Ford Ranger Ball Joint Rubbers Rotted

[tc1446]

On my low milage (45K) Ranger, the four rubber ball joint covers are
completely rotted apart. Mechanic says that's not unusual and in another 40-50K
miles I'll probably start getting noticeable wear and want to replace them. He
didn't mention a cost and I forgot to ask.

I see 4 new joints advertised for anywhere from $30 to $80 per set. What is
a reasonable guess at installation cost?

Or should I just let the existing ones wear on for awhile and not worry about
them?

 

[nwjones18]

I've seen some go quite a long time with the boots rotted. Personally I'd run them till you have noticeable wear. Then replace them with moog or raybestos professional.

 

[jk_636]

Not unheard of. A lot of factory parts are junk made by the lowest overseas bidder. I have dealt with similar problems with factory ball joints, shocks, wheel hub assemblies etc. Go to rock auto, buy some Moog parts with zirc fittings and be done it!

 

[lugNutz]

I would and have personally waited until there was a good amount of noise being made by them. Wait it out... you will probably get a lot out of them before you need to worry.

 

[tc1446]

Thanks guys for the feedback. Makes sense to wait them out; very likely they will outlast me (80 next month)! LOL.

 

[01rangerxl]

As others have said, they can last a while with torn boots. How long is anyone's guess...longer if the truck is mostly driven on paved roads in good weather. Shorter if it sees a fair amount of dirt or mud.

I replaced mine at just shy of 130K miles because the boots were torn on all four. They were not worn out yet, but it was a good time for me to go ahead and knock it out and be done with it. I used Raybestos Pro replacements, which appear to be very high quality. No complaints so far with over 25K miles on them.

Labor cost will vary...probably $500 at the low end, up to $800 on the high end. Shops should be able to give you quotes over the phone without looking at the truck.

 

[Nayov]

45K miles you are doing good. On my '01, one of the lowers had to be replaced in order to pass state inspection at only 25,000 miles! Many problems with that lemon and it was gone 2 months later.