Ball joints on a 1999 Explorer, same as our Trac's.

[Tom Schindler]

My brother has a 1999 Explorer. he is replacing both lower ball joints, front differential seals (They are seeping and while everything is apart, he is replacing the seals), and shocks.



While he has everything apart, he decided to replace the rubber bushings on the A-Arms with urathane.



Energy Suuspension does not offer them for the 4x4 Explorers, BUT they do offer them for the 4X2. Guess what...they work for the 4x4's too.



Lower ball joints are not hard to replace, but it is alot of work. You need to remove the spindle to get the A-arm off. Once you got the spindle removed, remove the torsion bar, and the arm come off. Remove the clip and pull the joint out. Tap the new one in, put the clip back on, and reassemble.



If you go to the dealer, they will tell you the ball joint is not serviceable and you need to replace the whole arm. That is not true.



He has made some high performance endlinks for the rear sway bar. They look really cool. Once he gets the rear bar and shocks on, he is running my EE bar and I am not running a bar at the moment, he is going to tell me what he thinks of it. Then I get the bar back.



I will take pictures when everything is complete.



His '99 is lifted with Warrior Shckles/TT front about 2". He is running 255/70-16 tires on Trac wheels. It actually looks really good.





Tom

 

[Hal S]

Tom,

Yeah, a lot of the 4x4 stuff is the same as a 2wd.

The lower ball joints have always been serviceable, and it's not necessary to remove the A-arm. It can be done by just removing the spindle and holding the axle out of the way (20 min. a side).

If a dealer told you there not serviceable, then it's time to find a new dealer.

It is the upper ball joints that are not serviceable through Ford, but I have heard that they are available aftermarket.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Hal,



The upper ball joints are not serviceable. They are built into the arm and can not be removed. We checked since the right front side upper joint was loose. The replacement arm, the part that bolts to the upper a arm, was like $40.00 and easy to change.



As for the dealers saying they are not serviceable, I don't take my vehicles to the dealer. Also, the repair manual tells you they are not serviceable and the whole arm needs replaced.





Tom