Ford ball joints question (see Update page 2)

Had to have the ball joints on our ford Van done at 50,000 miles...had them replaced with the greaseable ones.

ernie1 wrote:
I have a 2005 PW Excel TD on a Ford E350 chassis same as you have. I have 58,000 miles on the vehicle and just had the front end checked at a Ford dealer recently and everything was fine including the ball joints. Ball joints will show a very little bit of play when tested. I'd say the tire dealer was full of it and maybe had a child in college or a boat payment coming up.

LOL Ernie, we think alike! :B The killer was that the guy claimed it is a typical problem in Ford vans. I suspect we probably would've heard about a class action suit, if that was the case. I knew we would've heard about it on this forum.

Thanks, everybody.
Bud & Judy

I have a 2005 PW Excel TD on a Ford E350 chassis same as you have. I have 58,000 miles on the vehicle and just had the front end checked at a Ford dealer recently and everything was fine including the ball joints. Ball joints will show a very little bit of play when tested. I'd say the tire dealer was full of it and maybe had a child in college or a boat payment coming up.

Same thing happend to me. Fords have small amounts of play.
I Got à second opinion and They are fine.
Bob

Sometimes you can have a part wear out prematurely. It's not outside of reason. Usually the ball joints will last 3 times as long as that, or more. But anything can happen with mechanical joints. Get a second opinion at a shop you trust, though.

If you do get new joints and if the OEM is sealed (as were mine), make sure the replacement is a greaseable one. That's what I have now on my 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. With regular greasing at every oil change, I expect much longer life for the ball joints.

ball joints are damaged by dirt and grit getting inside.

lack of grease or bad seals ( and I don't know which your Ford has- sealed or greaseable)

suspension should be lubed at oil changes- it's quick and easy to shoot grease.

ball joints with 30K on highway vs 30K on dirt tracks are 2 different things. So use will determine wear.

ball joint failure is no fun- the vehicle will drop down on that corner and the wheel will jam up into the wheel well.
braking and steering are really hard.


the key thing really with vehicles and service is trust.

when you no longer trust the vehicle, sell it

when you don;t trust the servicer, go elsewhere ( or get schooled, I went to Santa Monica College for my auto trades classes).

Get a second opinion. ( use yelp or whatever for a local shop)
Check the ford econoline forums to see what problems may be typical with your chassis.

tires- i use Costco.
the Guys there are great and IF they notice something, they have no reason to "upsell"


I have a car pal in your town I'll ask him if he knows a good shop and post back if he does.

mike

I'd get a second opinion. Maybe a third. I'd have my regular guy look at it and also a Ford dealer. Might cost a little but your life could be riding on this.
john 'I am Canadian'