Ford F-150 Ball Joint Issue

Dealer Just informed me that I should be replacing lower ball joints on 2001 f-150 4x4..at only 58,000 miles...............replacement + alignment over $500.00

Have some questions.

  1. Seems like awfully low miles for this kind of problem, would it do any good to complain to Ford customer noservice?

  1. Should I replace upper ball joints at same time? should replacement joints have grease fittings?

  2. Can I expect more problems with other sealed parts.

Any help appreciated...

TIA

Reply to
brainless
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Those lower ball joints cost about $50 each. Complaining to a manufacturer is unlikely to help you.

They are skinned back and greased.

Now, what are you going to do?

Learn to do it yourself, or find a decent independent mechanic.. Or bend over

Reply to
HLS

I think I have heard that bad wheel alignment or lack of grease can cause the ball joints to wear out very quickly. Make sure that after spending the money on the ball joints then also spend some on a wheel alignment. Make sure the garage that changes your oil also greases the ball joints.

Reply to
boxing

Book time is 6.5 hrs/one each side, including alignment. Doing both each side is 7.2. (hrs x shop labor rate) Ball joints vary in price/ quality. You should put joints in "with" grease fittings. (some cheaper one's don't have fittings) You should put the lowers in also. check the axle joints and front shocks. Good front shocks are a must on Ford trucks. Keep in mind they are charging you "list" price for the ball joints, which is more then what you can buy them for.

Reply to
idbwill

Do the originals have grease fittings? If so, is the original poster greasing them when he does oil changes?

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

All of the F-150's that I have worked on in the last 15 years have had sealed front end parts. No Grease fittings on the ball joints, tie rod ends or anything else for that matter.

It's a real weak point of the truck and not a bit uncommon.

The OP needs to find a local, independent shop with better rates but even then, the bill is going to come close to $500. The difference is going to be that the local, independent shop should be willing to install better quality parts than the Ford OEM sealed junk. Those replacement parts should include grease zerks and will last the rest of the life of the truck with proper maintenance.

Reply to
anumber1

Should I replace lower ball joints only....I did not think to ask dealer about condition of upper ball joint....willl I have to replace the uppers down the road? and would it save on labor to do both at same time? Most everything is sealed no grease zerks.....Thanks

Reply to
brainless

Book time is 6.5 hrs/one each side, including alignment. Doing both each side is 7.2. (hrs x shop labor rate) Ball joints vary in price/ quality. You should put joints in "with" grease fittings. (some cheaper one's don't have fittings) You should put the uppers in also. Check the axle joints and front shocks. Good front shocks are a must on Ford trucks. Keep in mind they are charging you "list" price for the ball joints, which is more then what you can buy them for.

Reply to
idbwill

It is usually more expensive to do work like this piecemeal. I used a very approximate figure of $50 per joint for this application. There may be cheaper and more expensive, but for labor intensive jobs it is best to use good quality parts. Dealership parts are usually good, but not always. They ARE essentially always more expensive.

There are usually excellent aftermarket parts available.

Note that you may pay for labor based on the flat rate for the job, not the actual time. If a mechanic can cut 7 hours which he is permitted in the manual to an actual 3 hours (if by cutting corners, even) he may do this to make more money. Labor is often $60 to $100 per flat rate hour.

Know what you are going to do, how much it will cost, etc before you start. If you just turn it over to them and tell them to fix it, you may get one heck of a surprise, and the law is on their side in most of these cases.

Dont trust that the dealership will do a better job than a qualified independent, nor that they will "treat you right" because you may have bought your car there. The game doesnt play that way

Reply to
HLS

dude were did you get the labor times? it is way off lower one side is 1.9 and both is 3.1 on mitchell guide which is the industries standard

250 s.d is 2.5 > Book time is 6.5 hrs/one each side, including alignment. Doing both
Reply to
mr158912

Well by god, I did look it up wrong. That was for 86-96 4WD all one side-(4.1) 6.5 all both sides - (5.4) 7.2 Includes alignment

97-02 4WD (book only goes to 02) one - (1.7) 2.7 all one side - (2.1) 3.2 Includes alignment Oh, and drop the dude. And no I don't work at a dealer. Something wrong with working at a dealer?!?! I know, I know. Your one of them that thinks dealer's are the anti- christ!
Reply to
idbwill

This seems awfully long, although I have not done it myself on an F150. However, I will remind you that if you get upgraded joints with the zerk fittings, they should last forever IF you remember to keep greasing them regularly. The reason the manufacturers have gone almost exclusively to sealed stuff is that they don't trust their customers to do regular maintenance.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Scott, if I remember correctly, a few decades ago this same issue raised its ugly head. In that time, we were instructed to drill the ball joint caps and install Zerks. Maybe that is an inaccurate memory, but I dont think so.

Reply to
HLS

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