How to Replace the Ball Joints in a 2002 Ford F250 4X4

The Ford F-250s roots span back to 1948, when Ford introduced the F-2 pickup. The more recognizable F-250 name arrived in 1953, along with a new body design. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ford changed the ball joints in its pickups to what Ford called lifetime filled. This meant that the ball joints were sealed and had no zerk fittings for the owner to add more grease as needed. This lifetime fill wound up being a not-so-lifetime fill, as these ball joints typically failed much sooner than the old serviceable types. Replacing the F-250's ball joints is no walk in the park either, which further illustrates the poor engineering decision by Ford.

Instructions

Removal

1

Loosen the front lug nuts with a ratchet and socket. Raise the front of the F-250 with a floor jack and slide jack stands under the frame rails. Lower the truck onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and front wheels.

2

Remove the caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket and pull the caliper from its bracket. Hang the caliper from a nearby suspension component with a bungee cord. Pull the brake pads from the caliper bracket and set them aside. Remove the two caliper bracket bolts with a ratchet and socket, and pull it from the F-250. Pull the rotor off the F-250s hub.

3

Using snap-ring pliers, remove the snap ring securing the hub lock in place and pull the hub lock from the front hub. Remove the snap ring on the axle shaft and pull the three thrust washers from the axle shaft make note of the positions of the thrust washers as you remove them.

4

Press and hold the unlocking button on the anti-lock brake wiring harness and pull the ABS harness from the F-250s harness, if equipped. Remove the ABS wire from its routing clips.

5

Remove the four nuts securing the front hub assembly to the steering knuckle, with a ratchet and socket. Pull the hub assembly from the steering knuckle. Leave all components ABS sensor and disc brake shield attached to the hub assembly.

6

Position a drain pan under the steering knuckle. Set a brass drift on the axle shaft seal accessible from the rear of the steering knuckle and drive the seal toward the outside of the steering knuckle by tapping the drift with a hammer. Pull the axle seal from the knuckle.

7

Grasp the end of the axle shaft firmly and pull outward sharply to disengage its retaining clip inside the axle housing. Slide the axle outward to remove it; notice the main axle seal comes off with the axle. Pull this seal from the axle shaft.

8

Pull the cotter pin from the outer tie rod end stud with needle-nose pliers and remove the tie rod ends castellated nut with a ratchet and socket. Position a Pitman arm puller on the tie rod end, so its screw part touches the tie rod end stud and the claws wrap around the steering knuckle. Tighten the Pitman arm puller with a ratchet and socket until the tie rod end stud pops out of the steering knuckle.

9

Pull the cotter pin from the upper ball joint stud with needle-nose pliers and remove its castellated nut with a ratchet and socket.

10

Remove the lower ball joint nut with a ratchet and socket there is no cotter pin on this ball joint.

11

Pull the steering knuckle downward to remove it. If the knuckle does not pull off easily, use a pry bar for additional leverage, as the ball joints sometimes seize inside the front axle assembly.

12

Set the steering knuckle in a bench vise and tighten the vise to secure the steering knuckle. Use snap-ring pliers to remove the snap ring securing the lower ball joint. Position a ball joint press over the ball joint, so its screw side contacts the ball joints stud, and tighten the ball joint press with a ratchet and socket until the ball joint pops out from the steering knuckle the exact pressing process varies between types of presses, so refer to the instructions for specifics.

13

Position the ball joint press over the upper ball joint, so its screw part contacts the ball joint stud. Tighten the ball joint press with a ratchet and socket until the ball joint releases from the steering knuckle.

14

Repeat steps 2 through 13 to remove the ball joints on the other side of the truck, if needed.

Installation

15

Slide a new upper ball joint into the steering knuckle in the same orientation as the old one. Position the ball joint press so its screw part contacts the top of the ball joint, and tighten the ball joint press with a ratchet and socket until the ball joint seats into the steering knuckle. Repeat this step on the lower ball joint.

16

Open a new snap ring included with the new lower ball joint with snap-ring pliers and guide the snap ring onto the head of the lower ball joint, lining it up with the groove in the ball joint. Release the snap-ring pliers to seat the snap ring in the groove.

17

Position the steering knuckle on the axle, guiding the ball joint studs into their holes on the end of the axle. Hand-thread new castellated nuts included with the ball joints onto the upper and lower ball joints.

18

Tighten the lower ball joint nut to 47 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

19

Tighten the upper ball joint nut to 69 foot-pounds. Check that a valley in the castellated nut lines up with the hole through the ball joint stud. If they do not line up, slightly tighten the nut until they do line up never loosen the nut to align a valley with the hole. Slide a new cotter pin included with the ball joint through the hole in the ball joint stud and bend its legs in opposite directions with needle-nose pliers to lock it into place.

20

Tighten the lower ball joint nut to 150 foot-pounds.

21

Press a loaded grease gun onto the zerk fitting on top of the ball joints, if applicable, and pump grease into the ball joints until the boots feel firm never pump in grease until it oozes from the boot, as this breaks the seal of the boot and allows contamination. If the ball joints do not have zerk fittings, this means they are prefilled and sealed, so you do not need to grease them.

22

Guide the tie rod end stud through its hole in the steering knuckle and hand-thread its nut into place, Tighten the tie rod ends castellated nut to 52 foot-pounds. Verify that a valley on the castellated nut aligns with the hole through the tie rod end stud. Install a new cotter pin through the tie rod end stud.

23

Place the axle shaft in the bench vise and lightly tighten the vise until it secures the axle. Slide a new main axle seal on the long end of the axle shaft as far as it will go. Slide the axle seal installer onto the axle until it contacts the seal, then slide the seal driver onto the axle. Lightly strike the installer with the driver until the seal seats in its groove.

24

Slide the axle shaft through the opening in the steering knuckle and into the axle housing and press it inward until the axle clicks into place inside the axle.

25

Guide a new axle seal onto the end of the axle and use the axle seal installer and driver to seat the seal in the steering knuckle.

26

Set the front hub assembly, with the disc brake backing plate and ABS sensor installed, on the steering knuckle, guiding the mounting studs through the mounting holes in the steering knuckle. Hand-thread the mounting nuts onto the hubs mounting studs, then torque the nuts to 133 foot-pounds.

27

Press the ABS sensor wire into its routing clips and plug its harness into the F-250s harness.

28

Insert the three thrust washers onto the axle shaft in the same position they were in the plastic thrust washer goes between the two metal washers. Open the snap ring and guide the snap ring onto the axle shaft until it lines up with the groove in the axle shaft. Release the snap ring to lock it into place.

29

Remove the old O-ring from the hub lock assembly with a flat-head screwdriver and press a new O-ring into the groove on the hub lock assembly. Press the hub lock assembly onto the hub and install the retaining ring.

30

Reinstall the rotor on the F-250s front hub. Set the caliper bracket back onto the steering knuckle and hand-thread its retaining bolts. Tighten the retaining bolts to 166 foot-pounds.

31

Slide the brake pads into the caliper bracket. Remove the caliper from the bungee cord and set it on the caliper bracket. Hand-thread the caliper bolts, then torque them to 42 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

32

Repeat steps 1 through 17 to install the ball joints on the other side of the truck, if needed.

33

Reinstall the front wheels onto the F-250 and hand-thread the lug nuts. Raise the truck off the jack stands with a floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the SUV to the ground and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern to 165 foot-pounds.

34

Remove the filler plug on the front axle with a -inch-drive ratchet and add SAE 90 axle lubricant meeting Ford specification ESW-M2C105-A into the axle until it drips from the fill hole. Tighten the filler plug to 20 foot-pounds.

35

Drive the F-250 to a local automotive repair facility to have a professional alignment performed.