please help first time poster

[DWGSD1978]

hey all! first of all thank for all the valuable info I have received from this site!!!!
I have a 1999 f250 crew cab with the 7.3 in it and I am having some front end issues.

I am going to attempt the ball joint upper and lower install and while I am in there I would like to address some other issues with the front end.

I replaced a hub bearing a while back on the passengers side and I think that the drivers side may be in need of replacement while I am doing this job now.

I want to replace both upper and lower ball joints and all seals when I do this, but I want to be prepared and have all parts in hand when I start this project.

so far my list I know that I will have to have is

ball joints
2 u joints
1 hub bearing. for the one that has not been replaced since I owned the truck.
hub seals. since my 4x4 doesnt work now and I have rerouted my vacuum lines so that my AC blows correctly

what other seals, joints etc should I replace while in there?? part numbers? where to get them? etc?

To all of those that have attempted and completed this job I would appreciate any input you could offer cause I am ready to order the parts now and get this job started asap.




I have wear on the driver side inner tire indicating possibly bearing worn out and play at the 12 and 6 position indicating ball joints but only at the 3 and 9 position on the driver side showing hub bearing as well. I want to do this only one time and would like to have a complete parts list with parts in hand before I attempt this as well as any special tools I may need



Im not really a mechanic but I follow instructions well and I have searched the site..

any help, advice and a parts list would be greatly appreciated..



thanks in advance


attempting to be a mechanic in alabama

 

[BamaSixGun]

Welcome fellow Alabamian. Which city do you live in.

 

[DaveBen]

There is an outer seal on the axle shafts (one each) that keeps dirt out of the axle tube from the wheel side. I destroyed mine when I did the ball joints. I have a write up in the WIKI Section on ball joint replacing. Check it out. Look on the top Blue Line for SDD Technical Articles - Wiki Section. Good luck.

Dave

 

[CKyle494]

Also you can try this site. I got my ball joints from them and they made a difference in how the thing sounded and drove. They had everything in a kit so you would not forget a thing, hate to run back when you forget one little $3.00 seal and got it tore apart and have to drive 20 miles to the stealership. They were OEM FORD parts with MOOG ball joints with grease zerks you just have to grind them down a little bit.

 

[DWGSD1978]

Welcome fellow Alabamian. Which city do you live in.

Im from Mobile, what about you?

 

[DWGSD1978]

thanks for the info, I think I am going to try the moog joints,
I have 160,000 on my truck and I am pretty sure they are still on the factory ball joints. I replaced the first hub bearing at 100,000

Im also trying the U joints that are greaseable as well, anyone tried these yet?

 

[DaveBen]

All U-Joints were greaseable only a few years ago.

Dave

 

[Tbar]

Here is a good pdf article on doing the job.

http://www.angelfire.com/fang/mercury/ball.pdf

Having the right tools on hand will make life so much simpler. Be sure to get the correct ball joint compression tool. Most found at the local auto parts houses are not big enough for this job.

The inboard seal is more of a dust seal. Pretty easy to take on and off. The outboard seal is a !@#$% in both removal and installation. Buy or build a tool to drive the seal on properly or you will tear it all to pieces. You will be wailing away on it with a 3-5# hammer.

4x4tools

sueprdutypsd.com: Axle Seal Tool, needed for ball joint installation


Tbar

 

[DWGSD1978]

Here is a good pdf article on doing the job.

http://www.angelfire.com/fang/mercury/ball.pdf

Having the right tools on hand will make life so much simpler. Be sure to get the correct ball joint compression tool. Most found at the local auto parts houses are not big enough for this job.

The inboard seal is more of a dust seal. Pretty easy to take on and off. The outboard seal is a !@#$% in both removal and installation. Buy or build a tool to drive the seal on properly or you will tear it all to pieces. You will be wailing away on it with a 3-5# hammer.

4x4tools

sueprdutypsd.com: Axle Seal Tool, needed for ball joint installation


Tbar

the articles will help out a lot, I think I can manage this now.
I have the ball joints on the way now. and I ordered a hub seal installer as well.


I went to a shop today and had someone look at the ball joints for me, one side has play and the other doesnt but I am replacing them all while I am doing this.

the thing that worried me the most is before we jacked the truck up we checked the u joint area and it has LOTS of movement going into the hub bearing as well as into the needle bearing..knowing this, would it be safe to assume the needle bearing and the hub bearing on this side needs replaced??

should I replace the u joints while I am in there even if they dont need it??

and what about the ebay hub bearings?? anyone had any dealings with these at all?

FORD F250 F350 F450 WHEEL HUB BEARING 99 00 01 02 03 04:eBay Motors (item 310136837136 end time May-19-09 16:49:37 PDT)

Im kinda hesitant about the hub bearing, but then again I dont want to spend too much either

anymore help will be appreciated

 

[DaveBen]

Front axle U Joints usually don't go bad from wear. They will go bad from Non-use; that is, they will rust up if not used occasionally. I run my fornt end locked (manual hubs) once a month for a hundred miles or so. In five - 4 wheel drive trucks, I have NEVER replaced a front u joint.

Dave