Ball Joint question

fanopj said:

I wanted to double check to be sure before I ordered them. Any brand better than another? Should I just order them from my local auto store?
Thanks

Click to expand...

IMHO, the new FORD ball joints! Nothing else comes close!
The newer Ford ball joints are "lifetime" ball joints. Assuming you or someone else doesn't ***up the ball joint boot , in ~250,000 miles, they would still show almost no wear! They are non grease, no maintenance, and since they "don't wear", there's no more wear indicator!

Here's an example of the newer ball joints:
Ford Racing Performance Parts [M-3075-A]
NOTE: The ball joint in the kit has been upgraded. They have an improved nylon bearing to further reduce impact harshness. (Since no measurable wear could be detected after 250,000 miles of fleet testing, the wear detectors were eliminated.) Kit includes LH and RH lower control arm assemblies.

stang&2Birds said:

IMHO, the new FORD ball joints! Nothing else comes close!
The newer Ford ball joints are "lifetime" ball joints. Assuming you or someone else doesn't ***up the ball joint boot , in ~250,000 miles, they would still show almost no wear! They are non grease, no maintenance, and since they "don't wear", there's no more wear indicator!

Here's an example of the newer ball joints:
Ford Racing Performance Parts [M-3075-A]
NOTE: The ball joint in the kit has been upgraded. They have an improved nylon bearing to further reduce impact harshness. (Since no measurable wear could be detected after 250,000 miles of fleet testing, the wear detectors were eliminated.) Kit includes LH and RH lower control arm assemblies.

Click to expand...

What do you mean by they are non grease? that they have no grease zerk on them? I personally trust parts more when they have a grease zerk for me to grease every so often.

dcurtis said:

What do you mean by they are non grease? that they have no grease zerk on them? I personally trust parts more when they have a grease zerk for me to grease every so often.

Click to expand...

Correct. You do not grease the new Ford ball joints.
Welcome to the 90's!

If you want to run POS ball joints that wear and need to be greased, that's fine. For me, I prefer to use something better that was at developed at least within the past 12 years.

Here are 2 pictures of the bottom of the FRPP FCA. You can see the ball joint. I didn't resize the pics - I was too lazy.
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/tmp/tmp/FRPP-FCA-BottomPic1.jpg
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/tmp/tmp/FRPP-FCA-BottomPic2.jpg

stang&2Birds said:

IMHO, the new FORD ball joints! Nothing else comes close!
The newer Ford ball joints are "lifetime" ball joints. Assuming you or someone else doesn't ***up the ball joint boot , in ~250,000 miles, they would still show almost no wear! They are non grease, no maintenance, and since they "don't wear", there's no more wear indicator!
Here's an example of the newer ball joints:
Ford Racing Performance Parts [M-3075-A]
NOTE: The ball joint in the kit has been upgraded. They have an improved nylon bearing to further reduce impact harshness. (Since no measurable wear could be detected after 250,000 miles of fleet testing, the wear detectors were eliminated.) Kit includes LH and RH lower control arm assemblies.

Click to expand...

I have worked for Ford as a tech at a dealership for 5 years and I have yet to see a factory "lifetime" ball joint not have some free play after at least 100,000 miles. Most vehicle have to have the suspension load tested for free play. The only 100%proper way to do this is with the vehicle jacked up, front wheels off the ground, and then the suspension compressed. Check them like this and you might start to see those "lifetime" joints are so hot after all. If it does not have a grease fitting it will not last nearly as long and a balljoint with a grease fitting. I run the Moog brand on my car, the Steeda's are nice as well but much more expensive. In either case definatley replace them with the SN95 style, and do not use a space or a stack of washers, that is wayyyy to much of a critical component to be "made to fit".

fabfordtech said:

I have worked for Ford as a tech at a dealership for 5 years and I have yet to see a factory "lifetime" ball joint not have some free play after at least 100,000 miles. Most vehicle have to have the suspension load tested for free play. The only 100%proper way to do this is with the vehicle jacked up, front wheels off the ground, and then the suspension compressed. Check them like this and you might start to see those "lifetime" joints are so hot after all. If it does not have a grease fitting it will not last nearly as long and a balljoint with a grease fitting. I run the Moog brand on my car, the Steeda's are nice as well but much more expensive. In either case definatley replace them with the SN95 style, and do not use a space or a stack of washers, that is wayyyy to much of a critical component to be "made to fit".

Click to expand...

Your post makes me like my grease fittings even more. i don't care what they say about the new ball joints with out a grease fitting, I think mine will last longer than the fitting less joints because each time you re grease them it pushes out the old dirty grease where as the fitting less joints just get more and more dirty.

dcurtis said:

Your post makes me like my grease fittings even more. i don't care what they say about the new ball joints with out a grease fitting, I think mine will last longer than the fitting less joints because each time you re grease them it pushes out the old dirty grease where as the fitting less joints just get more and more dirty.

Click to expand...

Well stated.... Here is another way of looking at it....... You ever heard of a lifetime brake pad?????? ...Midas has some and theyre ****... ???? LOL.... Things wear out over time, some take longer than others, but you or anyone go speak to someone that works on vehicles for a living not just theyre own. Someone like an experienced alignment technician or undercar specialists that sees hundreds of makes and models of vehicles with different mileages, ages and driving conditions. Every single one of them will tell you lifetime ball joints suck, and go with a grease fitting. If anyone doesnt believe me go ask any good alignment tech at any good auto shop or dealership and ask them....

fabfordtech said:

I have worked for Ford as a tech at a dealership for 5 years and I have yet to see a factory "lifetime" ball joint not have some free play after at least 100,000 miles. Most vehicle have to have the suspension load tested for free play. The only 100%proper way to do this is with the vehicle jacked up, front wheels off the ground, and then the suspension compressed. Check them like this and you might start to see those "lifetime" joints are so hot after all. If it does not have a grease fitting it will not last nearly as long and a balljoint with a grease fitting. I run the Moog brand on my car, the Steeda's are nice as well but much more expensive. In either case definatley replace them with the SN95 style, and do not use a space or a stack of washers, that is wayyyy to much of a critical component to be "made to fit".

Click to expand...

Gee, as someone that often has to spec bearing play, I'll say so what??

Just, what, are you comparing the new ball joints to? And, as for slop verses no slop, it's all relative. I guarantee you that any ball joint in a Ford car is about 100 to 10,000+ times more sloppy that even the worse joint that I'd use.

Also, how do your "great grease-able POS ball joints" compare after 100K miles? How much real world experience do you have with grease-able ball joints? On how many cars? Under what conditions (winter, summer, etc).

As for the "slop" after 100K miles in the new ball joints, then how many of the new ball joints have you replaced. If none, because the "slop" is still within spec, then who cares?

As I mentioned, "slop" is all relative. So, is that "slop" really important. Also, what fails when a ball joint fails. And, how does that compared to the new ball joints verses old ball joints? BFD if the "nylon" gets some wear in the new ball joints. If that wear and slop is within spec, then who gives a rat's *ss? I think it's more important that the old style ball joints have metal wear that results in ball joint failure.

To me, your original statement doesn't hold much value since it's stating some "random metric". Gee, is 1 week old for a brand new tire that has never been mounted? How about 1 year? How about 10 years? How about 100 years? If I have a brand new never mounted tire goes bad after 7 years, then WTF does that means compared to other tires? Is that good? Is that bad? Is that avearge? Is that the longest lasting tire ever made? Is it the shortest lasting tire ever made? Is the tire really a space alien life form that has come to observe us?

So, stating some "radom metric" without some matching basis isn't worth anything.