Ball joint replacement - what parts to buy?

[rxctrs]

I have a 2WD 2000 Ranger(4 cylinder engine) and need to replace the lower ball joints. One repair manual says that the ball joints themselves cannot be replaced - only the entire control arm, but it is not clear whether this refers to 2WD or 4wd. I have an additional complication, because I am located in France, and parts are difficult to find here. I will be in the US in January, and would like to buy all of the parts that I would need for this project at that time and bring them back here. I have purchased stuff thru RockAuto, and they seem to be a good source. Does anyone have any advice about what I should order from them to bring back here to replace the ball joints? I can probably get a local Ford dealer to do the alignment afterwards, and maybe even do the work, but I would like to have all the parts on-hand. I figure that I should probably replace wheel bearings, and maybe some other parts, but without any experience doing this, I am not sure what would be best to cover all bases.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ralph

 

[cajunman87]

This website has everything you will need and more.

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~grant/ranger/ball joint/install.html

 

[rxctrs]

Cajunman,

Thanks for the site. It is very useful. Does anyone think it mught be a good idea to replace anything else while I am in there, such as the control arm bushings? The truck only has 70K miles on it, and has run extremely well. No signs of unusual wear on the original tires, which lasted 55K miles, or the replacements, after 15K more.

Ralph

 

[woodyedmiston]

If your truck has only 70k I'd wonder why you need to replace a lower control arm ball joint - but everything fails eventually. I've had three a-arm Rangers and they all went 150k without any changes. My current one had 240K before I rebuilt the front end.
So . . . no I'd suggest you leave everything else as it is.
Hope your visit is a good one.

 

[rxctrs]

Woody,

Yeah, I didn't understand why they needed to be replaced, after only 70K miles, but they do, so I thought I should replace everything possible - just do it one time with good quality parts. I think I will just do the ball joints - uppers and lowers, even though only the lowers really need to be replaced.

The truck has otherwise been quite well-behaved, and this site has been quite a good source of help with a few minor issues. Some day we will eventually make it thru the French bureaucracy and have it registered here, but that is another story. It has been useful, and we still think it was a good idea to bring it over. Even though it has cost us a bit so far, it has saved us a bit in hauling costs.


Ralph

 

[woodyedmiston]

Spares

If that is the case and you have a way to get all of the stuff back through customs and airport security, by all means stock up. Keep in mind you are going to have to pay to have the front end re-aliigned every time you remove certain parts. (Something you can do yourself if you have a lot of time - I don't)

Could I suggest you consider any parts you might need in the future - trim, mirrors, lug nuts, wheel centers, etc. and post a WTB on this space well before you travel - perhaps you could find someone near the area you are visiting that you could drive to meet.