that was one of the best videos that i've seen about this subject! but first i must say i'm sry to hear that he passed away. seemed to me like he was a good man. again, sry for your loss.
Thank you for your video. Mechanic wanted over 800 bucks to repair upper and lower ball joints, but I had already replaced the upper ball joints a year ago so nothing was wrong with upper ball joints so looks like he just wanted to mess me over. So turns out all I needed was lower ball joints. Less than a 100 buck job. Thank you sir.
I had planned to only replace the upper joint tomorrow, but after watching you do both I went and got the lower joints to do also. I was trying to avoid taking the hub and rotors apart, but when I saw how you took the whole assembly out in one piece it made my decision much easier. Thanks for the tips
Thanks brother. Just replaced my UCA and balljoint on MY 2003 F150 today. Pep Boys wanted more than $900 to do the work. $160 in parts, about 4 hours of my time, and a tool rental...and it's done. Much appreciated.
I am glad my video helped you out. Wow $900 is crazy, I would think it would be like $30-$60 an hour labor rate for most jobs depending on which shop you go to. Not to mention that job can be done much quicker using a lift and air tools. Did that price include a lifetime alignment or something I am missing, because that price seems crazy to me. Well glad you were able to get it done. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
@@figibloom They are relentless anything that you need like our government they bend you over! The example I just need a boot its the same price as a hold joint????
I replaced the Ball Joints, Upper Control Arms, Tie Rods, and Shock Absorbers on my 1999 F150, just by your videos. Thank you so much man! Saved me a lot of money and aggravation!
thanks for the video. great explanation and tips. i will be doing this job on a '97 f150 in one or two weeks. downside is up in MN it is going to be about 25 degrees outside, inside a garage work will be done over a few days.upside is, two shops wanted $1250- $1450 for the same work. parts will cost me about $200. some of the savings will go toward beer and whiskey for after work.
just a note to thank you for this video... I am towing 150 into shop.. It has aftermarket upper...(replaceable bearing) now I can understand repair explanation by mechanic.
Thank you for this great video..I have to replace the lower ball joint on my 2002 and so many videos are making it so much more complicated..in fact thanks to your video I'm considering changing the upper control arm too..eventhough it's ok right now
Thanks AJ. I like your video because it is about the only 2002/2003 f150 video that does not have 4 wheel drive. some videos go way over board with everything they take apart for a fairly simple job. I watched your video before replacing my upper control arm on my 2002. Hit it with the hammer though..wasn't planning on reusing it anyway. The new upper control arm came with the new bushings and ball joint already pressed in, so easy in and easy out!
Even though you were very unorthodox and not very professional you still get the job done and did a good job I was surprised ,, with somebody with black tape on their breaker bar I was very impressed good job man you answered a couple of questions I was pondering and now I know that you do not need a spring compressor thank you your video was very good good job
I changed both upper control arms and both lower ball joints on a 97 f150 extended cab rear wheel drive truck I followed your video to the letter and I don't want to say it was easy but it wasn't as hard as thought it would be thanks for your help.
Thanks for the video. Gonna give it a shot. They wanted 1000 at the shop to do this... Figure I can save myself some money... and get new tools which is always fun.
14:25 😂😂😂 but great video man! Doing my first ball joint change on my 03 f150 supercrew. I’m a bit nervous but you gave me confidence in doing this! Highly appreciated!
I have the 2004 ford f 150 Heritage. I am going to do this repair in a parking lot,so I need to get all the right parts the first time. I believe your truck is the same, as mine. Thanks! from TULSA OK
Oh man I have done a few jobs in a parking lot and that is never a fun thing to do. Well good luck to you I hope your job goes smoothly. Also, I hope you get all the right parts you need. Well thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. You are welcome. From Independence MO
I can see why you have over 19,000 followers. Thanks for making a video that actually is intelligent & exactly what I was looking for. Well, almost anyhow. I think it would be foolish not to subscrbe just to see what else you are teaching. Thanks again.
Had a front end noise, took it to the shop and was told all four of my ball joints were loose! So after three hours of work to replace them I got a bill for 590 dollars. 160 for parts and 402 for labor! Sick!!!! The front end noise still exists and I am going to a different shop tomorrow!
Glenn H i would go back to the place and question their labor charge. Assuming their labor rate is in the standard range of $80-$90, the labor should have been no more than $300. These mechanics are a trip..
I answered hippo potamus' question on how to determine when to replace these parts, but had a longer reply (needed some editing and research first) and decided others might benefit from my hard-earned and somewhat painful experience (torquing nuts to 114 ft.-lbs. while both arms are extended out over a tire at my age hurts!): A word of caution about buying Moog's upper control arm: the website shows a grease fitting on their specific parts page for the RK series. But the distributor's photo showed NO grease fitting. I called them and their tech line guy said that unfortunately the manufacturer they're buying them from doesn't include a grease fitting now, so (maybe someday) they'll update the photo on their web page. Specs ALSO say that the ball joint is "press in" which implies it's replaceable. When I got the parts (both sides), and this is the deal-breaker as far as I'm concerned with Moog, it appears that neither one of them had a "replaceable" ball joint. The top is a machined surface, and the top of the cup is just below that surface of the control arm. Had the tech at Moog suggested the CK series of the same control arms, I would've opted for the extra $12/arm and at least had a greaseable joint, with the possibility that I could find a way to press the ball joint out and find either a Moog or some other manufacturer's press-in joint. Unless there's some magical way to get that ball joint out that they don't mention on their website, and they have a replacement available, I'm NOT going to buy their upper control arm again. The whole point of buying Moog was, besides their slightly better than Chinese engineering/design, to be able to #1. occasionally GREASE the ball joints, and #2. REPLACE the ball joints if they wear out. I'm OK with their lower ball joint and the tie rod end, but will buy a different manufacturer's upper control arm with an advertised, specifically REPLACEABLE ball joint if I ever have to do this again. The only reason I didn't send it back is because this one will probably last another 15 - 20 years like the factory part did. And we'll probably have sold or junked the truck by then. One thing the video showed was him not marking the position of the camber adjustment plates. Yes, he said that he was going to take it to a shop for alignment, but the Factory Service Manual (FSM) says to mark the position of both the adjusting plates (the little round disc on either side of the control arm brackets) BEFORE you loosen or remove them. That way you can get an approximate starting point to set them when replacing the control arm. IF YOU FORGET to mark them, they leave wear marks where they were set. That is probably good enough to get you back in reasonably good camber position to go to the alignment shop. Unless you're going to spring for a $300 - $500 at home tool because you just love doing this kind of thing every few months. I suppose adding up a few $70+ alignments done wrong (because some people just don't have the proper training) can make a Quick Trick tool sound cheap. The FSM says that the adjusters should be moved back into those positions AND the bolt/nut should be torqued to spec (which Moog leaves out of their instructions, but for a '97 is 84-112 ft-lbs) WHILE THE TRUCK IS SITTING ON THE WHEELS AT CURB WEIGHT. That implies leaving the upper control arm bolts just tight enough to allow the arm to move up and down freely, putting the wheel back on, letting it down off the stand, and THEN tightening to spec WHILE keeping an eye on the position of the adjuster discs. It also says to TIGHTEN THE FRONT BOLT FIRST. If you don't have the factory camber adjusters (some trucks do, others don't), ChrisFix has a good video about installing the aftermarket double-ended cam adjusters at ua-cam.com/video/OsizWChLOQw/v-deo.html - these have the square holes which allow one to use a ratchet wrench or breaker bar to hold the cam position while torquing the nut. My specs are for a 1997 XLT 4.6L REAR wheel drive. It might be different for another year, a different cab and (most likely) different for a 4WD, so find a FSM, Chilton's, Haynes or specs online but MAKE SURE it's for your truck, as sometimes torquing to the wrong specs can be disastrous (or deadly). One more thing: if you're replacing the tie rod end, make sure you measure from the center (or grease fitting, if there's one) of the tie rod end to a point on the adjusting tube, so you can use that as a reference point when installing the new one. Within a half-turn is probably OK, but the closer you get to the actual length of the last alignment point, the better. The Moog part was slightly longer than the original, so counting turns was useless. The threads seemed to allow it to start at a half-turn either way, so I started it in the upside-down position and came to within 1/32" of the original adjustment length. If your wheels, when back on the truck, look a bit more than just barely toe-in, then the last alignment was probably done wrong - like I found out on mine. The parts must have needed replacing back then, because when I got the tie rod back on, I noticed the wheel was very much toe-in, instead of spec (which is 0.03 degree, yes, that's three HUNDREDTHS of a degree, unless the FSM is wrong, for EACH wheel, so 0.06 degree, total). When I got everything bolted up and torqued, the steering wheel was no longer in the "straight" position, so I'm thinking somewhere along the way, the previous owner had an alignment done and the shop did it incorrectly. ALSO - when you're taking the tie rod end off, make when you are backing the jamb nut off to turn it the correct way (LOOK at the threads) and use plenty of Liquid Wrench or WD40 to get that little sucker off. I forgot and was inadvertently trying to tighten it for a few minutes before I remembered it's LEFT-HAND threads, at least on the driver's side. 57 ft-lbs isn't much, but it is when you're going the wrong way. Also, the correct way to torque that jamb nut back up to spec is to use a "crowfoot flare nut wrench", six point and not 12 point, preferably with a 1/2" drive (though you could probably get away with a 3/8" drive if you could find one that big). The only place I could find one, so far, is Snap-On - and it's not metric - or cheap, at $30 or more from eBay or anywhere else. They didn't have one that big in metric (27mm), so you have to get a 1-1/16" crowfoot flare nut wrench. They had several listed in their new catalog, but none in 6-point. An open end crow foot would work, as long as the jaws are not spread so much that it slips off the nut. Make sure to use the torque extension formula to get the correct torque (look it up online). If all you have is a regular open end or an adjustable wrench, then just tighten the jamb nut up as much as you can while holding the adjuster tube with a crescent wrench across the flats in the tube (or a pipe wrench if you dont mind a gouged surface). If you're going to an alignment shop, they'll probably have the right tool to torque it to spec, but you should put as much as you can on it to keep it from vibrating loose until that happens. Finally, Rock Auto seems to have the widest selection of all the online auto parts places, and certainly more info than the usual 4 or 5 local parts stores. You just have to do your own homework and make sure you have the correct parts. They have more than one warehouse, so sometimes you can also get all the parts from one place and have them all arrive together if you're short on time. The trick is to look at ALL of the listings. They had the Moog CK series listed, but I hadn't scrolled down far enough to see it. An extra $24 for the pair would've been affordable for the ability to grease the upper ball joint.
Awesome Video!! Could you post torque specs for the Bolts please. Also which brand aftermarket Upper control arms have a serviceable ball joint. Thanks. Doing my 2003 F-150 in the next couple weeks
One thing to add is to make sure you replace the bolt and camber on the upper ball joint arms. The plate is there from the factory, so when you take it in for an alignment, they will charge you to remove that squareish plate.
Im replacing my knuckles on my 2000 ford f150, Im using a pickle fork to separate the ball joints. I got the tie rod off but when I went to get the lower control arm ball joint off, I don't hear the pop. I have to get a breaker bar to take the nut off for the upper control arm ball joint. Do I need to do the upper control arm ball joint first before I do the lower control arm ball joint?
Thank you for the very informative and helpful video. In particular, thank you for persisting and re-doing much of the content because your video crew(you) let you down, lol.
Great 👍 video man.... But holly crap 💩. I feel bad for y’all that live on the east Coast.... so much rust on your cars and trucks..... All that rust would drive me nuts....
I usually just try to get the wire out of the way, but I have disconnected the wire from the harness sometimes, and in other videos I have removed the sensor completely. I guess it just depends on how much it is in my way. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Did you purchase or rent to ball joint removal kit? If you purchased it, how much? Also, did you need to do an alignment after installing the new joints?
I bought a ball joint kit off ebay and another kit that had additional adapters so I bought two kits I think they were around 35 dollars for each kit. I would suggest at least getting your alignment checked, usually does not cost anything, and if you need an alignment I would suggest getting a coupon or waiting for a special on lifetime alignment. (you can find 99-150 dollars for lifetime alignment). Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
How did you determine when it was time to replace them apart from visually seeing it all messed up? Did you have steering and alignment problems as a first indicator? Thanks, great video mate. -Cheers
You hear a nice "clunk!" sound when going from D to R that is NOT the same sound the U-joints make when doing the same. But get underneath the truck and make sure it's not the U-joints, first. Just grab the driveshaft and twist it back and forth by hand. IF you can make the driveshaft turn at all, there's probably a U-joint going bad (unless you have some differential or tranny output issues), and if the U-joints are bad enough you'll see or hear the joint(s) clunking a bit. I took ours down to a garage and had them put it on a lift, since there wasn't enough room to get under it. The driveshaft was nice and tight, so U-joints were OK. But the *clunk* was still there. They though it might be the flexplate (have to back out the tranny to replace it), but I was also experiencing bad tire wear, and some pulling to the left and right during braking. So . . . pulled the wheel off and checked things out. The tie rod end could be moved easier than I was comfortable with, so decided to replace at least that, as well as all the joint boots, because they were all worn or missing. Pulled the steering knuckle and when I got the upper control arm ball joint off the knuckle, I found it the ball joint was just flopping around in its socket. I have it back together now, with all new Moog parts. There's a world of difference in how tight the ball joints are.
Sure thing. I had more to say, but had to get back out under the truck (doing both sides), so figured I'd comment to everyone, just to share my experience with this. So, see above (or below - wherever YT puts it in the list).
You can replace the upper ball joint the problem is you have to take off the whole assembly then the upper arm you can press it out press it in use the same bar because the control arm is not damaged but they sell it as a whole unit ball joint will cost you $25 a peace but they want to make an additional$50 if you have to take the control arm off yourself anyway might as well press out the ball joint impress a new one in much easier do you have removed it like peas and then you slap it right back in and use that upper arm control which is not damaged
Hey, thank you so much for the video and great instructions, about to attempt this on an 2001 f150 XL Triton 4.6L 4wd. It looked pretty similar but i haven't gotten it all disassembled yet cause once i do, I'm fully committed and without a work horse until completion lol. My questions would be, have you done that year as well, and how similar it is, as well as if the top control arms need to be replaced as well. I greatly appreciate any advice or reply in general. Thank you so much for the video again, you're awesome!
I was looking on the auto stores that sell the MOOG, and I seen were it said that some of these MO0G balljoint products will not fit OE. Or is that pertaining to one particular size?
For me anytime I look up parts I just make sure to enter in all of the correct vehicle information (year, make, model, engine info, sometimes 4x4 or 2 wheel drive) and it should list the parts that fit your vehicle. Even then you might get a part that does not fit right, that is the trouble with buying aftermarket parts. I think you have less trouble ordering oem parts from the dealer, but they usually cost much much more, but they fit right. Dont get me wrong, I have used plenty of aftermarket parts, and I have never had a problem with what I ordered, but I made sure I typed in the correct vehicle info. Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Typically most people replace the upper control arm with the ball joints already installed. Otherwise you need to press them out and in if you want to do just the ball joints themselves.
Man that neighborhood is loud and, that would get exhausting very fast. So many dogs and kids screaming, bottles breaking in the background, go karts..
It just depends on what type of suspension the vehicle you are working on has, some have coil springs and some have torsion bars. Well thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
I see that you have a coil spring. I also have a 2003 F150 (7700) but mine has torsion bars. I thought all F150s from 1997 - 2003 had the same front suspension?
If you remove the jack, the coil spring will put spring tension on the lower control arm. Using the jack helps move the control arm up and down in order to assist in removing and installing the heavy knuckle and rotor assembly into the upper and lower ball joints, at least that is why I use a jack. Also, I use the jack to get the control arm higher or lower depending on how much room there is, because sometimes you have to manipulate it up or down to fit a ball joint press in the right spot. I am not sure what you mean by spring open up. If you are asking if it is possible when everything is separated for the coil spring to pop out of its location and spring out at you, I am going to say I suppose that is possible, because it is under spring tension. However, I have never seen that happen. I have only seen the coil spring push down on the a arm and put it under tension. I do know if you are working on springs or replacing springs they make a special tool called a coil spring compressor, and you use that tool to help get that job done along with removing a few other components to get the coil out. Well I hope that makes sense and answers your question. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching. Have a good day.
The shock absorber is what holds the spring to a maximum length. As long as the shock remains in place it is what keeps the A arms from swinging out past a certain point.
Does anyone know if a 2000 4×4 ranger xlt requires replacing the entire upper control arms? If so then why the hell did rock auto send me loose upper ball joints?
I have not changed them yet. Honestly, I have been putting it off for the reason you speak of. Yes they are notorious for snapping off in the head and the job turning into a big pain in the ass. I suggest if you do this job, have a Lisle 65600 broken spark plug remover tool on hand, cause you will probably need it (this tool is specially made for Ford Triton 3 valve engines) Also a tool that I think helps with removing the spark plugs is using the ford f150 9/16 spark plug socket. I think Otc and Gear Wrench make one, and a few other brands. Also here is the Technical Service Bulletin for removing plugs, what a nightmare. www.aa1car.com/library/ford_tsb_08-7-6.pdf Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Yes you are correct, 3 valves break, and 2 valves strip. I did mention that the Lisle tool is for the 3 valve engines, but I did not discuss the other earlier 2 valve problems and I just grouped them together, which you are correct I should not have done. Anyway Ford has a few TSB's on the f150 2 Valve stripping out the spark plugs threads in the head. Which this particular problem does get fixed a different way with threaded inserts. Which is also a pain in the butt. Just expect possible bad things to happen when working on certain Ford f150 Spark Plugs. Well thanks for the tip and thanks for the comment. I appreciate it. Have a good day.
that was one of the best videos that i've seen about this subject! but first i must say i'm sry to hear that he passed away. seemed to me like he was a good man. again, sry for your loss.
I appreciate your condolences. He was a good man. A great one. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your video. Mechanic wanted over 800 bucks to repair upper and lower ball joints, but I had already replaced the upper ball joints a year ago so nothing was wrong with upper ball joints so looks like he just wanted to mess me over. So turns out all I needed was lower ball joints. Less than a 100 buck job. Thank you sir.
Thanks for watching!!
I had planned to only replace the upper joint tomorrow, but after watching you do both I went and got the lower joints to do also. I was trying to avoid taking the hub and rotors apart, but when I saw how you took the whole assembly out in one piece it made my decision much easier. Thanks for the tips
I am glad my video helped you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
This was the best DIY video I've ever seen, it literally covered EVERY DETAIL!!
Thank you so much for watching!!
I agree
Thanks brother. Just replaced my UCA and balljoint on MY 2003 F150 today. Pep Boys wanted more than $900 to do the work. $160 in parts, about 4 hours of my time, and a tool rental...and it's done. Much appreciated.
Mark Carter pep boys told me the same exact price bahaha pep boys are a scam
I am glad my video helped you out. Wow $900 is crazy, I would think it would be like $30-$60 an hour labor rate for most jobs depending on which shop you go to. Not to mention that job can be done much quicker using a lift and air tools. Did that price include a lifetime alignment or something I am missing, because that price seems crazy to me. Well glad you were able to get it done. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
$30-60 dollar labor rate?! Have you been to a repair shop lately? The base labor rate for *most* places starts at $80!
Good for you Mark well, well done now you can drive by PB with a coke and a damn good smile congrats!!!!!
@@figibloom They are relentless anything that you need like our government they bend you over! The example I just need a boot its the same price as a hold joint????
Hey AJ. I watched your video and did the replacement. Thanks a million. You saved me 800 dollars. Great video. Thanks again.
I am glad my video helped you out and saved you money. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
I replaced the Ball Joints, Upper Control Arms, Tie Rods, and Shock Absorbers on my 1999 F150, just by your videos.
Thank you so much man! Saved me a lot of money and aggravation!
Thank you for watching!!
Best one armed mechanic I've seen. Great video coverage, despite the dog fights and gun shots. Helped me tremendously
thanks for the video. great explanation and tips. i will be doing this job on a '97 f150 in one or two weeks. downside is up in MN it is going to be about 25 degrees outside, inside a garage work will be done over a few days.upside is, two shops wanted $1250- $1450 for the same work. parts will cost me about $200. some of the savings will go toward beer and whiskey for after work.
Glad the video helped! Thanks for watching!!
1250-1450 for an upper control arm???
@@roberth912 most of the cost is labor plus parts. upper control arm and ball joint and lower ball joint.
@@douglasjones3405 shit man I picked up 2 front shocks and an upper control arm with ball joint for 135 bucks
Mick from Australia here don't have a F150 truck but this video will help me heaps with mine. great video! thankyou
Thank you for watching!!
just a note to thank you for this video... I am towing 150 into shop.. It has aftermarket upper...(replaceable bearing) now I can understand repair explanation by mechanic.
Awesome. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this great video..I have to replace the lower ball joint on my 2002 and so many videos are making it so much more complicated..in fact thanks to your video I'm considering changing the upper control arm too..eventhough it's ok right now
After watching several vids in how to do this, I’m ready to tackle this job. As you mentioned, there’s many techniques on “how to”. Thanks a bunch.
Thanks AJ. I like your video because it is about the only 2002/2003 f150 video that does not have 4 wheel drive. some videos go way over board with everything they take apart for a fairly simple job. I watched your video before replacing my upper control arm on my 2002. Hit it with the hammer though..wasn't planning on reusing it anyway. The new upper control arm came with the new bushings and ball joint already pressed in, so easy in and easy out!
Awesome video, I sure appreciate you taking the time to document and instruct while you work.
Hey thanks for the nice comment, I appreciate it, and thanks for watching. Have a good day.
Even though you were very unorthodox and not very professional you still get the job done and did a good job I was surprised ,, with somebody with black tape on their breaker bar I was very impressed good job man you answered a couple of questions I was pondering and now I know that you do not need a spring compressor thank you your video was very good good job
I have that exact same ball joint press kit and this video is making life easier for me thank you.
People like you are life savers. Thank you for uploading.
Thank you for watching!!
What a great video! Thank you AJ! Your helping thousands of people. You explained everything very well. So sorry for your loss. ❤️
What happened ...?
Thank you for watching and appreciating his videos!
@@dirklentfer383 my husband, who made these videos passed away four years ago.
Thanks for the video. I plan on doing this very job in the upcoming weeks for a newly purchased 97 2wd f150
You are welcome and good luck to you on replacing your ball joints. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
I REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER ON MY F-150 TRULY IT'S A JOB.. GREAT VIDEO.
I changed both upper control arms and both lower ball joints on a 97 f150 extended cab rear wheel drive truck I followed your video to the letter and I don't want to say it was easy but it wasn't as hard as thought it would be thanks for your help.
Glad the video helped. Thanks for watching!
Just finished replacing mine on my 99 F150. Thanks for the help, it made everything pretty easy.
Thanks for watching!!
Thank you, AJ. Damn nice of you to make this video and help people out.
Thanks so much and for watching.
I am doing this same repair this weekend. This should help me out tremendously!!!
thanks bro!!! I just did my 2004 ford expedition!!! one love!!
Hey you are welcome, I am glad my video helped you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Thanks for the video. Gonna give it a shot. They wanted 1000 at the shop to do this... Figure I can save myself some money... and get new tools which is always fun.
Hope the video helped. Thanks for watching!
my shop said 350 parts and labor
14:25 😂😂😂 but great video man! Doing my first ball joint change on my 03 f150 supercrew. I’m a bit nervous but you gave me confidence in doing this! Highly appreciated!
Hope it helped. Thanks for watching!
I have the 2004 ford f 150 Heritage. I am going to do this repair in a parking lot,so I need to get all the right parts the first time. I believe your truck is the same, as mine. Thanks! from TULSA OK
Oh man I have done a few jobs in a parking lot and that is never a fun thing to do. Well good luck to you I hope your job goes smoothly. Also, I hope you get all the right parts you need. Well thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. You are welcome. From Independence MO
Thank you, you are a good teacher. God Bless you keep up the good work.
Thanks for watching.
So helpful. What a great legacy - to help and serve others. God bless.
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much for this video, used this as a guide to do mine, all went well! Thanks again!
You are welcome. I am glad my video helped you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Hey Dean, I'm going to have to be doing this on my truck. I'm showing this to you because you're going to be doing it soon
Thanks bro. About to do mine this weekend. Very informative video.
Thanks for watching.
Thanks alot im doin the same amount of work on my truck ur video is very helpful thank u
I can see why you have over 19,000 followers. Thanks for making a video that actually is intelligent & exactly what I was looking for. Well, almost anyhow. I think it would be foolish not to subscrbe just to see what else you are teaching. Thanks again.
This is what it's REALLY like! Kudos man, good job!
Thank you for watching!!!
About to do mine today on my 01 Ford Expedition using your video 👍
i plan on doing the same with my expedition same year. did this video help??
@@mannyjohnson23 yes but I recommend getting an alignment afterwords
Good job, explained very well. Hope the best for you!
Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Wish you would do a pinion seal replacment. I can understand the way you explain stuff the best :)
A lot of impact socket sets do not include 18mm. This is a handy vid.
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for the education!!! Great job.
Thanks for watching!!
Was worth watching. Learned a lot. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Had a front end noise, took it to the shop and was told all four of my ball joints were loose! So after three hours of work to replace them I got a bill for 590 dollars. 160 for parts and 402 for labor! Sick!!!! The front end noise still exists and I am going to a different shop tomorrow!
Sick indeed !!
Glenn H i would go back to the place and question their labor charge. Assuming their labor rate is in the standard range of $80-$90, the labor should have been no more than $300. These mechanics are a trip..
Very informative video, thanks a bunch.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful,,,,,,, Really appreciate it !!!!!!!
You are welcome I am glad my video helped you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the nice comment. Have a good day.
I answered hippo potamus' question on how to determine when to replace these parts, but had a longer reply (needed some editing and research first) and decided others might benefit from my hard-earned and somewhat painful experience (torquing nuts to 114 ft.-lbs. while both arms are extended out over a tire at my age hurts!):
A word of caution about buying Moog's upper control arm: the website shows a grease fitting on their specific parts page for the RK series. But the distributor's photo showed NO grease fitting. I called them and their tech line guy said that unfortunately the manufacturer they're buying them from doesn't include a grease fitting now, so (maybe someday) they'll update the photo on their web page. Specs ALSO say that the ball joint is "press in" which implies it's replaceable. When I got the parts (both sides), and this is the deal-breaker as far as I'm concerned with Moog, it appears that neither one of them had a "replaceable" ball joint. The top is a machined surface, and the top of the cup is just below that surface of the control arm. Had the tech at Moog suggested the CK series of the same control arms, I would've opted for the extra $12/arm and at least had a greaseable joint, with the possibility that I could find a way to press the ball joint out and find either a Moog or some other manufacturer's press-in joint. Unless there's some magical way to get that ball joint out that they don't mention on their website, and they have a replacement available, I'm NOT going to buy their upper control arm again.
The whole point of buying Moog was, besides their slightly better than Chinese engineering/design, to be able to #1. occasionally GREASE the ball joints, and #2. REPLACE the ball joints if they wear out. I'm OK with their lower ball joint and the tie rod end, but will buy a different manufacturer's upper control arm with an advertised, specifically REPLACEABLE ball joint if I ever have to do this again. The only reason I didn't send it back is because this one will probably last another 15 - 20 years like the factory part did. And we'll probably have sold or junked the truck by then.
One thing the video showed was him not marking the position of the camber adjustment plates. Yes, he said that he was going to take it to a shop for alignment, but the Factory Service Manual (FSM) says to mark the position of both the adjusting plates (the little round disc on either side of the control arm brackets) BEFORE you loosen or remove them. That way you can get an approximate starting point to set them when replacing the control arm. IF YOU FORGET to mark them, they leave wear marks where they were set. That is probably good enough to get you back in reasonably good camber position to go to the alignment shop. Unless you're going to spring for a $300 - $500 at home tool because you just love doing this kind of thing every few months. I suppose adding up a few $70+ alignments done wrong (because some people just don't have the proper training) can make a Quick Trick tool sound cheap.
The FSM says that the adjusters should be moved back into those positions AND the bolt/nut should be torqued to spec (which Moog leaves out of their instructions, but for a '97 is 84-112 ft-lbs) WHILE THE TRUCK IS SITTING ON THE WHEELS AT CURB WEIGHT. That implies leaving the upper control arm bolts just tight enough to allow the arm to move up and down freely, putting the wheel back on, letting it down off the stand, and THEN tightening to spec WHILE keeping an eye on the position of the adjuster discs. It also says to TIGHTEN THE FRONT BOLT FIRST. If you don't have the factory camber adjusters (some trucks do, others don't), ChrisFix has a good video about installing the aftermarket double-ended cam adjusters at ua-cam.com/video/OsizWChLOQw/v-deo.html - these have the square holes which allow one to use a ratchet wrench or breaker bar to hold the cam position while torquing the nut.
My specs are for a 1997 XLT 4.6L REAR wheel drive. It might be different for another year, a different cab and (most likely) different for a 4WD, so find a FSM, Chilton's, Haynes or specs online but MAKE SURE it's for your truck, as sometimes torquing to the wrong specs can be disastrous (or deadly).
One more thing: if you're replacing the tie rod end, make sure you measure from the center (or grease fitting, if there's one) of the tie rod end to a point on the adjusting tube, so you can use that as a reference point when installing the new one. Within a half-turn is probably OK, but the closer you get to the actual length of the last alignment point, the better. The Moog part was slightly longer than the original, so counting turns was useless. The threads seemed to allow it to start at a half-turn either way, so I started it in the upside-down position and came to within 1/32" of the original adjustment length. If your wheels, when back on the truck, look a bit more than just barely toe-in, then the last alignment was probably done wrong - like I found out on mine. The parts must have needed replacing back then, because when I got the tie rod back on, I noticed the wheel was very much toe-in, instead of spec (which is 0.03 degree, yes, that's three HUNDREDTHS of a degree, unless the FSM is wrong, for EACH wheel, so 0.06 degree, total). When I got everything bolted up and torqued, the steering wheel was no longer in the "straight" position, so I'm thinking somewhere along the way, the previous owner had an alignment done and the shop did it incorrectly.
ALSO - when you're taking the tie rod end off, make when you are backing the jamb nut off to turn it the correct way (LOOK at the threads) and use plenty of Liquid Wrench or WD40 to get that little sucker off. I forgot and was inadvertently trying to tighten it for a few minutes before I remembered it's LEFT-HAND threads, at least on the driver's side. 57 ft-lbs isn't much, but it is when you're going the wrong way. Also, the correct way to torque that jamb nut back up to spec is to use a "crowfoot flare nut wrench", six point and not 12 point, preferably with a 1/2" drive (though you could probably get away with a 3/8" drive if you could find one that big). The only place I could find one, so far, is Snap-On - and it's not metric - or cheap, at $30 or more from eBay or anywhere else. They didn't have one that big in metric (27mm), so you have to get a 1-1/16" crowfoot flare nut wrench. They had several listed in their new catalog, but none in 6-point. An open end crow foot would work, as long as the jaws are not spread so much that it slips off the nut. Make sure to use the torque extension formula to get the correct torque (look it up online). If all you have is a regular open end or an adjustable wrench, then just tighten the jamb nut up as much as you can while holding the adjuster tube with a crescent wrench across the flats in the tube (or a pipe wrench if you dont mind a gouged surface). If you're going to an alignment shop, they'll probably have the right tool to torque it to spec, but you should put as much as you can on it to keep it from vibrating loose until that happens.
Finally, Rock Auto seems to have the widest selection of all the online auto parts places, and certainly more info than the usual 4 or 5 local parts stores. You just have to do your own homework and make sure you have the correct parts. They have more than one warehouse, so sometimes you can also get all the parts from one place and have them all arrive together if you're short on time. The trick is to look at ALL of the listings. They had the Moog CK series listed, but I hadn't scrolled down far enough to see it. An extra $24 for the pair would've been affordable for the ability to grease the upper ball joint.
Thanks for the info.
Great video, its nice the rear wheel drive the front end is easty
Thanks for watching!
This video helped me a lot thank you
You are welcome. I am glad my video helped you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Thanks for the vid perfect instruction step by step
Thanks for watching!!
Thank you! Very helpful and informative! 👍
Awesome Video!! Could you post torque specs for the Bolts please. Also which brand aftermarket Upper control arms have a serviceable ball joint. Thanks. Doing my 2003 F-150 in the next couple weeks
One thing to add is to make sure you replace the bolt and camber on the upper ball joint arms. The plate is there from the factory, so when you take it in for an alignment, they will charge you to remove that squareish plate.
thank you for the very informative video. Saved me a ton of time.
Thanks for watching!!
great video, I learned a lot!
Thanks for watching!!
Good job AJ.
Great info ....will be doing my 2003 F150 soon ... :-)
Thanks for making the video getting ready to do my upper and lower this weekend coming up this is really going to help!
Thanks for watching.
I set out to do lower ball joints. Ended up doing upper, lower, and tie rod ends. 3 hrs first side, 1.5hr second side.
Hey thanks really good techniques
thanks from Strathmore Alberta Canada
Great video Thank you!
The way you're pronouncing "moog" is correct 👍
Im replacing my knuckles on my 2000 ford f150, Im using a pickle fork to separate the ball joints. I got the tie rod off but when I went to get the lower control arm ball joint off, I don't hear the pop. I have to get a breaker bar to take the nut off for the upper control arm ball joint. Do I need to do the upper control arm ball joint first before I do the lower control arm ball joint?
Great video only I use PB Blaster to free up bolts.
PB Blaster is the secret sauce...smells awful but works every time
good job
thanks buddy it defanlty helped me out
Good job 👍👍👍👍
Thank you for the very informative and helpful video. In particular, thank you for persisting and re-doing much of the content because your video crew(you) let you down, lol.
Thanks for watching!
A small tip when using a ball joint press. Grease the threads, you'll thank me later
Great 👍 video man.... But holly crap 💩. I feel bad for y’all that live on the east Coast.... so much rust on your cars and trucks.....
All that rust would drive me nuts....
Thank you brother
tanks,,, saved time and money///gracias muy buen video 👍👍👍😁😁💯💯
Thanks for watching!
I know this minor!, Is your ABS wire can it be separated at the harness, instead of dealing with sensor at the spindle or wad it your preference?
I usually just try to get the wire out of the way, but I have disconnected the wire from the harness sometimes, and in other videos I have removed the sensor completely. I guess it just depends on how much it is in my way. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Thanks for not killing the dogs.
Lol. Thanks for watching!
One was aftermarket and the other was factory that's why different sizes nuts on upper control arm some must had changed it
Thanks alot bud
You did a good service for alot of people and im one haha cheers
Is that crickets ? Lol
Thanks for watching!
Did you purchase or rent to ball joint removal kit? If you purchased it, how much?
Also, did you need to do an alignment after installing the new joints?
I bought a ball joint kit off ebay and another kit that had additional adapters so I bought two kits I think they were around 35 dollars for each kit. I would suggest at least getting your alignment checked, usually does not cost anything, and if you need an alignment I would suggest getting a coupon or waiting for a special on lifetime alignment. (you can find 99-150 dollars for lifetime alignment). Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
excellent
Thanks for watching!!
You need a bigger hammer and a 1/2 inch ratchet ...and great job proving you did not need ither 2 lol ...great job cheers
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching!!
When you should change control arm I have truck 19 years my ball join when back should I replace ball joint only or control arm we ball joint?
thank you so much! you are awesome! Nice mustache :)
Thanks for watching!
How did you determine when it was time to replace them apart from visually seeing it all messed up? Did you have steering and alignment problems as a first indicator? Thanks, great video mate. -Cheers
Thanks for watching! My husband passed away, and I don't have any answers for you.
You hear a nice "clunk!" sound when going from D to R that is NOT the same sound the U-joints make when doing the same. But get underneath the truck and make sure it's not the U-joints, first. Just grab the driveshaft and twist it back and forth by hand. IF you can make the driveshaft turn at all, there's probably a U-joint going bad (unless you have some differential or tranny output issues), and if the U-joints are bad enough you'll see or hear the joint(s) clunking a bit. I took ours down to a garage and had them put it on a lift, since there wasn't enough room to get under it. The driveshaft was nice and tight, so U-joints were OK. But the *clunk* was still there. They though it might be the flexplate (have to back out the tranny to replace it), but I was also experiencing bad tire wear, and some pulling to the left and right during braking. So . . . pulled the wheel off and checked things out.
The tie rod end could be moved easier than I was comfortable with, so decided to replace at least that, as well as all the joint boots, because they were all worn or missing. Pulled the steering knuckle and when I got the upper control arm ball joint off the knuckle, I found it the ball joint was just flopping around in its socket. I have it back together now, with all new Moog parts. There's a world of difference in how tight the ball joints are.
Thanks mate. I keep seeing good comments on Moog parts will def keep them in mind if I ever replace. All the best. -Cheers
Sure thing. I had more to say, but had to get back out under the truck (doing both sides), so figured I'd comment to everyone, just to share my experience with this. So, see above (or below - wherever YT puts it in the list).
sorry for your loss
You can replace the upper ball joint the problem is you have to take off the whole assembly then the upper arm you can press it out press it in use the same bar because the control arm is not damaged but they sell it as a whole unit ball joint will cost you $25 a peace but they want to make an additional$50 if you have to take the control arm off yourself anyway might as well press out the ball joint impress a new one in much easier do you have removed it like peas and then you slap it right back in and use that upper arm control which is not damaged
Hey, thank you so much for the video and great instructions, about to attempt this on an 2001 f150 XL Triton 4.6L 4wd. It looked pretty similar but i haven't gotten it all disassembled yet cause once i do, I'm fully committed and without a work horse until completion lol. My questions would be, have you done that year as well, and how similar it is, as well as if the top control arms need to be replaced as well. I greatly appreciate any advice or reply in general. Thank you so much for the video again, you're awesome!
Thanks for watching!
I was looking on the auto stores that sell the MOOG, and I seen were it said that some of these MO0G balljoint products will not fit OE. Or is that pertaining to one particular size?
For me anytime I look up parts I just make sure to enter in all of the correct vehicle information (year, make, model, engine info, sometimes 4x4 or 2 wheel drive) and it should list the parts that fit your vehicle. Even then you might get a part that does not fit right, that is the trouble with buying aftermarket parts. I think you have less trouble ordering oem parts from the dealer, but they usually cost much much more, but they fit right. Dont get me wrong, I have used plenty of aftermarket parts, and I have never had a problem with what I ordered, but I made sure I typed in the correct vehicle info. Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
That only pertains to the upper. To change the factory upper ball joint you have to replace the entire upper control arm.
To replace that upper ball joint do you have to get the whole upper control arm or can the ball joint itself be changed?
Daniel Hinkle the whole control arm has to come out but it’s a simple task if you’re just doing the upper
Typically most people replace the upper control arm with the ball joints already installed. Otherwise you need to press them out and in if you want to do just the ball joints themselves.
Man that neighborhood is loud and, that would get exhausting very fast. So many dogs and kids screaming, bottles breaking in the background, go karts..
I'm glad I'm having my mechanic do this for me.
why? to easy for you?
@@nickgg to hard plus I won't remember how to put it back together
Replacing ball joints will help stop the wobble
Helpful but the tool I rented wouldn’t fit with a cup on the bottom. Busted up a ball joint figuring out how to press it without the cup
Good
Thanks for watching!
I thought 97-03 f150s did not have coil springs but torsion bars instead. Am I wrong? My 2000 has torsion bars and no springs up front.
It just depends on what type of suspension the vehicle you are working on has, some have coil springs and some have torsion bars. Well thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
Kyle John 2wd has coil springs 4wd torsion bars
I see that you have a coil spring. I also have a 2003 F150 (7700) but mine has torsion bars. I thought all F150s from 1997 - 2003 had the same front suspension?
so if you lose the Jack that's keeping the pressure on the lower control arm will the spring open up
If you remove the jack, the coil spring will put spring tension on the lower control arm. Using the jack helps move the control arm up and down in order to assist in removing and installing the heavy knuckle and rotor assembly into the upper and lower ball joints, at least that is why I use a jack. Also, I use the jack to get the control arm higher or lower depending on how much room there is, because sometimes you have to manipulate it up or down to fit a ball joint press in the right spot. I am not sure what you mean by spring open up. If you are asking if it is possible when everything is separated for the coil spring to pop out of its location and spring out at you, I am going to say I suppose that is possible, because it is under spring tension. However, I have never seen that happen. I have only seen the coil spring push down on the a arm and put it under tension. I do know if you are working on springs or replacing springs they make a special tool called a coil spring compressor, and you use that tool to help get that job done along with removing a few other components to get the coil out. Well I hope that makes sense and answers your question. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching. Have a good day.
The shock absorber is what holds the spring to a maximum length. As long as the shock remains in place it is what keeps the A arms from swinging out past a certain point.
Does anyone know if a 2000 4×4 ranger xlt requires replacing the entire upper control arms? If so then why the hell did rock auto send me loose upper ball joints?
Google Rapes
Have you changed spark plugs ,,I have heard they break ?
I have not changed them yet. Honestly, I have been putting it off for the reason you speak of. Yes they are notorious for snapping off in the head and the job turning into a big pain in the ass. I suggest if you do this job, have a Lisle 65600 broken spark plug remover tool on hand, cause you will probably need it (this tool is specially made for Ford Triton 3 valve engines) Also a tool that I think helps with removing the spark plugs is using the ford f150 9/16 spark plug socket. I think Otc and Gear Wrench make one, and a few other brands. Also here is the Technical Service Bulletin for removing plugs, what a nightmare. www.aa1car.com/library/ford_tsb_08-7-6.pdf
Well I hope this info helps you out. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. Have a good day.
AJ Pierce -2003 f150 has a 2 valve, plugs don't break off on it that strip the threads out.
Yes you are correct, 3 valves break, and 2 valves strip. I did mention that the Lisle tool is for the 3 valve engines, but I did not discuss the other earlier 2 valve problems and I just grouped them together, which you are correct I should not have done. Anyway Ford has a few TSB's on the f150 2 Valve stripping out the spark plugs threads in the head. Which this particular problem does get fixed a different way with threaded inserts. Which is also a pain in the butt. Just expect possible bad things to happen when working on certain Ford f150 Spark Plugs. Well thanks for the tip and thanks for the comment. I appreciate it. Have a good day.
😂 that lower ball joint was like a baby rattle.the sound effects were a pisser!
How do you know when your ball joints are bad?
Milton ACN when front-end shakes
like hell and tires are wearing abnormally !
I bet that dude taste his soup three days after he eats it with that mustache
It's possible. 🤷♀️ Thanks for watching!