I've had multiple sources tell me Moog isn't what it used to be but still the best aftermarket option out there. Motorcraft is the safest bet for long life but only a 2 year warranty.
Moog is lifetime warranty but likely will require the hassle of changing more often. And alignments that go with it if your talking steering parts.
My truck has 400K on it, I have put 1 set of Motorcraft ball joints in it 5 years ago and they are still fine.
I'm on my 3rd (original plus 2 more) drivers side outer tie rod end, used aftermarket, currently a Moog.
I just replaced on labor day the Pass side outer tie rod ends, I used Moog to get the lifetime warranty and 1/2 the price but I also know I will likely be doing them again in a few years.
There was an issue before the 05+, I'm not sure if it had something to do with the axle upgrade for the coil suspension but , I agree. My 03 lost ball joints very quickly. My current 07 has 400K and had one set of MC replacements and they are still good.
Not really. The upper has a sleeve that floats in the axle ear. It has no positive stop, so the sleeve will always slide to its rest position after a few heat cycles & some road vibration. Yeah, cranking down on the upper nut will cause the tapers to spread the sleeve, and that will produce some friction. But it's still gonna slide after a mile or 2.
I don't believe that's correct. If you're talking about the camber adjustment sleeve, if it "floated" it wouldn't do it's job of maintaining the camber alignment.
Mine is leaf spring not independent. That configuration should be easier on the ball joints, no? I'm still considering brands. What's the best online source for Motorcraft ?
No difference. Ball joint wear is affected by the weight on the axle, tire size & wheel offset, vertical distance between the upper & lower, and driving conditions; not suspension type.
Big thing with them is getting the torquing sequence right. Failure to do this will result in premature wear failure do to the load riding primarily on one ball joint.
Not really. The upper has a sleeve that floats in the axle ear. It has no positive stop, so the sleeve will always slide to its rest position after a few heat cycles & some road vibration. Yeah, cranking down on the upper nut will cause the tapers to spread the sleeve, and that will produce some friction. But it's still gonna slide after a mile or 2.
Then take a close look at it next time you're under there. There are keyways to prevent it from rotating, which is what holds the camber adjustment. But it doesn't bottom against them - it floats in them (until it seizes from rust).
I think it depends what axle you're talking about.
On a D60, it's slightly different.
I would find it hard to believe that it could move up and down. The "spacer" if you want to call it goes into the hole, then the ball joint spreads it out when it pushes in.
Then what do you think stops it? Look at the one under your truck - the lip on the camber cam doesn't touch the surface of the axle ear, so what's holding the cam at that location?
The upper ball joint is. The cam floats in the axle ear bore. As I said before: yes, the wedge action of the BJ taper inside the cam creates a lot of friction. But not nearly enough to resist the weight of the truck bouncing through potholes. The only thing that can support that kind of force is the lower BJ. The upper is just there to keep the knuckle in the right position.
This is fascinating. In looking at the BJ cutaway diagram, and the axis line going through the balls center to center, makes me recall something I was told by an old dude back when I sold auto parts in the 80's. He said normally the angle made by drawing the axis line and an imaginary perfect vertical line, meets AT the road. He told me Ford engineers in the late 60's fixed the angle on the Mustang to meet slightly below the surface of the road to make the car stick better. I've always wondered about that. Anyway, I know this is off topic to what ball joints I should buy. But good conversation anyway.
The line between the centers of the balls should meet the centerline of the tire (not necessarily vertical, which is only for measuring camber) at the center of the contact patch for minimal steering effort (scrub radius ~0). But that's just a matter of designing the steering knuckle to match the tire height & offset, with a little tweaking at the camber cam. It has nothing to do with keeping the tires on the road. This has more details about front wheel alignment:
Can anyone help me with the MC part numbers? I'm pretty sure the lower for 4wd is 5C3Z-3050-E but not sure about the uppers. Ford Parts giant has VIN search but no upper bj. Rockauto has some uppers that seem too cheap to be correct but no VIN search capability. My VIN is 1FDXW47P44EC99083. Thanks!
But it doesn't differentiate between 2WD and 4WD. You might call them to verify. They sell at pretty reasonable prices if you're looking for FORD branded parts. Be advised that Ford buys their stuff from other manufacturers. Front axles drive axles are sourced from Dana/Spicer, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ford ball joints are Spicers in a Ford box.
To get a live counter person, go in to the parts department. Lol
I usually find that easier than over the phone.
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