1993 Ford E350 Ball Joints at 58,000 miles

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DearMissMermaid

DearMissMermaid

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I finally scraped up enough funds to get 2 new front tires and an alignment. Went to a new-to-me place that services trucks and RV's. The tires had worn unevenly in front and it seemed to me it was not handling as nice as before. It's always been a smooth ride but I went through some gawd-awful detours that had me driving all over the braille strips and square lights they put on highways, after that it seemed to not handle so well and I noticed the front tires were wearing oddly.

I waited until I have enough funds for new front tires and the alignment.

They did not do the alignment, because they said I need new ball joints before they can align it and that I should bring it back for that. Costs about $800 to $1000 per their guesstimate because the axle has to come off.

The RV is a 1994 28 foot Tioga Montara, on a 1993 Ford E350 chassis with about 58,000 miles.

Does this all sound about right?  From what  little research I've been able to find about this, it seems like it's plausible.

 
....but I went through some gawd-awful detours that had me driving all over the braille strips and square lights they put on highways, after that it seemed to not handle so well and I noticed the front tires were wearing oddly....
Click to expand...

I won't comment about the costs, etc., but if you meant that the detours were the cause, that's unlikely.

If the ball joints are bad, they are right to replace before aligning.

Hope this helps.
 
I had a 2001 Ford Taurus that started shimmying at 40,000 miles. I took it to the Ford dealer, who called later and said the tie-rod ends needed to be replaced.  I questioned this, but they assured me they needed replacement, so I OKed the work. When I picked up the car, the used parts had somehow disappeared. The service coordinator casually mentioned, "Oh, yeah. We also found the left front tire needed 2 1/2 ounces of weight to balance it." That, of course, was not mentioned when they called to tell me I needed new tie-rod ends.  I never trusted that dealer again.  If I were you, I think I would get a second opinion before investing that kind of money.
 
Did some looking around, seems that ball joints at 50-60k isn't terribly unusual. Is it two upper balljoints, 1 each side?
Tire wear on inner edge of tread?
You can find video tutorials on youtube to give you an idea of whats involved. Ball joints work the same from cars to trucks so any truck ball joint video will give you the idea.

$800-1000 isn't awful if you drive away with an alignment. Were you referred by a trusted mechanic or friend? May be a generous price for your location

Bill

 
Ball joint wear is hard to predict, I've had a wagon fail at 40k and a corvette go to over 150k. I seems to depend on the loading, lubrication and the roadway. The passenger side usually gets all the water and dirt, busted rubber boots and hits more rutts.

Are you still in Florida, if so I will ask Josam in Orlando what they charge, next week when I go by.
 
That seems awful high to me. Those ball joints can be had for $40.00 or so on amazon or Ebay. I've never installed any in a ford before but can't imagine it'd take more than a few hours to replace all 4. 
 
Make sure you get it done - I was about 1 pot hole and 10 miles from folding the front wheel under my ford truck - seems to be a pretty common occurrence.

Anyway - did the job myself with a mechanic buddy - ended up rebuilding the entire front end - upper and lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends and new hubs and bearings on both sides plus new front shocks....drove like a new truck when it was finished...

BTW - the passenger side lower ball joint came out in three pieces...it was a mess and real close to a catastrophic failure, not good when towing the 5th wheel....

For what I had done would have been about $1700.00 all in all I had two days labor a $75.00 alignment and $400.00 in parts...and it is a job. The ball joints need to be pressed in so need some serious tools, but not a difficult job...

Good Luck!!

Jim
 
A ball joint is the last thing you want to fail.  Get a second opinion....if two shops say it needs them, get it done.
 
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