Ball joints

[Matt Johnson]

Anybody replaced these?

How much?

And what would cause them to need to be replaced, generally, on any car?

[cougar9150]

which ones, front upper control arm or lower control arm ball joint?

I'm installing new upper control arms when I redo my suspension because both the ball joints and 2 arm bushings on each CA are bad on mine.

If the side arm bushings on the upper CA are okay then I would order just the replacement press in ball joints. You'll have to pull the CA from the car and bring it to a shop to have them press in the new joint.

If the side bushings are shot I would just replace the whole assembly since it will cost about the same as just replacing the ball joints and side arm bushings on the existing control arms. Make sure you get the original style forged arms and not the stamped steel version that came out in 05. Just makes me fell better knowing it's a single solid piece of forged metal and not pressed pieces of sheet metal spot welded together.

Check www.rockauto.com (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/www.rockauto.com) for decent prices. I got the Mevotech brand but haven't installed them yet as I am doing a complete rebuild of my front suspension. I'm doing new shocks, upper CAs, calipers, rotors, pads, wheel hubs, end links, and whatever else I can afford. My front lower CAs and spindles are about the only things that don't need replacement.

Haven't had to do the lowers yet but I know Rock Auto also sells those and I believe you would need a shop to press those in also.

[musclemerc]

If your installing just the joint it will be more work upper or lower. Get new control arms from rockauto.com, personally Moog makes some of the best suspension parts. Take one off.... put one on.... DONE!

The joints wear out because the rubber sael dry rots over time then water & dirt get's into the joint and makes it stiff.
All a part of maintenance my Man. Rubber parts outside the car will eventually fail

[cougar9150]

If your installing just the joint it will be more work upper or lower. Get new control arms from rockauto.com, personally Moog makes some of the best suspension parts. Take one off.... put one on.... DONE!

The joints wear out because the rubber sael dry rots over time then water & dirt get's into the joint and makes it stiff.
All a part of maintenance my Man. Rubber parts outside the car will eventually fail

+1 I agree totally that just replacing the complete arm is the easiest way. Take old out and put new in, then get an alignemnt. Plus the price just for the upper CA ball joints is fairly close to the cost of the complete arm.

The issue with Moogs is that they are now the stamped steel units like the 05 up CVs to match the OEM standard (this was the explanation given by Moog tech support when I called and asked why they didn't match the pictures on the site). I ordered these originally and was pissed when they showed up and weren't forged. I ended up w/the Mevotechs because they were the only company I could confirm that they were forged. Maybe the Raybestos ones are but I don't trust pictures after I got the stamped Moogs and would want to verify it first before purchasing.

For the lower CA I don't see just the ball joint available on their website but the arms themselves start out at $180 and go up from there. If it was significant savings I might consider just the ball joints but you may still have to address the bushings down the road and it would be a lot more work than just swapping out the complete assembly.

I myself prefer to have a warranty on a complete part and not just the individual pieces I replaced.

[2vmodular]

have you read this tutorial on replaceing the balljoints in a crownvic?

http://www.p71interceptor.com/contrib/03balljoint

[musclemerc]

I could swap the entire CA and have my cold Coors with my feet up and you would still be turning wrenches.

[2vmodular]

you're lucky that you live outside the northeastern & midwestern united states. chloride road salt causes metal undercar chassis parts to corrode really fast around here. it's quite frustrating when every fastener you touch is rust-locked in place.


I could swap the entire CA and have my cold Coors with my feet up and you would still be turning wrenches.

[Egon Spengler]

you're lucky that you live outside the northeastern & midwestern united states. chloride road salt causes metal undercar chassis parts to corrode really fast around here. it's quite frustrating when every fastener you touch is rust-locked in place.
Tru dat home boy! Got to loooooove New England! :mad2:

[cougar9150]

have you read this tutorial on replaceing the balljoints in a crownvic?

http://www.p71interceptor.com/contrib/03balljoint

In that article what brand sway bar end links are those with the grease fittings? All the ones I have come across so far are like the OE with out grease fittings.