess it all depends how loose they are.
The OP's sealed ball joints lasted 12 years. That's not too bad, assuming he had a decent amount of miles racked up. None of the ball joints have worn out in any of our vehicles. All three have sealed joints and the mileages range from 104k to 145k.
The only vehicle I've owned that needed new ball joints was my S-10 back in the day and it had grease fittings.
But back on the original topic-
Loose ball joints can be dangerous. If one breaks while driving that is very bad on most vehicles. I guess it all depends how loose they are.
Do you have state inspections in Oklahoma? Ball joints are usually on the list.
Typically you check these by jacking on the lower control arm itself, if the spring rests on it, and then putting a prybar under the tire and attempting to lift it while watching for play. FWD cars are different where you shake the tire and the LCA is not supposed to be lifted upon.
Typically you check these by jacking on the lower control arm itself, if the spring rests on it, and then putting a prybar under the tire and attempting to lift it while watching for play. FWD cars are different where you shake the tire and the LCA is not supposed to be lifted upon.
65K miles....he used a crow bar after he lifted the truck up a couple of inches to see if there were any verticle play with the wheel, sure enough there was. So concensus says once it's bad, no amount of grease will fix it? All the other bushings looked good...he was pulling and yanking stuff all over and everything sounded tight. I know this has been a problem for Ford trucks of that production year......especially the first year for supercrews. But, of course, no way that would happen to my truck!!!!
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
So concensus says once it's bad, no amount of grease will fix it?
No, they can't be fixed. They have play because wear has caused clearance between the ball and socket, allowing the ball to knock around. Squirting in new grease won't fix that.
Now, that's assuming the ball joints were correctly diagnosed.
So concensus says once it's bad, no amount of grease will fix it?
No, they can't be fixed. They have play because wear has caused clearance between the ball and socket, allowing the ball to knock around. Squirting in new grease won't fix that.
Now, that's assuming the ball joints were correctly diagnosed.
As stated, grease will not fix a worn out ball joint. Do you have the garage space? These are not too hard to change and a lot of auto parts stores will "loan" you the tools needed to do it. I just replaced the ones on my F250. I own the ball joint press, but the stores have all the tools needed, if you don't wish to buy one. (Actually, the stores make you buy one, but they refund your CC after you bring it back)
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