Bad news at the shop - Suspension Tech - Tech Section

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VelociRanger
Iâ€™ll probably do it tomorrow

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Yesterday I went to finally get an alignment after both of my front tires needed to be rotated due to the inside of the tire wearing so bad, and when I did the mechanic had it up on the lift and while doing a suspension check, he called me in and told/showed me that the upper and lower ball joint was bad (had some play in both) and that the inner and outer tie rods were bad (had some play in both as well) and then told me that it's dangerous to drive like that, and that an alignment won't help anything. Well, I listened to him and told him that I would still like the alignment, in the hopes that it might take some stress off of the worn parts. I have the parts in cart on rock auto, and got all mevotech supreme stuff, and I have a spare rack and pinion new in the box. My first question is, can I still drive it like it is until the 1st when I get paid, and then a few days after until the parts get here? And the second question is, do I need any special tools to do the rack and pinion replacement? There's no how tos online that I've found. I don't have a lift, just a couple jack stands and some good quality basic mechanics tool set thanks to my girlfriend who didn't mind feeding my addiction lol.

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Posted: Sun Mar 29th, 2020 12:34 am

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Tsquare
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Do you feel lucky?

I put off doing my ball joints for over a year. On about a third of the Rangers I hear the tale-tale squeak that worn ball joints make. You will probably be OK but I would tread lightly and keep miles to a minimum.

I did mine in the driveway. I had the front end on jack-stands and used a floor jack to help get everything back together. I replaced both upper and lower A arms as I had a big dent in one. Be sure to get new shocks and camber adjusters. I also went the extra mile and did new rotors and brakes. You will need to get the front end re-aligned once everything has been swapped out.

Last edited on Sun Mar 29th, 2020 12:41 am by Tsquare

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Posted: Sun Mar 29th, 2020 07:34 am

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Mike69

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When I did the UCA & lower ball joints on my 00 Ranger & on my wife's 99 Explorer Sport I did them in my driveway with a good floor jack & a couple jack stands. As Tsquare said make sure you get the adjustable camber adjusters I put them in both of our trucks & it made having the alignment done easier. I also did a inner tie rod end on a 02-03 2WD Ranger in my driveway & it was fairly easy.

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Posted: Sun Mar 29th, 2020 10:05 am

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Idahome

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You can do it!!
I did a full write up on rack and pinion replacement on my old 1996 Explorer 5.0 back in 2009 (11 years now!! WOWEE)
It should be helpful to you, they are really similar:
https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/threads/410fortune-96-5-0l-xlt-refurbish-making-1-great-ex-from-2.142851/page-28#post-2097018

Just because your ball joints have play in them does not mean they are going to explode as soon as you put it on the ground
Limit the driving you do yes, get the parts replaced ASAP
Time to stop putting it off
Many alignment shops will give you a free adjustment within a certain number of days, see if they would do that for you.
Otherwise get the alignment AFTER the parts are replaced.

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Posted: Sun Mar 29th, 2020 11:24 pm

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VelociRanger
Iâ€™ll probably do it tomorrow

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Alright, so maybe not all bad news. Thankfully I live close to work, and don't really do anything else other than go to work and go home. Maybe the occasional trip to Walmart or something. While on rock auto I decided to see how much it would be to add shocks, and sway bar bushings...I was impressed. I went on autozone to see how much it would be for the same parts (not same brand, but just the same parts) just because they have free shipping, and holy cow!! Rock auto was so much cheaper! Everything mevotech supreme brand with bushings and ball joints, and I added Gabriel pro guard shocks because they had a sale on them and they're in the â€œheavy dutyâ€ section, so they must be better than their economy section. I decided that in order to keep shipping costs down I'm going to get the wheel bearings and wheel seals from autozone, but now everything, except the spindles and springs, will be NEW on the front end!! I'm excited to see how it'll drive

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Posted: Sun Mar 29th, 2020 11:52 pm

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JAMMAN

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Don't bet your life on it but I bought the Jalapeno with bad ball joints. Years ago now. It squeaks when I turn, go over bumps, anything. Having done a couple and looking a the design I can imagine them coming out during a series of jumps or hitting consecutive pot holes on the highway at 80 MPH but mild turns back and forth on normal roads... you will wear your tires out but that is about it.

I have lost ball joints on a firebird and an old pontiac but never a Ranger. I have new Mevo TTX's in the garage waiting on the right time.

On the ball joint replacement... I've only done 3 sets now. The first one would not come out so I bought an expensive snap on ball joint kit. The second I was showing my son how they don't come out as easy as they say on the forums and jokingly hit it downward with a medium hammer... plop it came right out. 3rd, hit with hammer drops right out.

I think the first one was a replacement that was forced in crooked.

Before you have a chance to replace them don't drive fast enough to get dead.

410 is probably rougher than I am on front ends I bet he has seen one pop eh?

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Posted: Mon Mar 30th, 2020 10:46 am

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Idahome

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No actually I have never seen a ball joint come apart on one of these rigs leaving you stranded
I have replaced some super worn out metal on metal about to come apart ball joints, but never a complete failure (Polaris machines maybe, Ford = no)

Now to replace them is pretty dang simple.
Yes the lower ball joint comes out of the lower control arm with a hammer.....WAY too easy. You NEED to smack the ball joint right dead in the middle and have the LCA supported by a jack stand The joint will pop right out. Clean the snot out of the LCA and mounting surfaces, set up your press and press the new joint in straight and evenly. I have a wicked good OTC ball joint press I bought for doing full size trucks that makes this a snap.
The upper BJ you replace the whole control arm (UCA) The most important thing to do here is mark the location of the one you took out so you can put the new control arm in the same spot.

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Posted: Mon Mar 30th, 2020 10:55 am

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Scrambler82
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Ball Joints need to be checked with pressure on the lower Control arm, not hanging.

Not sure how he checked them but from what you are saying the tires were hanging on the lift.

Not knowing what your truck is but online an '03 I would put a floor jack under the lower A-Arm and then try to move the wheel in and out, some play is ok, could be just a good grease job IF you have grease points.

It fools a lot of people when the vehicles are hanging and the wheel moves in a nd out, the mechanic can make some fast money on Upper and lower control arm replacement, like OEM Ranger have.

Just my opinion !

Ltr

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410customs

Posted: Mon Mar 30th, 2020 12:10 pm

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Tsquare
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VelociRanger wrote:
Alright, so maybe not all bad news. Thankfully I live close to work, and don't really do anything else other than go to work and go home. Maybe the occasional trip to Walmart or something. While on rock auto I decided to see how much it would be to add shocks, and sway bar bushings...I was impressed. I went on autozone to see how much it would be for the same parts (not same brand, but just the same parts) just because they have free shipping, and holy cow!! Rock auto was so much cheaper! Everything mevotech supreme brand with bushings and ball joints, and I added Gabriel pro guard shocks because they had a sale on them and they're in the â€œheavy dutyâ€ section, so they must be better than their economy section. I decided that in order to keep shipping costs down I'm going to get the wheel bearings and wheel seals from autozone, but now everything, except the spindles and springs, will be NEW on the front end!! I'm excited to see how it'll drive
This is basically what I did. I replaced upper and lower A-arms, shocks, spring cups, camber adjusters, sway bar bushings, rotors, bearings, brake pads, and tie rods. I then took it to my Tire and Wheel for new tires and alignment. If memory serves I had just over $550 in parts and about the same amount in tires alignment.

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Posted: Mon Mar 30th, 2020 08:41 pm

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Scrambler82
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Since this is turning into a talk about Rock Auto (RA) and its parts... I've used them ONCE and ONCE is enough.

I order an Overflow/Windshield Washer Tank from RA, got, it looked decent, took the truck apart, put it in, filled it and water went everywhere.

Must have a cracked hose, right, wrong, it was leaking around the Pump.

Siliconed around the pump, let it dry overnight, filled it again, left the truck outdoors, next morning no water in the tank.

Replaced the feed lines, no water that afternoon.

I've been looking for a For dReplacement without success but not sure where to go... CHINA is everywhere, what's happening !

Auto Zone has China, Advanced Auto has China, Ford uses China, WTF, I don't have a JY close to me, 3.5 hours away, not a good option.

Butt, back to Rock Auto, it was longer than RA's warranty so I couldn't return it... now to double check it again and see where it is leaking and see IF I can fix it !

Ltr

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Posted: Tue Mar 31st, 2020 12:00 pm

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Idahome

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Rock auto sells the same parts everyone else does, usually just cheaper and with a much wider variety
Parts in modern vehicles are sourced from all over the world, there is not one automaker that does not use parts from China, India, Mexico anymore.... its a global marketplace
So you could have gotten the same tank from anywhere else.
I would have returned it and not take NO for an answer.......it was defective right out of the box = they will take it back if you bitch hard enough
I have parts, I also go to junk yards, I am sure other members here would be willing to help you find OEM parts when needed. My stepson ALWAYS has rangers to part out, I usually have explorers to part out and only buy rangers clean enough to re sale.

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Eddie Money

Posted: Tue Mar 31st, 2020 01:46 pm

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Scrambler82
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Since it was my first time using Rock Auto and it wasn't a good one my opinion, yes like a-holes, isn't a good one.

It would take a second pass and something good happening; problem with that is...the only way I would go back now, is if I can't find the prt I want somewhere else.

So be it !

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Posted: Tue Mar 31st, 2020 03:25 pm

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Ranger_Danger_
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Alrighty. So. This is probably (to me anyways) one of the easiest things to do on these trucks. I did my entire front end (upper arms, balljoints, and tie rods) the day before I left for Daytona last year in June.

I did it on a concrete pad in my backyard with 2 jackstands and a bottle jack (no standard car jack goes tall enough to hit my axle or push my arms up enough to put on jacks #talltruckproblems)

I bought the ball joint tool from Harbor Freight. It is wonderful.

Just buy new upper arms, it takes one heck of a drill press for those upper joints. Save the hassle and do the whole arm. (GET GREASE-ABLE ONES. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT)

Tie rods you take two wrenches and spin it to win it. Easy peasy.

Wait to get an alignment. I did one at home before leaving, and got it close enough that I did not bother going to a shop. (been 8 months and no tire wear, but my balljoints are bad again. haha)

If you need that how to for the rack & pinion, I can look in my Ford shop manual for you tonight. I cannot imagine it is much different between 2003 and 2005 2wd trucks? I shall look tonight for ya and send pictures on private message for how-to.

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Posted: Tue Mar 31st, 2020 10:11 pm

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VelociRanger
Iâ€™ll probably do it tomorrow

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I know I could do the control arms, it was really just the rack and pinion. I'm going to need to get some bigger sockets and ratchets though lol. If you could send me the how to, that would be awesome. I just wonder how long it will take me lol. I'd like to do it on a weekend and get an alignment on Monday, but they won't be here until Monday...maybe I can go it in a few hours? Who knows!! We'll for sure see. I'm excited, I love working on my truck.

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Posted: Tue Mar 31st, 2020 10:18 pm

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Scrambler82
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Back to Ball Joints... also, some replacement ball joints UCA, don't have grease fittings, usually aftermarket ball joint replacements do, but make sure what ever you buy it has grease fitting.

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Posted: Sat Apr 4th, 2020 09:44 pm

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VelociRanger
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A little update:

Scrambler, I'm sorry you had a negative experience with RockAuto.Com, but I've had nothing but positive! All of my parts came in, the boxes a little mangled but none of the parts were damaged, everything was there. And the best news? They came in 3 days!! I selected fedex ground at checkout because it was the cheapest option, and the estimated delivery date was Monday and the FedEx express date was today...and I got my shocks yesterday and everything else today!! Tomorrow I'm going to go buy a grease gun and grease, and another socket set or an adjustable wrench for the rack and pinion because I ain't got sockets that big lol. I want to try to save money on the wheel bearings because they're about 1 1/2 years old, maybe just repack them, but I'll have to look at them when I get into it. Will I need to rent a spring compressor to get the spring out, or will I be able to safely remove it since I'm doing the lower control arm as well? Tomorrow is gonna be fun!!

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Posted: Sat Apr 4th, 2020 10:19 pm

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JAMMAN

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WELL... if you have front springs I would get a spring compressor.

My original project has springs and the first time they were out they went back in WRONG because it was so difficult to get them in. There is a spot on the top where the end of the coil has to rest, mine were not in the right spot rotation wise.

They have been out 3 times now and the driver side has to come out again to get the right motor mount in. I'm buying a compressor because it took a length of chain and 2 floor jacks to get it back up and connected to the top.

AS FOR THE RACK... there are 2 different ratios for racks on our trucks, one for the short cab and one for the extended cab. The extended cab is actually less turns of the wheel (for argument having both, about 2 turns per side on the short cab and 1.5 turns for the ex cab). I really want the ex cab rack on my short cab LOL. Curiosity, did you get any info with your new rack stating the ratio?

@Kaylee.. how did you handle the springs? You technically didn't need to take them out if you didn't replace the whole lower arm.

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Posted: Sat Apr 4th, 2020 10:34 pm

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VelociRanger
Iâ€™ll probably do it tomorrow

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I've had the rack for at least a year now, but I got it from autozone so I'm not 100% certain on the ratio. On the spring, could I not line it up on the lower control arm and jack it up to line it up on the top?? I'm sure you've tried this before but I'm just wondering. I'll look online and see if I can find the same rack I ordered

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Posted: Sun Apr 5th, 2020 09:06 am

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JAMMAN

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VelociRanger wrote:
On the spring, could I not line it up on the lower control arm and jack it up to line it up on the top?? I'm sure you've tried this before but I'm just wondering. I'll look online and see if I can find the same rack I ordered
Yes you can, I would get some help and hold it in the top in the right position raising the LCA with a jack being VERY careful but only after the LCA was LOOSELY bolted in. Don't try to raise it before, almost certain to get hurt.

I actually wrapped a chain under a large industrial size floor jack and around the top of the UCA meaning the truck had no place to go. You will never get the stump from the lower ball in the knuckle otherwise.

I wouldn't advise it but it can be done. If you can afford to rent a good spring compressor please do it.

The rack is just a point of personal interest after jockeying an extended cab and a short cab back and forth in my too small driveway. I noticed I could turn the short cab 2 turns a side and the extended cab just over 1-1/2. If you keep it under 150MPH which most of us do with our rangers you would realize extra maneuverability using a shorter ratio rack in a single cab WHICH already has more maneuverability because of the shorter wheelbase. More more more!

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Posted: Sun Apr 5th, 2020 09:10 am

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JAMMAN

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I need to add this isn't an issue at all if you have an edge or a 4WD (98 - 11) the torsion bars barely twist I just let them hang. I had the opportunity to cut through a live torsion bar (2 of them) with encouragement from black06xlt Adam who had done it before. They barely move.

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Posted: Sun Apr 5th, 2020 10:28 pm

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VelociRanger
Iâ€™ll probably do it tomorrow

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Update: got everything installed, it took me a total of about 8 hours to do everything with no power tools and just a floor jack.

I broke this bolt...not sure what this is, ABS sensor..?

Got the drivers side done, not too bad, just a lot more bolts that I originally thought

Got the passengers side done, the left lower control arm bolt was blocked by the first cat so I put the jack under neath it and lifted enough to have space to take the bolt out and re-insert it

I also finally answered my own question of â€œis the front of my truck loweredâ€ because when I took out the springs I noticed that the coils looked too close together and they had the djm style paint on them

I didn't get to the rack and pinion today, I ran out of daylight. Maybe some other weekend, I'm exhausted lol. It wasn't too bad, but if asked if I would do it again...NO! Lol if I had better equipment and tools and help, then yes it wouldn't be hard. I wish I took more pictures so I could do a how to, but I apologize because I forgot.

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Posted: Mon Apr 6th, 2020 09:34 am

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Idahome

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Where did the abs bolt break? down inside? Well done so far!

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Posted: Mon Apr 6th, 2020 11:50 am

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VelociRanger
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Yeah, I think it's maybe 3/4 of the way broke off, maybe just little under half of the bolt is still in there but I'm not 100% sure how long the bolt actually is. After I broke it I kinda pulled/pried on the sensor to see if it was loose, and it didn't wiggle at all so maybe I can get away with it for a little while. My question now is, while I'm at the alignment shop should I have them go ahead and hit the bolts with the air gun, or just try to do it myself at home? I know they're gonna charge me a sh*t load because their prices on everything went up because of the corona stuff, their alignment went up $10 from last week. I'm thinking about doing it myself, because I don't have much money left. Also, the upper ball joint worries me because I'm pretty sure it's all the way in the knuckle, other wise I don't think that I would've been able to get the bolt in to pinch it together because the balljoint had a little groove in it for the bolt to go past it...

Last edited on Mon Apr 6th, 2020 11:51 am by VelociRanger

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Posted: Mon Apr 6th, 2020 05:18 pm

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Mike69

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If you did not have the upper ball joint all the way in the knuckle the pinch bolt would not go in, so you should be good to go.

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Posted: Mon Apr 6th, 2020 11:52 pm

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VelociRanger
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Last update (maybe):

Got the alignment today, everything checked out and is within spec. Here's the sheet, I'm not 100% sure how to read it but I've got a pretty good idea on what everything means

Does anyone have stock 2wd coil springs laying around from a coil spring Ranger? Lol. Truck still rides like a brick, even after the new shocks.

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