Front ball joints on diesel

Hi all,

Just had the front upper and lower ball joints on my '05 Excursion replaced under warranty, at 33,200 miles. Took it in for an alignment and they said the joints were bad. A friend who had a '00 Superduty diesel said he had the same thing happen, they wore really fast. Only the uppers have grease fittings. Has anyone heard of this? I had no problems with my '02 V10.

Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo
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It is not that rare though you usually get more miles than you did. It has to do with the weight of the diesel engine up front which places a lot more strain on front end and if you are running oversized tires it adds extra stress to front end too. Ford is not alone with this problem as Dodge had a lot of problem with it too in later years with CTD powered 4x4's. Their solution was to switch to a different axle design in 03. Be glad yours failed under warranty and not out of it.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

My experience on a 94CTD with plow and ball joint replacement was at 65K. That truck I owned, others I changed out the bj, the lowest was 50K with big tires.

Reply to
Roy

A 94 had a different style joint that was more durable. You would not likely have gotten that service out of a 98 thru 2002 whith a cheaper joint design.In 03 Dodge went to a AAM front axle with larger ball joints to better deal with this but jury is still out on this upgrade (Dodge was really tight lipped about this a upgrade too) I have never had to replace the ball joints or pivots (if you want to call them that) on gas powered plow truck with stock tires and I have one retired truck that is now 28 years old and joints on the D44 are still pretty tight (steering box is going bad though now). Like it or not, a deisel does shorten front end life because they use same front end with a gas or diesel engine. GM can have ball joint issues with a Dmax. On tip if they are greaseable, use a moly based grease with ball joint as it will extend their service life.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

WTF! What am I doing dealing with a guy who speculates? Likely this and maybe that. You preach it was like gospel. My 20004X4 CTD w/plow and big summer tires had over 50K. You haven't owned any of the trucks in question nor have you done much wrench turning on them. You just speculate, and guess, just to have something to say. You are the ultimate friggin troll. But you did sucker me this time.

Reply to
Roy

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:38:18 -0400, "Roy" wrote:

I knew that troll in you would come back. You just keep on believing how great it is to have a 1300 lb motor and a plow on the front of a P/U. I have pulled a few of those boat anchors out of the ditch over the years with my gas trucks. We had a big storm here in feb and I saw

3 dead plow trucks being hauled to dealer for repairs in the cold snow temps (it was around minus 10 a few times). Two were CTD's and one was a new PS. All had been winched up on trailers and hauled in. About 6 years ago a CTD 4x4 dualie got stuck in front of my house in country trying to pull a car out on a badly drifted road. I pulled it out with my 79 J20 with little effort (much to disbelief of owner) and then got car out too. Three years ago I ran across a Chevy with a plow and a bed mounted speader in the ditch on a badly drifted road in early morning darkness while in route to a client. His friend with a new CTD had tried in vain to pull him out and could not do it as there was spin ruts all over the road. I offered to try for a fee and they said sure because they figured I would fail to. They were quite surprized when I got it out on second try on a dead pull with no jerking. The first attempt failed because the tow strap broke. Guess what no posi either but see I can easily ballast may truck to have more weght on rear axle and better balance truck for best traction. (you rear axle is your strongest axle so you want your weight and traction there) If you gave me a plow truck with a CTD or any diesel I would sell it and get a gas motor. I have been at this for well over 20 years and I know what works and I keep my trucks a long time too. Guess what I do not need 4x4 drive either in bad weather to transport because I do not have to push a 5K plus load on front axle through snow. Put your truck on a scale with plow on and measure front axle weight (I have) and you will be surprized how much weight is up there and it is not wisest idea either for plowing.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Stock tires.

Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo

Yada,yada. WTF does all the above BS have to do with ball joint failure? Let me help ya, nothing! Just more of your mind numbing I did this, I did that. You just ramble on and and on. A ton of words but you say nothing that is relevant.

Time for that sig change again.

Reply to
Roy

I knew it wouldn't be long before you got on your soap box again.

I was reminded again yesterday after doing a brake job on a 2000

3/4 ton CTD with 200K miles on it. But for you to understand it would be like my Aussie understanding calculus.

For you to believe that that makes you any sort of authority is truly astounding, but not surprising.

In the dead of winter during a snow storm *you* stopped plowing snow to follow all three trucks to their destination(s) to ascertain that they had suffered the dreaded 'diesels won't start in the cold' malady... or maybe they were just being dealer traded/transported from auction/repossessed/theft recovery/ parking violation or any number of other plausible reasons that a truck might be trailered.

Same cold snap we had here in Wisconsin, I saw way more than 3 gas powered Chevies get towed in. On the other hand, my buddies

2005 CTD started and ran flawlessly, as did the 97 CTD I sold last year. Relate all the home spun anecdotes you want, you'll still fail on credibility.

Big deal. In 1978 I pulled a 1967 J20 out of a ditch in a blizzard with a 1971 Plymouth Duster /6 shod with Fleet Farm tires. The Duster belonged to me, the J20 belonged to my boss, I put the J20 in the ditch plowing snow at Empire Generator in Germantown, Wi. Oops, looks like I may have revealed that I have a few more years experience than your 20.

The above has what to do with Diesel engines, ball joints or the price of Yak meat in Pakistan?

gee, ya think?

Lather, rinse, repeat... (stupid is forever)

Wadda ya mean you "know what works?" You (by your own admission) send your trucks to the dealership for repair. You, by your own admission label what I consider a gravy job a PITA. Proof positive that you wouldn't know a camshaft from John Shaft.

Naturally, you are the only one who can make that claim.

Fair trade off for the sheer entertainment value of passing you by on the turnpike while you stop for gas every 180 miles.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

One would think he invented snow plowing. You have been doing it longer than

20 years, I've been plowing snow for over 30. He's running around with a couple of beaters proclaiming to be some sort of expert. Hell, he was thrown off the largest snow plowing forum due to his mindless BS. A couple of folks live near him and never see his "plow trucks" out and about. He's probably too busy posting BS to plow snow anymore.

I figure he has to be 100 years old to do all the things he claims to have done. He barely can keep up with all the stories he's spun. Sadly most of the stories are so transparent a 5 year old can see through them. But I'm sure we will read more of his expert stories on trucks he's never owned or for that matter driven. I gues if he looks at one he becomes the self proclaimed expert on it.

Reply to
Roy

You never get of yours

Know you are picking on Aussie's now huh? You must really be insecure. BTW I took calculus in college in 70's when I was working on my engineering degree.

The amaging part is your total lack of understanding of even the simplest physics but then what can you expect from a troll?

I did nopt have to stop, I saw them on the road going to dealer when i was in the area. See people like me were really busy those day being called out to other clients that had gotten stiffed by diesel owners that truck died on them and I saw them because i was doing there work. Yea those boys were saving a lot of money with those oil burners that day. I have been at this for over 20 years and never had a truck fail me because of good PM and they are all gas powered and they do not require trickery and luck to keep them running in cold weather.

Tell you what I can take may gas truck out in any weather and NEVER worry about them starting 10,20, 30 below and I have seen 50 below in years past. When I lived in MT they parked there oil burners in winter. Sure you might get it running at the temp with a extension cord and a block heater and kerosene for fuel but it is a fine line keeping it relaible. I remember one year when I was in governement R&D we had a truck we used that had a oil burner in it. It had gotten to

28 below that night and it would not start and we finally had it towed into a hanger to thaw out. Ever gas truck we had started. One of the reason diesel failed when they tried them as aircraft motors long ago was not only were they heavy but they could not deal with the cold that aircraft can see at times and would quit. I used yo help my inlaw farm for many years ago while going to college and he switched over to a gas tractor for feeding in winter because the diesel was too troublesome in the cold. I true troll fashion, ego tailors you comments not reality

Your are more experiance at making things up as you go that is for sure because if you did, it was not really stuck, it just needed a nudge because no way it would have pulled it out if it was really buried.

You tell me troll!

Not you because you think on the weight on your weakest axle is just great.

Yes your stupidity is but your are troll and it comes with territory. BTW, I was paying around 1.90 to 2.10 for gas this winter and diesel was 2.75 to 2.95 so extra dead weight, starting and high option cost issues aside, how would a gian have one of those boat anchors for what i need a truck for. My 2000 is getting ready to turn 40K after 8 plowing seasons (it is not a daily driver) so if I was narrow minded like you I would have lost 1000's of dollars on that truck durring that time due to higher purchase and operatioing cost with reduced load capaciy on front axle because of engine weight on had several hundred dollars in electric bill keeping it warm too. See I think with bottom line and you just think with hormones as trolls usually do because that is what makes them trolls.

Yes I do send them for repair under extended warranty work when it is needed. I have freinds that have oil burners and some want to get rid of them to and will when they can sell them without loosing their a$$ because they paided more than they are worth. Diesel around here slowed up a lot in sales when diesel fuel prices soared far above gas and they never really recovered

COuld it be because I use physics over ego and do the math and properly ballast truck? that logic likely escapes your troll brain

Tell you what wise a$$ on have a old burb that you pass you at diesel fillups as it can go over 600 miles on a tank and has down so many times (40 gallon tank) and th most I have ever put in is 33 gallons to refill. Even my 2000 K3500 can go well over 300 miles with ease and would probaly make it over to 500 miles if I ran it dry as it does 16 or better on road with a 32 gallon tank so do the math. Towing a 8500 lbs car hauler it gets 11 to 12 using a/c. You are just stuck with your troll brain and troll logic.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

I found out about the front hubs on my truck by asking the tech to "shake down the front end" for me while it was up in the air for the transmission repair I am currently posting about. So, I received a phone call back that the hubs were dangerously bad, and so were all the ball joints. All four, and they'd be glad to do the job for a total of 2200. I can do that work myself, but I wanted to see it for myself, so I went by there on my way home, and sure enough, the hubs were bad, but the ball joints all were very tight and didn't appear to have any problems whatsoever. When I asked the service assistant why he told me they needed to be replaced, he said "well, they're 8 years old, and dry, and we were suggesting them for that reason. I reminded him of the "dangerous front end" comment, and his ears, face and neck turned red, but said it's my call. So I told him I'd do what was necessary after I got it back home. That was "my call".

Spdloader

Reply to
Spdloader

WOW!! That's all, just WOW!!

Reply to
Roy

I have a 85 F250 with the 6.9 4X4. Other than changing the tie rod portion of the suspension, nothing has ever been done to the ball joints. It has about 550 000 km showing.

Reply to
RJ

Kno, I kwas kpicking on kyou.

You must be a dog.

Ah yes, the one that gave you an engineering "background."

Seems that you are the one who doesn't understand simple physics. (and knock sensors, bolt torque, brake pads, fuel pumps, etc.)

You dipdn't?

"Their work."

So, what you're saying is that the reason those trucks couldn't finish their plow jobs is because of missed preventive maintenance, which has nothing to do with whether or not they had a diesel engine.

For all we know, this just means that bad luck follows you everywhere.

"reliable" Mr. Engineer.

Again, the common denominator appears to be you.

You never miss a chance to go off on some pointless tangent, do you?

Yo! (or Yao)

You helped your inlaws farm for many years ago? Obviously they didn't teach sentence structure in college...

You were there?

The answer should be obvious Snoloogie.

Yet millions of OTR trucks are built that way.

Only an imbecile would think that the needs of other truck owners revolves around what -you- need.

Is that the truck you had someone else do the intake gaskets on?

News flash. You've lost 1000's of dollars on that truck anyway.

And naturally your bottom line thinking applies to everyone else out there.

Why does someone who claims to be such a great mechanic need an extended warranty to begin with, especially when the bottom line is so important and what does the bottom line say about the fact that those gaskets will fail again because they're the same shit gaskets the truck was built with that have a long well known history of failure and resultant engine damage?

So you are not alone in your fairy world.

"Paided?"

Typical knee jerk reaction. You also probably drive 25 miles so you can save 10 cents on a gallon of milk.

If a diesel truck owner properly ballasts their truck, what does that say about -your- ego, -your- logic?

And if my diesel had a 40 gallon tank, it would have easily gone

800 miles. How do you not understand how pointless an apples to oranges comparison is?

I did do the math. 20 miles per gallon is better than 16 miles per gallon and the (better) mileage difference easily offsets the

10% difference in fuel prices.
11-12 MPG towing a car hauler... Like I said, it's worth the entertainment value alone being as I'd be getting 20 MPG under the same conditions not to mention that I wouldn't have to creep up any hills at 40 MPH risking getting mowed down by a CTD because my gas engine doesn't have the balls.
Reply to
aarcuda69062

He did, along with GPS, electric fuel pumps and "deeper" gear ratios.

They never see him because he also invented stealth technology.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

Kinda makes you want to strangle someone in the teachers union...

Reply to
aarcuda69062

My wife is a teacher. So ya at times I do.

Reply to
Roy

Thanks, I had an alignment issue so I asked them to check it, they said bad balljoints, once they replaced them they said alignment was fine. It was under warranty so it wasn't out of pocket, I was just inquiring about them wearing out at 33K miles.

Oh, and thanks you guys providing good experience advice, instead of hajacking the thread.... :-)

Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo

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