Front Sway Bar Stabilizer or possible ball joint issue .

[qkcam]

Hello
I am new here . Looking for some help.
thank you.
Went to the mechanic with photos and they said when I have $1000 bring it in...

I can tell clearly by the pictures the upper and lower ball joints are worn. I can also see the passanger side front sway bar is missing the lower bushing.

I am writing here for help because I noticed the steering is off., there is a "clunky" sound and a little bit of shake especially going around a corner, slowly.

I have a feeling although the ball joints are not good the sway bar missing a bushing is causing this issue.

The mechanic said it might not be the ball joints causing the issue but something else. He didnt say anything about the sway bar causing the issue.

I am hoping for some constructive feedback.. a $1000 doesn't come easy. Ranger just turned 23 !
thank you.

 

[pjtoledo]

the missing bushing is a definite source of clunks.
the sway bar end links can be easily replaced with basic hand tools.
replace both, will probably be a slightly different design.

since the upper control arm appears to be factory original I'm going to speculate it's time for a few new parts.

 

[Josh B]

I was in Coo's Bay once
What kind of help are you wishing for, someone to do it for you?
The repairs you are referring to are largely done with a fork and a hammer, and you would not want your hands in there anywhere if you don't know how to use them.

It isn't rocket science but experience is a good teacher, just not one you wish to use on your fingers. You might wish to start with some good leather fencing gloves and a hammer that won't completely crush your fingers

 

[take a chance]

I would google front end suspension and steering kits. Should run $300-$500 in my experience and (generally) really not difficult to put on the parts especially with haynes manual. Will come with ball joints, tierod ends, sway bar links etc.

 

[19Walt93]

First, any mechanic who will throw out a price by just looking at a picture should be avoided. I would find someone you can trust, have them inspect it and give you a real estimate. If you don't have a dealer you like, I'd find an independent who's been in business for a while and avoid any chains like MIdas, for example. An owner standing in front of you is going to be more responsive to concerns and questions.

 

[sgtsandman]

That's a very unreasonable price. Even if they have to replace both upper control arms, both lower ball joints, and both sway bar end links, it shouldn't take them that long and the parts shouldn't cost that much to justify a $1,000 quote. Even if the outer tie rod ends are thrown in there, and it needs an alignment, it shouldn't cost $1,000. If you don't feel confident in doing the work yourself, even with someone who knows how to do the work, find another shop that isn't looking to take you for a dummy and basically rob you.

 

[Josh B]

Age-old issue! :/
I think I've told this story once before here, but long ago my brother showed me an article in a then current auto mag
The Mag had sent these two guys on a road trip cross country, coast to coast, border to border, and all they did was pulled a plug wire loose, disconnected a fuse, or maybe done nothing at all, and stopped in at the shops, dealerships, anywhere they came to, and asked the shop to tell them what was wrong with it.

Out of the 500 or so places they went in there were maybe 2 (TWO) who told them, "It was only a loose wire" or whatever.

The majority by far gouged them to the bone

In my short lifetime I can still count on one hand the number of times I have entrusted my vehicle to a shop, and even those I have regretted.

 

[qkcam]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I have "old age issues" myself and other health challenges. I was looking to get some ideas and opinions other than my own. I have very little mechanic experience .. My dad did show me how to change a tire and change my oil when I was growing up. Lucky for a girl!

I live in the San Francisco Bay area where prices are overpriced everywhere for everything.

The shop I can usually work a deal with them. I used to go there with the previous owner and it changed ownership shortly before the pandemic.

the Tie rods "look good" to my eye. meaning I don't see any obvious damage.

I bought the Ranger new in 2000 for less than 11K off the lot! someone stole Ranger at the end of 2019 and because i have medical issues I needed something reliable to get to appts ,.. stopped at the mechanic shop and they set me up with a little toyota 98 tacoma..150k miles for $2500.
then a few weeks later the ranger was found by CHP- I got really lucky that the only damage was the key cylinders.

sorry for the long story. I did notice when I needed some work done during the pandemic they were trying to do some unnecessary add ons. ( i figured they were hurting for money )

I know the Ranger is going to need more work. Fortunately I don't have to drive a lot anymore.

I am pretty sure and especially after comments here that the steering issue is from the sway bar missing that bushing. the thing about taking it in for an estimate that is going to cost money I want to make sure I am taking it someplace I can afford.

I do trust the work of this shop.

I dont think I could any quotes by calling around.
I will probably have to "johnny cash" the future repairs..meaning .. one piece at a time..

I would love it if I could get the control arms , ball joints & sway bars done for $1000 or less!!

when I took the photos in I didn't realize what the sway bars do . so I asked him about the ball joints.. I said I need to get an idea how much it will cost so I know how much to save.

Upper ball joints "approx" $750."
lower ball joints "approx $950"

I think it may be time to let one of the trucks go. they both have about the same miles .. and both have totally different rides.

I appreciate the feedbacks - it helps me to make a decision. I used to run things by my Dad and he is 83 now and says.. "well I dont know anymore.. I just take it to the dealer" and he used to trade for a new truck every couple years.. so it has been several decades before he had to deal with keeping up an older masterpiece


thank you!

 

[franklin2]

The steering being off and shaky is not going to be the sway bar bushings. Those symptoms are from more serious parts of the suspension. The clunking is most likely caused by the sway bar bushings.

Your truck is 23 years old, it's overdue for some of this frontend work.

 

[ericbphoto]

$1000 is too much. Seriously, you can do the anti-sway bar with just some basic wrenches.

Then see how it feels and what symptoms disappear. Take it (the truck. Not a vague photo) to a reputable shop for a real estimate. Ball joints aren't terribly expensive.on some trucks, like my 97 F150, the OEM ball joints were not replaceable. I had to have new upper A-arms. Still not expensive. You can look up parts prices online so you know what to expect. But don't expect a reputable shop to use the cheapest parts. They have a reputation to uphold and don't want to do the job a second time as warranty work.

 

[Josh B]

Look around for a Vo-tec there, Vocational technical schools teach auto repair, you might even sign up and make some friends there to help you

 

[JoshT]

He seriously said those prices for upper and lower ball joints?!? That's over 1500 for balljoints and you know they're going to do the minimum needed to get it out the door. Yeah, find another place.

I gurantee that after spending that $1500, they're going to charge more for the sway bar end links, then tell you that the tie rod ends need replacing (probably do) and finally that you'll need an alignment (you will). At their apparent prices you'll be over 3k before you get it back

You can get a full front suspension kit for less than $300 online and it includes everything they would eventually get you to replace and as good of components as they would likely use. That includes replacement upper control arms, lower ball joints, sway bar end links, inner tie rods, and outter tie rods. Having said that, don't buy the parts yourself and expect a shop to install them unless they agree to that before hand, most won't install customer supplied parts and they have good reason.

The fact that you can actually identify the sway bar end links and ball joints tells me that you are more mechanically inclined that a lot of people behind the wheel. With simple tools and a few rentals from the autoparts store you could do this yourself. I see people with the same or less knowledge teach themselves on youtube all the time. If you were on this side of the continent I'd encourage you to buy the kit them bring it over so I could provide tools and help you install it. Then you'd just need to take it in for an alignment.

@Josh B's suggestion to look for a votech was a good one too. You don't even have to sign up. Those, or some high schools with a proper auto tech program, will often bring in work off the street for students to get experience. Talk to the instructors for that department, expalin your situation, and see if you can get on the list or notified when they are accepting. That kind of work is quick and easy to knock out, gets students a lot of hands on experience, and helps to build confidence in their skills. Don't worry too much about them being students, the instructors will be inspecting everything they do.

 

[JoshT]

I dont think I could any quotes by calling around.
I will probably have to "johnny cash" the future repairs..meaning .. one piece at a time..

I would love it if I could get the control arms , ball joints & sway bars done for $1000 or less!!

You could try. When you call tell them that you need upper and lower ball joints, tierod ends, and the sway bar end links. Most will punch it up on a computer system they have and charge according to the information there. They will probably also inform you that the price could change based on things found/encountered during the work.

I know my buddy opened his own shop a couple years ago. He quotes rates based on parts and labor provided by the system, but informs the customer that it could change depending on what's encountered. Sometimes there are other incidentals like unexpected damage or broken hardware, and he notifies the customer before continuing. Other times a job is done quick and cost is less. Many times it sounds like the customer is a complete ass and gets charged the quoted price even if the job is done in 10 minutes, but it helps pay for the freebies he does like tire patches.

Anyhow I was replying again to say don't Johnny Cash it like that. Use that method for getting parts if you must, but not for replacing the parts. For many of the items you may need replaced an alignment is required or strongly recommended after replacement. If they need replacing, it's better to replace all of those components at once and pay for an alignment once.

 

[Josh B]

Be careful about taking it anywhere, I have been misfortunate in times passed to have happened upon places that would claim the vehicle not safe to drive and deny access to it untill their repairs were done, and of course, paid, and I expect the times that is actually necessary to be less than 5 in a hundred

 

[qkcam]

thanks again for the great suggestions! I did look for VOC schools and there aren't any near me .. at al. I like the ideal of a high school tech. I remember at my high school in Indianapolis we had a mechanic shop.

I stopped off at another shop today, recommended by a camper van friend ( older ford camper) . this mechanic has a great reputation and charges $150 an hour.
he will do an inspection for less than $150 and encouraged me to try changing the sway bars myself. Also got a quote for the control arms w upper ball joints and lower ball joints. .. just around $1250 including labor.

that feels much better to me.
I looked at some videos for changing the sway arms and I have some tools.. Although I need to get creative to find a safe flat spot to do the work.

do I have to jack the truck up ? seems like all the videos do this. Is there a reason?

the mechanic today also had a ranger and his had gotten stolen too. (same time they tried to steal mine for the 3rd attempt)

i felt bad for him.. i know what a bummer that is.

It seems to me that the clunking sound was probably going over a bump when turning the corner.
I learned that they will check the ball joints out ( I assumed they needed to be replaced since the boots look horrible) he said we dont worry about the boots but will check the stability of the joints. also said since truck is 23 /years old most likely will need replaced. .they can check the entire suspension for less than $150..previous shop was $250 for inspection.
so I guess $250 an hour there too.

Sounds like the safest and best thing is to have it inspected to make sure the ball joints are OK considering age. I like the idea of doing it all myself ..

even the idea of paying $ 107 for suspension inspection seems much more manageable than $250! I have a bit more hope now.

it sounds like fun actually and I have alot of health issues.. so no way I could do it all at one time.. i would have to do a little bit each day and that means needing to leave it up and in a safe place whist working on it.