Need some advice please.

sparkie

sparkie

New member
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
5,357
Reaction score
0
I know this is a detail form, but we have some sharp people here. So I would appreciate any help yal can give me. When I got my tires for the wife's Explorer last week, they said they could not line it up, because all the Ball Joint are bad. Told me it will cost $400.00 bucks to fix. The car drives great, so how can you tell if they are bad? I really need your opinion or recommendation on this. I don't know if they are trying to get over on me or not. The car has 83K, never had any problems with it. Thanks for any help.
 
Oh, it's a 2000 AWD and has the 4.0 that has more HP then Surfer 5.0.:D
 
I would be careful where you take your truck to, thier is alot of shady place out there. Of I were you I would take to anothe shop don't say anything about the ball joints and see what they say.
 
gator1 said:
I would be careful where you take your truck to, thier is alot of shady place out there. Of I were you I would take to anothe shop don't say anything about the ball joints and see what they say.
Click to expand...

That's some sound advice. Have you taken it to anybody else, Sparkie?
 
Sparkie, couple questions about the truck

Do you hear any clunking when you hit a bump in the road?

Was there any odd wear pattern in the front tires?

The easiest way to check for ball joint wear is to get the front end or the whole truck in the air (lift is preferable) and see if there is any play in the ball joints. Just a little play will indicate wear. While it's not high mileage, I have seen ball joints go bad well under 100K miles, especially on trucks that are driven as trucks.
 
sparkie said:
Oh, it's a 2000 AWD and has the 4.0 that has more HP then Surfer 5.0.:D
Click to expand...
I had 215 stock there buddy, not 205-210 like the sohc, and 2wd with the snappy 3.73 rear end, shall we go into low end torque:D. I forgot to mention, mine has goodies ;) . Should have seen how quick my 03' V8 Mountaineer was though lol. Sister has an Explorer with the sohc V6.

On the Explorer/Mountaineer ball joints, or really bj's in general, you'll hear a slight clunking sound on some bumps or when turning (from the joints be worn/expanded out allowing play). Other than that try jacking it up or using a lift and you'll be able to see for yourself if there's any play. The one pain in the ass with these trucks is the axle arm bushings, that can be $$$ to replace. Other than that, we've had a bunch of Explorers/Moutaineers, great trucks, perfect size. Got my 00' Mountianeer as a grad gift back in high school after my sister totalled my other truck, put 95K miles on it in 6 years or so, no issues. Then I bought an 03' but still kept the 00'. I use to check a site long time ago www.explorerforum.com lot's of good info on there.
 
Last edited:
LOL Funny. I don't know if you want your mechanic to wash and wax your car though.
 
LOL at Surfer!!! K&N baby! 15 more HP, Hee Hee Hee
Anyhoo, I jack it up and put a crowbar/prybar under the tire, and didn't see any play.
Truls thanks for the link, I will check it out.
PRB, I did have wear on the inside of the tire. No clunking at all.
Yal don't jump on me, I know I need to gets some Meg APC and clean it up.:D Hope Justin don't see how dirty it is under here, he will lose all faith in me!!! Don't tell him.
Balljoints001.jpg

Balljoints003.jpg

Balljoints004.jpg
 
That was funny!
Q. Hi Vince, I own a 1996 Ford Explorer V-6, 4WD, with approximately 180,000 kilometers. I have been told by my dealership that the ball joints are seized. A $20.00 part, $500.00 labor. I have surfed several repair sites and that might not be the problem, bearings, rocker and idler arms etc... at a considerably lower repair.
mechanic.jpg

The noise comes and goes and has for years now. Lately, however it squeaks loudly all the time, especially over bumps and when turning. Is this a safety hazard? In your opinion is it the ball joints?
John
A. It could be the ball joints making the noise. And from here I have a hard time diagnosing noises. I would have to be absolutely sure that the noise is not a dry bushing. There are bushings in the upper and lower control arms and the stabilizer bars.
If you can get it to make the noise by bouncing the truck up and down, put a finger in each bushing while someone bounces the truck. If the noise is coming from the bushing you will feel it.
I don't have ball joint prices right in front of me, but the labor to replace:
  • One 2.9 hours.
  • One, Each Side 4.6 hours.
  • All, One Side 3.4 hours.
  • Three 5.2 hours.
  • All 5.2 hours.
So for $500.00 labor they should replace the ball joints, do a wheel alignment, empty the ashtrays, wash and wax the truck and deliver it to your home with a bouquet of roses.
 
No k&n here, had a Mac intake but switched back to the stock air box cut in front to draw the cool air in from the space around the headlight with the silencer removed. Tuner, headers, and CGS dual exhaust, Ford bottlenecks the 5.0, which is funny since our motors are combo GT/Cobra 5.0's.

My 03' I had headers, SCT tuner, custom ground cam and ported head, intake and CGS true duals and no cats (used Mil Eliminators). For a n/a truck it was quick as hell with 2wd and 4.10 gearing. I almost swapped in an 03' s/c'd Cobra engine (basically direct swap) but ended up not. Had planned on going turbo with it or just a basic KB charger upgrade.

I want to get an SRT-8 Cherokee to play with :D
 
Surfer said:
No k&n here, had a Mac intake but switched back to the stock air box cut in front to draw the cool air in from the space around the headlight with the silencer removed. Tuner, headers, and CGS dual exhaust, Ford bottlenecks the 5.0, which is funny since our motors are combo GT/Cobra 5.0's.

My 03' I had headers, SCT tuner, custom ground cam and ported head, intake and CGS true duals and no cats (used Mil Eliminators). For a n/a truck it was quick as hell with 2wd and 4.10 gearing. I almost swapped in an 03' s/c'd Cobra engine (basically direct swap) but ended up not. Had planned on going turbo with it or just a basic KB charger upgrade.

I want to get an SRT-8 Cherokee to play with :D
Click to expand...
Surfer, I wants some pics from you!
 
sparkie said:
Surfer, I wants some pics from you!
Click to expand...
Just did my 00', but had to clean it again and now I'll have to before I post pics again, stupida constuction. Should have pics up this week, thought last week till the truck got filthy again from road work. I did XMT Glaze and Natty's Blue.

I topped you DG 201 with AW on some trim, I wanted to see if the AW would kinda lock it in and last as long as possible, now water will bead right off.
 
Sparkie take it in for a wheel alignment..if you have any problems with the front end the shop won't do the alignment..You don't have to mention the ball joints..

IIRC,
when checking for play in the ball joints ,don't remove the tire after the truck is up in the air..place one hand on the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock position of the tire rock the tire from top to bottom to see how much play is in the wheel..
 
sparkie
Don't know if this will help much or if you are even still fighting the ball joint but here is what I know. The ball can fail two ways.
First, the ball can stick axially. The ball/stem has to be able to rotate in the upper cup to compensate for suspension movement. I think someone else said to push the car up/down with the wheel on and listen. If it is sticking you will hear it or feel the wheel try and move. Driving, you would experience a form of bump steer. If you hit a bump and the ball cannot pivot the wheel will try and turn as the suspension geometry changes.
The second mode is ball wear. The ball will wear and allow freeplay in the joint. This would disturb the alignment people greatly as the tire will be somewhat free to rotate on the kingpin. If you can grab the top of the ball joint and the lower control bushing mount try and move them in opposite directions horizontally without moving the wheel or the steering arm. You are looking for ball fit in the socket, not rotation. If you feel any freeplay at all with the ball in the cup they are toasted and need to be replaced. The freeplay allows your front wheel to shimmy, causing the tire wear patterns, and total failure will break the joint allowing your front wheel to flop uncontrolled in any direction on the kingpin. Very distracting on a Sunday drive. It does not take much freeplay at all to ruin a day.
Either way it seems like a lot of money to replace them but, unless you are mechanically adept, I would not try it myself without an alignment station nearby, very nearby. It does not take many miles with a gross alignment error to ruin your tires
 
Thanks guys, I will keep you updated. I'm going to bed. Night Night!:D
 
Guys, I got a second opinion, the bottom one are bad. I think I'm going to get all of them replaced. Thanks guys for all your help.
 
sparkie said:
Guys, I got a second opinion, the bottom one are bad. I think I'm going to get all of them replaced. Thanks guys for all your help.
Click to expand...
Check out that previous site I gave you, www.explorerforum.com , there was a company that was a sponsor there that I bought poly bushings from years ago, was cheaper and had them installed. They last longer and don't really wear the way normal bushings do so they stay real tight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top