Ball joint failure

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thkurtz
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:06 am

Ball joint failure

Post by thkurtz »

I had 6 new michelin tires xps ribs put on my 2002 rsb coach. The old front tires were wearing unevenly on the front inside. I took the coach to a Ford dealer for a front end allignment and was told that the ball joints had to be replaced. Since I have only 25,500 miles on the E-450 I was surprised that they need replacing. I was given a quote of $960 for the ball joint replacement and front end alignment and made an appointment in May. Previous posts have recommended to install grease fittings with the new ball joints. What other questions should I ask before having this done?
2002 RSB
bill crommett

Ball joints

Post by bill crommett »

th: I don't know what has happened to the price of new ball joints since I last had the pleasure of replacing a set, but I think it would be prudent to find a reliable independent and get another estimate.
A bit of my own philosophy: " Never take an automobile back to the dealer except for warrantee work"
Too many times I have found that an overachieving sevice writer will pad the roster when it becomes a little slack with all sorts of un-needed work. And besides, you don't get to talk to the mechanic who will do your work, and any information he gets will be second or third hand with nothing but the admonition "replace this/that part" .
Remember this: A truck is a truck whether it be Ford, GM, Toyota, or Dodge, and any mechinic has the book available for any brand he is likely to encounter. The only difference is that a Ford mechanic has done more work on Fords, and therefore is a little better acquanted with Fords special problems. Besides, last month he may have been working at a Chevy dealer. Ball joints are ball joints !
Bill
jhillis625

Front end work

Post by jhillis625 »

Seems quite early for ball joints to go bad, I would get a second opinion from someone you can trust which is many time very diffcult to find.

We had our ball joints replaced at around 70k plus miles and seem like it was around 500 dollars by an independent.

I only go to the Ford dealer for warrenty work and even that doesn't give me a warm tummy feeling. :(

I would find some one to align your front end. Look for a a place that the trucks are using, ask questions. Good luck.

O' yes good choice on those tires. :lol:
litehous

ball joints

Post by litehous »

I just replaced my ball joints at 45,000, an independent charged me just under $1,ooo. They told me that Ford uses smaller ball joints on the E-450, than on the E-350. Are they replacing the tire rod on your unit?
Tim and Mia

Post by Tim and Mia »

The concern with ball joint failure inspired me to crawl under my rig and take a look.
I have a 2003 E-450 and I found that the holes have already been drilled and threaded for 1/4" grease fittings. A small threaded plug was installed by the factory instead of fittings.
All I had to do was unscrew the plugs and screw in the fittings that I purchased for $5.00.
I installed two on each side. One upper and one lower. The pre-drilled and threaded holes were on the underside of each ball joint.
I then pumped grease into the fittings and hopefully this will extend the life of these ball joints somewhat.
Hope this helps someone.
Does anyone know why in the world would the factory not install the fittings in the first place?
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bcope01
Posts: 1290
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:55 pm

Post by bcope01 »

Tim and Mia wrote:Does anyone know why in the world would the factory not install the fittings in the first place?
Guess they figured out that if they left out $5 worth of zerk fittings to begin with, it would lead to $1,000 worth of repairs down the road. :roll:

In the end, Ford is $1,005 ahead and we're out the $1,000. :x

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
Tim and Mia

Post by Tim and Mia »

Sam,

On my rig, the threaded plug was a 1/4" hex type. I simply used an open ended wrench and they came right out. They were located on the underside of each ball joint.
I suppose a 2003 Born Free could be a 2002 Ford E-450 chassis now that I think about it.
I did remove the front wheels for easier access and installed zerk fittings with an angle so that I could easily get the grease gun on them.
Hope this helps.
Randy Wilson

Post by Randy Wilson »

Our coach needed warranty replacement of the front seal in the differential housing (at 25,000 miles) as it has been leaking a little. While at the local Ford service shop, I enquired about the ball joint grease fittings and was told that Ford now has a fittings kit and that furnishing and installing it would run about $150. I consider that to be pretty high for four zerk fittings that probably should have been there from the beginning, but thought I would pass this along. They did indicate that it required removing the wheels for installation, but I didn't learn what model year was the first one with drilled and tapped ball joints.
jhillis625

Post by jhillis625 »

I checked my coach today the grease fittings are on the under side of each ball joint, I think they were installed when the ball joints were changed out 2 or three years back.

I also just installed a Safe-T-Plus steering unit and will be leaving for 1500 mile trip tomorrow morning. It feels good as I tested it. It is a replacement for the Ford OEM.
Tim and Mia

Post by Tim and Mia »

Sam,

My front end has four total hex type threaded plugs. Two on each side. One upper and one lower, both on the underside of the respective upper and lower ball joint.
The upper ball joint zerk fitting installation was a little harder due to limited clearance in between the upper and lower ball joint. I used a small open ended 3/8" wrench with small turns and it worked out.
There may be slight differences in the years of these front ends.
User avatar
bcope01
Posts: 1290
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:55 pm

Re: ball joints

Post by bcope01 »

litehous wrote:They told me that Ford uses smaller ball joints on the E-450, than on the E-350.
Is this true? Has anyone confirmed this?
Sam Ryan wrote:I hope my ball joints aren't already shot!
Which engine weighs more, the diesel or the V10? Everything else being equal, it would make sense that the ball joints would wear out earlier on the vehicle running the heavier engine.

Bill
Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA
User avatar
BornFree_n_Now
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:28 pm

Re: Thanks!

Post by BornFree_n_Now »

Sam:

When you report back could you identify the source and size of the zerk fittings you installed?
Larry & Sharon
2002 26' RSB
Suzuki X90 4x4 Toad
bill crommett

Post by bill crommett »

Hi, Y'all : This morning (it is now 9:27 EDT) I took my 2004 Built For Two to my favorite mechanic to have Zerks installed in the ball joints. He said he didn't have to jack up the front end or remove the wheels, and he replaced the four plugs with four Zerks ---- total charge of $37.50. $5:00 for the zerks and $32.50 for labor. He also stated that he only gave two squirts of the greese gun to each ball joint because he didn't want to rupture the seals.
I asked him how to keep the fast food guys in the pit at the 10 minute oil change places from pumping the seals out of place. His advise : "tell them to leave those zerks alone and bring the BFT to me every 8 -10,000 miles and let me grease them "

I appreciate all the good advise and involvement you people have shared, and I think that sharing this with you will help someone save a buck or $1000.00 or even worse--- a breakdown out on the road in foreign territory amongst the scalping dealer organizations.

Bill
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Mike Jean Bandfield
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm

Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

I envy you Bill. You have found the rarest of individuals - a competent and honest mechanic :!:

This is exactly what I do on my own vehicles. On its first 500 mile oil change, a "mechanic" blew out every single boot in my new '93 Chevy truck. Since then I always leave instructions to not touch the grease gun. Now, when I do my own oil changes I'll squeeze the boots and if I feel softness and room I'll add a little grease to plump them up without adding pressure. As it works out, they get a shot or two about every 12,000 miles of city driving or every 2 years - maybe a little more as the vehicles age.

I do almost all of my own maintenance on all our vehicles. Not because I like to so much as a way of preserving my sanity and money. I continue to have very bad luck with mechanics. I always end up with more trouble than I started with and in a big argument. :x So I'm always sorry I took it in yet I'm still lured by false thinking like, "Its under warranty so you don't have to worry about it." You wouldn't believe the crap we live with now because of the warranty work that was done on our Buick when it was new. Letting someone touch my vehicles usually means it will have to go back 3 more times to fix all the elbow affects that are somehow now my fault. If we're ever sitting around a campfire don't bring up the subject unless you've got all night. :oops: :roll:

Mike
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
bill crommett

Post by bill crommett »

Mike: That reminds me of the salesman neighbor of mine in Michigan who after he terminated his affiliation with a Cadillac dealer told me that when anyone brought in a new, under warrenty car, if there waas not a real safety issue they would send it to the washrack and tell the customer to come pick it up. Only after the third complaint of the same nature would they bother looking into the problem.
On the other hand, when I was in Michigan for a visit the windshield wiper motor on my Winnebago went out. The service manager at the Ford dealership himself tried to find a wiper motor in stock. When he couldn't find a fit he helped me take the old wiper off and showed me how to install the new one that Winnebago was sending by overnight UPS to my next stop up the road.
Go figure ! "Some are and some ain't"
Bill
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