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May 25, 2002
How-To Guide
Greasing Sealed OEM TieRod End
Balljoints
Ford F150 4x4 97' & Up
Tools Needed:
Time for install:
Parts Cost:
Varies, not much if you
already have a grease gun for regular
ball joints. All you need to purchase
then is a needle type adapter. The
needle I bought was around $13CDN I
think.
Procedure:
Follow my
instructions completely at your own
risk! I take no responsibility for
any accuracy in my instructions.
- Do one side
at a time.
- Start on the
passenger side, start the vehicle and
turn the wheels to the right.
- Loosen the
lug nuts slightly.
- Jack up the
vehicle enough to provide clearance to
remove the tire either under the frame
or the A-arm. Use a jackstand for
safety as well under the frame.
- Remove the
wheel/tire.
- Use a small
brush or paper towels to remove any
loose dirt around the tierod end
balljoint rubber grease covers.
- Use one of
the large flathead screwdrivers to pry
back the rubber at the widest point
(closest to the tierod). Don't try to
get your screwdriver between the tie
rod and the rubber (in other words try
to pull back the rubber lip). You want
to effectively push the rubber down
towards the bolt that holds the
balljoint to the backing
plate/caliper/wheel knuckle. There is a
metal ring inside the rubber boot of
the balljoint that holds it on.
- Once loosened
insert your needle into the joint
between the tierod and the rubber lip
of the balljoint.
- Move the
needle to either side in the balljoint
and add a few squirts of grease.
Basically enough so that some starts
coming out of the joint where you pried
back the rubber boot.
- Now comes the
hard part. The rubber balljoint boots
don't just push on easily. Try to push
up one side by hand first on the side
which is hardest to reach with your
screwdrivers.
- Then push on
either side of the rubber edge to snap
it back on. It takes a bit of work.
There is a steel ring built into the
rubber in the shoulder so you can push
pretty hard with the blade of the
screwdrivers. Stay away from the thin
soft rubber of the boot itself or you
may puncture it.
- Usually one
edge of the boot will snap in and you
can move one screwdriver and push the
rest of the boot up. Then visually
check the boot is sealed and up as far
as it will go all the way around. Some
sides are hard to see.
- There is one
balljoint by the wheel and another by
the frame.
- If you wish
you can attempt to grease the
balljoints on the main steering arm
(the ones inside the frame rails) but I
didn't bother. It's a tight fit and I
wasn't sure if I could easily pop the
boots back on after greasing.
- After
greasing and replacing the boots wipe
off any excess grease, mount the
wheel/tire, torque the lug nuts,
replace the wheel cap, lower the jack.
- Start the
vehicle, turn the wheels to the left
completely. Repeat all the steps as
above.
Tips:
- get a good
amount of grease into the balljoints.
You don't have to be afraid of
overdoing it because when the rubber
boots are pushed down off the shoulder
excess grease easily escapes. There
where a couple drops of water inside
the inner joint on the driver's side.
I'm appalled as to the lack of grease
put into the joints by Ford. They look like
someone stuck a straw into them and
sucked all the grease out. Pulling the
boots back in most cases reveals a
couple drops of grease and air. It's no
wonder these tie rod ends fail sooner
than expected. It's also a safety item
so make sure everything is ok while
you're under there.
- With
traditional grease joints that are
filled through built-in grease nipples
you should only add one or two pumps of
the grease gun and check so you don't
overfill them. Overfilling can cause
the boot to rupture.
- Ruptured
boots cannot be repaired, the joint
must be replaced.
- Use grease of
a grade approved by Ford.
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Copyright
2001-2003 Peter Ferlow