On 1999 4WD, are ball joints REALLY integral w/ control arms?

[fixizin]

RKIs know that (IIRC) model years 1998-2000 was a brief span that uses the torsion bars, vacuum-operated "pulse lock" front hubs, etc...

So should I believe lame Chilton's manual that the upper and lower ball joints are integral with the upper and lower control arms, respectively? They say that if the ball joints--which I consider "consumables"--go bad, then all 4 CONTROL ARM assemblies must be replaced! WTF?

I can already see the evil grin behind the Ford dealership parts counter.

I'm not sure yet whether the ball joints ARE out of spec, but the RUBBER BOOTS have partially disappeared, so I have to at least replace those, SOON, to save the joints... not sure what's involved yet.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The lower joint is available from ford as just a ball joint and can be pressed out of the lower arm and the new pressed in. The upper is a complete upper control arm assembly. You will need to have camber/caster eccentrics installed with the new upper control arm and you will need to have a front end alignment completed.

 

[fixizin]

Thanks... what if it's just the boots?

And by "eccentrics" do you mean shims? Do they come with?

That's some crappy rubber they used, 'cause my CV and Pittman steering boots still look GREAT.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The alignment eccentrics are bolts wand washers that replace the stock harware, they are egg shapped andwhen rotated adjust the upper control arm

 

[TireIron]

if you are going to be keeping the truck for a long time you should look into getting moog parts to replace things with. They are MUCH better than the ford parts and are all fully greasable. The lower balljoint is a seperate piece, however they are correct that the upper balljoint requires the entire arm to be replaced. If you however get the upper arms from MOOG then they use a better design with a removable balljoint so in the future all you would have to do to replace an upper is to buy a new upper MOOG balljoint and replace it instead of the entire control arm.

 

[fixizin]

Thanks much guys... yeah, she's only got 34k mi. on the odo, so I'm gonna keep her... will soon be my daily driver so I'm going stem to stern, looking for age-related wear-outs...

Just got a more detailed look, and all 4 BJ boots are CRUMBLY, while the tie-rod end boots are fine... must be UV reflecting from the asphalt, lol.

The upper RIGHT control arm is the 2-piece design (explains some pics I've seen), while the upper left is a TRW 1-piece... no doubt a good reason.

And of course you're correct--the lower BJ is removable, so for the UMPTEENTH time, Chilton's on CD is just flat fookin' WRONG.

Moog sounds good... why get mofo'd by FoMo when you don't have to? Do they also make cool billet/skeletonized LOWER arms? Urethane bushings?

 

[fixizin]

I jacked up each side by the jacking lug welded to the lower control arm... tugged on the tires top and bottom, and those BJs are TIGHT, zero slop. Tread wear looks normal too.

So I just gotta figure out how to get new boots on there...

In the meantime I need to remove the remaining crumblies, and at least get some grease in there. No off-roadin' or fording flooded intersections 'til I figure out this FoMoCo fubar.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

You're not going to be able to get grease into them, they are a sealed unit. The grease fitting on serviceable ball joints is underneath the ball socket. I don't know if you'll be able to find boots for the factory balljoints anyway.

Oh and the proper way to test balljoints on a suspension setup like yours is to jack it up by the lower a arm and put a prybar underneath the tire and pry up on it. Put your hand on the ball joint while doing so (of get a buddy to help) and feel for movement. Grabbing the tire at 12 and 6 will find play in the wheel bearings, not the balljoints in this case.

 

[99MazdaB4000]

ebay has a great deal with all four ball joints and the integrated upper control arm/ball joint combo for really cheap, I think a little over 100 bucks!

 

[fixizin]

ebay has a great deal with all four ball joints and the integrated upper control arm/ball joint combo for really cheap, I think a little over 100 bucks!

Holy schnikes!... I didn't see that listing the other day... THANKS!

 

[fixizin]

As you can tell, I'm familiar with ball joints only in theory, not at the hands-on level... therefore I'm free to ask really ignorant questions, LOL.

1) If they're sealed, how important are the boots anyway?

2) Can I jury-rig some boots with silicone "Tommy tape", or maybe some scrap CV boots+RTV?... ooh, I'm likin' that last one...

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

1) If they're sealed, how important are the boots anyway?

They are sealed as in they have no grease fitting and the boot is supposed to keep all contaminants our and grease in. They need boots.

 

[Simple_serf]

I did these on my 98 2wd a couple of years ago (hell, about 40K miles ago, now). I put greaseables in the bottom, and I couldn't get the Moogs at the time, so I had to put the ford units on top. I hit the greaseables every other oil change, and they have thusfar held up ok. As to the rubber being crap, I live in salt belt...all of my boots start to rot after about 2-3 years. You just learn to replace them whenever they need it.

 

[fixizin]

BUT... can you replace the boots without pulling the BJs, getting re-alignment, etc.? I REALLY need to get under there and study the situ, but it's been RAINING like crazy...

I've been told there's aftermarket CV joint boots that are split, so you don't have to remove the axles, just cut off the old boots, etc... not sure how they seal-up... sounds like a possible starting point for jury-rigging myself some "condoms" for my ball joints, LOL.

Plus I'm curious to know why the BJ boots *disintegrated* so much sooner than all the other boots... do they get "worked" a lot harder?