How to Remove and Replace the Upper Ball Joint of an F150

The upper ball joint in your Ford F-150 pickup truck is an integral part of the upper control arm. If this ball joint has failed, Ford recommends replacing the upper control arm. The control arm is very accessible, but you will need a special tool to service this part of the suspension. Still, you can perform this repair job at home in about two hours without making a huge dent in your F-150 maintenance budget.

Instructions

Removing the Upper Ball Joint

1

Remove the key from the ignition lock and turn off all accessories, even the air suspension system, if your F150 model is equipped with it.

2

Loosen, but do not remove, the lug nuts on the front wheel assembly with the upper ball joint you are servicing. Use a lug wrench.

3

Raise the front wheel and tire assembly you are servicing using a floor jack and place a jack stand under the frame for support. Lock the rear wheels with a couple of wooden blocks.

4

Remove the wheel and tire assembly.

5

Place the floor jack under the lower control arm, behind the brake rotor, and raise the lower control arm just enough to remove downward pressure.

6

Detach the anti-lock brake system (ABS) wiring from the routing clip on the strut assembly, if your Ford pickup is equipped with four-wheel ABS. Use a small wrench.

7

Make matching marks on the two mounting bolts and washers that support the rear of the upper control arm to the vehicle's frame. You need to replace these two bolts and washer in the same position they occupy initially. Use a scratch awl or similar tool.

8

Remove the cotter pin that secures to upper-ball joint stud to the steering knuckle using needle-nose pliers. The ball joint is the component at the front end of the upper control arm. The ball joint secures the control arm to the steering knuckle, which holds the wheel hub and brake rotor.

9

Remove the castle nut from the upper ball joint stud using a wrench.

10

Detach the upper ball joint stud from the steering knuckle using Pitman-arm puller number 211-003.

11

Unfasten and remove the two mounting bolts securing the rear of the control arm to the frame using a wrench on the bolt heads and a ratchet and socket to unscrew the bolt nuts. When ready, remove the upper control arm from the vehicle.

Installing the Ball Joint

12

Position the new control arm in place and install the two rear bolts, nuts and related hardware. Align the matching marks and tighten the bolts using the wrench, ratchet and socket. Tighten the bolts to 83 to 112 foot-pounds (113 to 153 Nm) using a torque wrench.

13

Insert the upper ball joint stud in place in the steering knuckle and tighten the nut to 55 to 77 foot-pounds (77 to 103 Nm) using the torque wrench and a socket. Align one of the slots on the castle nut with the hole in the upper ball joint stud using the wrench and install a new cotter pin to lock the castle nut in place using the needle-nose pliers.

14

Reattach the ABS wiring to the routing clip on the strut assembly, if your Ford pickup is equipped with four-wheel ABS. Use the small wrench.

15

Remove the floor jack from the lower control arm.

16

Replace the wheel-tire assembly and install the lug nuts.

17

Lower the tire and wheel assembly and finish tightening the lug nuts using the lug wrench.

18

Turn on the air suspension system, if your F150 model comes equipped with it.