A detailed video on how to go about removing and replacing a worn out ball joint on a 1999 Taurus. Procedure is similar for other years and models like Sable…
A detailed video on how to go about removing and replacing a worn out ball joint on a 1999 Taurus. Procedure is similar for other years and models like Sable…
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thank you for doing this. I hate this car. hate it. if the GD ball joint was the only thing wrong with it I would be happy.
great job again thank you.
Agreed – Can’t believe you’d do the job again with another Duralast part. Go OEM or high quality aftermarket! It pays for itself by not having to do the job twice.
But u did not show what tool to use or the process when removing the control arm from the steering knuckle!
Thank a million … you did a great video!!
Good vid but very noisey background … I’m going to try this using a shop press instead of the autozone tool
Dang you’re fast.
I tore into my sister’s 98’s Taurus with 150k. We ended up needing to replace the coils springs, struts, ball joints, stabilizer links, and even the strut mount bushings!!! This video certainly was a great help. Thanks buddy.
PS, if you are ever replacing ball joints and struts yourself, make sure you have plenty of depression pills prescribed by your family doctor.
This ball joint was a sealed assembly with no grease zerk. The issue is that the CV boot is so close to the ball joint that there is no room for a zerk and if there was a zerk, there is almost no way to get the grease gun on it.
Thanks for the video. Great job. I believe that the reason for the multiple time to replace this part is due to lack of greasing of it? Some ball joints have to be periodically greased. This will prevent it from wearing out.
Autozone parts (especially Duralast and Valuecraft) = low quality!! No wonder you had to replace it after a year and a half. Just my 2 cents.. When I worked for them during high school, we had a ton of warranty returns come back on duralast and valuecraft parts.
I did that job 3 times, twice on one side. After the first time, it was easier to remove just one more bolt and put it up in the vice where it was solid to work on. It was just better not to have to fight for room trying to get the press in around all the stuff. Thanks for the comment
Your doing a lot extra work taking the whole spindle off that ball joint press tool works just as good with it on the car.
I just did that on a 98 Taurus with everything else attached. I took off ball joint nut and separated it. I used Auto-zone’s press kit, but it didn’t have enough throat to get the bolt and everything into the receiving cylinders with the kit. I made some receiver cylinders out of pipe that I cut. It took 4 hands to hold it all in place while I turned the nut to get it in place, and had to use pry bar to hold clamp while I pushed on wrench. But, it’s done!
A good thing for any of you watching this vid and wanting to attempt it yourself,get a manual for your model vehicle.I recommend Chiltons,it does a super job of explaining and telling you of any possible difficulties you may encounter.The investment is worth it,trust me,I been there…Do IT!!!!!!!
Ha ha,good job dude!..I’m a damned good self taught machanic myself.This was great.I especially liked the part when you mentioned Auto Zone and the little song in the back ground screeched”auto zo-ooone”.Got a kick outta that.
how bout rear struts n springs,just found both springs are broke. any video on that? 2000 taurus.
This was 1 of the better detailed videos that I’ve seen Should be perfect for anyone trying to remove the ball joint it Simple and easy the way he explained it and showed it.
this is the same for the lincoln cont.
Great video,gonna do my 03 Taurus ballpoint instead of paying a mechanic
He said lifetime warranty, 1 year old part. Considering the labor, it doesn’t make sense to buy duralast because of the warranty. “It is the cheap man who spends the most”-someone
I wanna know, how long did that duralast ball joint last? Everything that i got that said duralast didn’t last long. Limited lifetime warranties aint shit if you have 2 times to return it and all of that is within 2 years.
excellent. thank you
Why not press it out, with everything still attached
Nice video but just a reminder to folks working on suspension issues with vehicles in or from the rust belt region having original coils springs, they can fracture without warning:
Recall Number: 04V332000, Dates Manufactured: MAR 1998 to AUG 2001, Number of Vehicles Affected: 899060. Check with your local Ford dealership. They should replace the original coils at no cost to you. Cheers!
this is not the correct way to do this job. this is more or less how it would be done on a GM. Prying on the control arm could damage something(when i did it i ripped the control arm bushing). you need to compress the coil spring first and use the pickle fork on the ball joint. Don’t believe me ask FORD. Another thing if you remove the tie-rod first, you can move the whole unit, allowing you to use air tools on things like brake caliper bridge bolts. just trying to help, have fun
Thanks for taking the time to share this. It is very much appreciated. The neighbor helping neighbor thing in real life! Thanks again.
I did both sides today on a 97 taurus. If I had to do it again I would get a spring compressor and compress the spring 1 inch. Then it would be easier. Interesting design. How do they do alignments on these cars? It looks like the only adjustments are toe in.
I was thinking the same thing. If the first ball joint lasted such a short time, you couldn’t give me another of the same manufactures part.
Thank You Man, It Helped me A Lot
I have to question why you would go with the same part that failed after 2 years, warranty or not I doubt they’ve changed their design. Other than that very informative video, thank you very much for taking the time. Your assembly of the press tool alone will save me a lot of time. Id rather be under a nissan.
You have to remove the pinch bolt all the way. It gets corroded. Just loosen the nut and back it off till its even with the end of the treads, then pound it out with a hammer. There is a C shaped retainer that is part of the strut where the bolt runs through. Soak it down with PB Blaster and tap down to free from strut end.
how in hell can I get the damn thing off the strut? IT WILL NOT come loose! POS
Good shit…helped alot. My tire came off in the driveway today. On the holiday( independence day). If it aint one thang, its another.
I tried that. It didn’t give me the clearance I needed. I think what made it challenging was that there is not just downward pressure, but also pressure pushing out away from the axle. Once we popped loose the driver side, the knuckle jumped out 4 inches away from the axle. If I were too close to that thing it would have nailed me with the lug nut bolts. Compressing the springs made putting it back together a snap. So, I’m sure it would have been the same when taking them off.
Simple solution to ball joint stem being to long to remove from the A-arm is to remove the rear mounting bolt for the control arm, allows for ample downward movement of the control arm with least amount of work. I have done a 99 Taurus, 01 Sable and about to do a 00 Taurus. They are all the same. This video makes it look way too easy and skipped this common issue.
You definitely had your issues with this job. I had the same issue doing the pass side ball joint both times. The first time I actually cut the stem of the new ball joint off about 1/8″ and re-threaded it. 2nd time I removed the front most A arm bolt from the frame and slid the lower control arm out and down to get the ball joint to pop in. I never had that problem on the drivers side, just pryed down and it popped in.
the rest of the job went fine other side took me 35 minutes and went right together i have come to the conclusion that the driver side was damaged they hit something cause the tire aligns diffrent then the other they were happy costomers its paid for and doesent eat that tire to fast so hey more power to them thanks for the post and vid verry helpfull.