Ball Joints

[ChrisP Riley]

Well where do i start? I took my 01 S/T in today to have four tires mounted, balanced, brakes adjusted(since i did the rear drums myself and could not get them adjusted just right),camber kit installed and an alingment done. Well we he raised the truck you good here it popping in the front. I was wondering what it was since i have heard it going down the road before. Well to find out my upper and lower ball joints were bad. I am the 2nd owner of my S/T and i bought it with 37,000 mile on it and it now has just rolled over 77,000. The guy doing the work on it is one of the honest people i know..i have known him for a long time..anyways he said that Rangers, Mazdas and S/T's have this common problem since the ball joints are not greaseable. This just sucks OUTLOUD! Its going to cost me $871.53 for all of this. Wish i knew this about Ford i would not have bought it. But....I do love my Sport Trac just wish it wasn't giving me this problem. By the way i am driving my moms 05 Ford Escape and wow that things drives awesome! Just posting this so everyone else can have there's checked just for precaution. Later, Riley

 

[Todd Z]

Well, This has been a known issue with the ST.. And don't go bashing ford on this one, Almost all of the new cars/trucks all have sealed (UN Greaseable) front ends...

There are things you can do to prevent this , But make sure the replacement ones are Greasable..

Todd Z

 

[Johnny O]

On the '02 Ranger I had before, the left side ball joints went bad at about 20,000 miles. I traded it with 45k on it, the right ones were always fine. Funny, since both sides of the truck should have the same number of miles. Yes I know I posted this elsewhere earlier.

 

[ChrisP Riley]

I know what you mean Todd Z...I really wasn't bashing Ford i just hate that this happened to me now,lol. I am on vacation next week and it just got me all upset..if you know what i mean. I just hope I get more out of my S/T. Next is the Powertrax for the positive traction. How knows what i will do next. I will definiately get a 4WD next time around. Later on, Riley

 

[Richard L]

If you trust this guy, I would have to agree with his diagnosis since early Ball Joint failure has been an all too common problem with the Sport Trac. There are test that can be done to confirm it is the ball joints, and exactly which one it is. However, I would recommend just changing them all since any that have not failed are probably not to far behind.



...Rich

 

[Kerry Chinn]

I too have a 2001 ST and the lower ball joints went bad at 45,000 miles, the front wheel bearings at 46,000 miles. It appears that front suspension problems are common for the ST, which in my opinion is the single worst reliability issue in the ST.

 

[Jose Santana]

Brought my ST in for the 30k service and while in there they replaced the shocks and lower left ball joints, under warranty.... I had the same issues with my 93 Ford explorer which I had

for 200k, all front end & tranny issues. Ford is known for these..

 

[Dreman]

Only the lefts and not the rights? Just how much do you weigh, JohnnyO?

 

[Dean Cleveland]

My ST just turned 30000 miles and I already have a lower rightside ball joint go bad. It was replaced under warrenty. This is a common problem for Explorer and Ranger.

 

[FlipTrac_511]

I have the popping noise too. I'm going to have a dealership check out my ball-joints and if they find something wrong, it will be covered by the 3yr/36K warranty right?

 

[Dennis Shelley]

I have a 2001 S-T. I replaced the ball joints myself two weeks ago. No special tools. Once the A arm is removed take it to a machine shop and have the old ball joints pressed out the new ones installed. The ball joints were purchased from O'Rilley's for $36.00 each. This is also a good time to replace the shacks as the lower bolts have to be removed to remove the A arm. The only difficult step is taking the pressure off the torsion bars as they have to be removed.

The job is a 6 on a scale of 20. 20 is removing the motor.

Have conficence is yourself. Start the job by backing the S-T in the driveway. That way if you are unable to complete the work a tow truck a can easily hook up and take it to the local mechanic.

 

[Phill R]

I just did both my lowers this weekend. I've got just over 33K and the right was squeeking like mad. It was a bit of work but it only cost me $70 for the parts.



For anyone that wants to check thier own, jack up your front wheels and with a good size bar or pipe, lift the wheel and you will see vertical movement on a bad one.

 

[Kelly Traylor]

A lot of Dodger ACKotas have the same problem... The wider stock tires on them make it show up sooner...



Just so you know it's not just Henry's problem....