How To Replace Worn Ball Joints Ford F250 Truck 

Great video. One suggestion don't take out the ABS sensor out of the bearing. Follow the wire, it's only about 2' long, and disconnect it at the wire connector. They get seized in and break when you try to pull them out.

The more I watch the more I realize that while your how-to tips are worth every penny of savings to which they could lead, your philosophies and advice on life are priceless. Much thanks to the entire Wranglerstar team for doing what you do and sharing it with us. I hope I can meet you some day.

great video, one of the best I've seen for f250's. i live in Nj so mine will take a little longer because of all the rust and corrosion. on the plus side, as my truck rust over the years it's getting lighter, giving me better gas mileage.

The amount of money i have saved over the years by doing things like this myself is crazy, you are 100% right, i have done some crazy difficult repairs on my truck that i never thought i would be able to do by myself thanks to videos like yours, i am extremely grateful, God bless, stay safe brother.

Thanks for this. I'm pretty sure I need to do this on an f350 I just bought. I really appreciate your little speech on self reliance too. I was making up a list of tools I'd need to add to my collection while I watched this. It amuses me how simple most automotive repairs are, but like you said, folks are just convinced they have to pay a "pro". I once went to O'Reilly's, put my truck on jack stands in the parking lot. Removed my brake rotors and while they were inside being turned I repacked my front bearings. All with my own tools. It was my own truck, so didn't have the luxury of working at home and driving them over there. As I was working I heard people talking. Looked around and saw a quick lube mechanic shop across the street, two of the "pros" standing there watching me. It was extremely gratifying! It's all just nuts and bolts. Thanks again man!

I was just quoted 1800 for the tie rods and ball joints install. I'm going to knock it out instead, been watching videos all week and yours by far is the best. clean clear and to the point. I hope you make videos for more projects in the future.

We use our trucks for commercial snow plowing so what we would do while were in there is definitely change the U joint and if we have snow money we would change the whole bearing assembly put everything back together with copper anti- seize The rust here in New York is so bad the actual rotor will rot through before the brake pads are gone and we also end up changing entire calipers every time but doing it yourself you’ve saved all that shop labor , put that money back in to all new parts thanks for the video 100% correct

Nice video good explanation to be 13 years old one of the best video that I ever saw on RU-vid to repair something much appreciate

Best video I've found for the 99+ Ford. This video helped me tremendously. Thank you!

Thank you ! This was one of the very best automotive How To videos I have ever seen ! Thanks for your clear commentary on the repair process, the tools involved, and the Positive Mental Attitude !! Keep up the great video work.

These are the kinds of people who drive ford's, proud to be a ford owner

one of the best instructional videos on youtube .... I've got a 97 F250 and need to do this job on, local shop wants more then the vehicle would sell for ... thanks for doing this

this video was very helpful and believe it or not the concluding comments that were made really inspired me not only in the manual labor aspect but in what life has brought to my doorstep. Thank You So Much and God Bless.

I love the rant at the end of this video. Wranglerstar is right. Most of the kids that grow up in this day and age have no clue on how to work on their cars, let alone how to change the oil. Teach your children if you have the skills or not. You can learn as your children do if you have to.

I rebuilt the G52 five speed transmission in my Toyota 4X4 truck. I had never even seen the inside of a transmission but the tranny was not usable and I didn't have the money for a rebuilt. I had the factory manual which is a VERY spartan source of information and help, and there is little info out there. When I started this project I didn't understand how a manual transmission works. With what I learned, if I could do it again with all my new knowledge it wouldn't have taken me two tries to get it right. Now I can speak intelligently about gears, bearings, synchros, hubs, sliders, dogs, forks and quantum mechanics LOL. Manual transmissions are fantastically clever engineering, fundamentally unchanged since what, 1920? When I got done I still had the original problem. I mentally wrestled with what I had missed and finally concluded the 1-2 fork was wiped out and due to my inexperience - I had never seen a good one - I had simply reinstalled the original problem. I ordered a new one and as soon as I saw those big meaty pads I knew this was my problem. I had already replace a broken 1-2 slider and installed a rebuild kit, new synchros and bearings and all. I replaced the old wiped out 1-2 fork and put it back together and it's fine. I bought some specialty tools and all the parts including GL I think 3 oil and some important peripherals for about $700. A rebuilt plus peripherals with shipping both ways was going to push $2000. For anyone contemplating doing one of these you must must must have a hydraulic press. I didn't and it would have been a comparative breeze if I had had one.

awesome video! just finished both sides of an 04 ford excursion diesel.. I have never done more than brakes and rotors so this was big for me. took a long time on the driver's side, then the passenger side went in half the time. thanks for the help, I saved $600 doing it myself!

You can leave the 4x4 lock hub all together and just remove it with the wheel bearing as an assembly with axle shaft. Its a 2.5 hr book time job cut in half. Of coarse if you are replacing wheel bearing or have hub problems you need to disassemble them. I do lots of these

"There's not a good video out there so I thought I'd do one myself" I like your thought process great video

I know this video was done 9 years ago, but I love your attitude and willingness to call out the pansies (like myself) who may have the skills to do this, but get lazy and pay someone else to do it! You're the BEST!

One of your older videos but a great video. I don't usually get intimidated by a job but working on my truck gets to me, probably because I need my truck and cant afford to replace it. Thank you for making a great step by step video. :)

I appreciate the how to video and agree 100% with your statements at the end.

Cody! I know it’s an old vid but you nailed everything you said. I make a living as a handyman and these skills are seriously invaluable. Keep up the good work. Going to be changing my f350 ball joints tomorrow on my 2wd. Great to see your self sufficiency and mindset at saving money and gaining skills in the process.

Willpower over skill set - You can learn anything with willpower and motivation. Dude, you are beyond awesome. Couldnt agree more with every single thing you said.Almost 2020 and your comments ring even more true

Best video out. Gives tons on information and doesn't leave you stranded on the how to. Ford was going to charge me $2000 +.. thanks boss man. It saved me a months wage in labor alone.

Great job! One of the most informative and thorough videos I've seen on auto repair. You should do more 2005 F-350 Powerstroke

Good reminders on self-reliance and problem-solving add to the useful how-to video!

I just changed out a hub in my 1999 Ford F-250 super duty 7.3L diesel because Driver side bearing went bad. At that time i looked at my ball joints and was wondering how in the world do change them out. Well i like your video because you show step by step how to get to the ball joints. Thanks very informative. Fyi. When doing a hub i had to change all seals in the end because the old seals when i broke the seal and they still looked good i put it back together again and they refused to seal right. So to anybody watching this video, please change your seal so your vacuum 4x4 system works properly. Trust here in Alaska Anchorage, i learned the hard way in 12 degrees weather. I ended up ripping everything apart again, just to install new seals on the hub, because i didn't do it while everything was apart the first time. Trust me it sucked! But still i saved myself $2300.00 doing it myself.

Didn't realize this vid was a decade old! You actually saved me WAY more than $1000. Plus the experience is quite valuable. Thanks again Mr. W!

This was my introduction to your channel. You saved my bacon with this one. Thanks!

not trying to be a troll--just FYI though, you can hammer the lower ball joint out and if you dont want to do that you can use a cutoff wheel and cut the stem off and eliminate the need for the extra piece of pipe..ive done it both ways and both are affective. GREAT VIDEO!!!

Just wrapping up my ball joints and hub change. Thanks so much for this video. Very helpful. Probably watched it 5 times over the last week.

I just got an 01 F250. Thank you, your video might be 10 years old but it is still helping people out! Just thought you'd like to know.

Great video!! I have an '02 4x4 F250. This was EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you.

wranglerstar Love the attitude. You're a wise fellow, keep it real my friend!

I was going to drop my truck off at the shop for upper and lower ball joint replacement, and then I found you.Great video friend and I also like the way you're thinking thank you for doing this.

Just finished this project on an excursion 4x4 diesel, just wanted to say thank you for the help sir.

thank you!!! I did exactly what you showed and it went perfectly! Worst part was my wife telling me im not a mechanic

good camera work and good explanations . nice job.

Did this job today out in -2 weather in the driveway. Also had to cut a custom piece of pipe to help install the lower ball joint. I took this job on from watching a few RU-vid videos and it really helped when making this happen. Triple checked all the bolts and nuts and retainers when finished and called it good. One thing I found out is to install the grease fitting on the upper ball joint first before pressing it in so that you can orient the 90 degree fitting forward so you can access it with the grease gun later. This is because when you tighten the grease fitting down, it may be pointed in the wrong direction. This all started from the steering wheel getting a wobble at different speed and if the truck was loaded. Passenger side ball joint wear is always worse in worse shape than the drivers side. Wranglerstar, you are so correct in stating this is not an impossible job if approached correctly and you can save a lot of cash that can go elsewhere.

Great video!! I 100% agree with you. People now days want to pay somebody else to do everything ! I recently have to have the T-belt replace on my wife's Volvo, the dealer quoted me $1300 for the job including parts . I said no way I'm paying that kind of money. Long story short, thanks to a RU-vid video like yours I was able to do the work myself and I only spend $289.00 on OEM Parts. Not to mention how good it felt for saving us that kind of money .

"pansy Friends" I love this guy... Great walk through! Thanks. Will be doing this this afternoon.

Thanks for the video, our society seems to be losing the ability to make repairs on most everything, the sense of accomplishment that comes from making these types of repairs is amazing! Great job!

The more vids of yours that I watch the more I like your way of thinking. I am 55 and had various shop classes in high school and continue to try to learn new things every year. It was a shame that many trade jobs evaporated or went overseas but the training and education are still needed today by most everyone. I am amazed at how little ppl know when it comes to fixing something. Granted manufacturers have made components unfixable but a lot of basic knowledge is not being passed on. I encourage everyone to tackle projects they are uncomfortable with. When in doubt have another person check it out afterwards but for the most part you will know when it all meshes. Thanks for an old vid I just now got to ...

This is the very first video I watched by Wranglerstar. I found it online when I was living alone 2000 miles away from home and Money was tight. It really saved me. I've been a subscriber ever sense. Thanks for the great channel.

Thanks for the great vid!

By the way. I am so sick of stupid people giving excellent videos like this a thumbs down. Obviously this guy is doing a great service to people like us who need ths information. It seems like no matter how great a video there is always some or a few idiots who recklessly give a thumbs down. I think that giving a thumbs down should require a persons total information be posted under a video with that person explaining why ther wisdom is so much greater than this. When Ill bet 99.999% of the time its normally some loser sitting in mom's basement at 27 years old with no direction in life so they want to crap on everyone else. I suggest you get a life before a bucket of crap falls on your head. Again thank you for sharing your time and research for free! As I post this there are 97 people with too much time on their hands and have been totally corrupted from watching video games for years.

Former mechanic here, I have done alot of various jobs over time, but my ball joints went out and your video was a great refresher and cover a few details that really made it easier

VERY educational video on replacing the ball joints on an F250. I have done it on my friend's 96 F250 and I watched this just for a CME class. You are right $1200 is not cheap for working people like us. Most people who watches"how to" videos can't afford to dish out that kind of money. Your video is precise and very informative without the useless background rock tunes blasting. You are right about buying pro tools and HF tools. Also right about buying quality US made parts vs cheap/garbage imported crap. VERY PRECISE AND EDUCATIONAL.

Dude, I like your diy philosophy.

12:00 Camber/caster bushing. also, when you press the ball joints in, try applying some anti-seize to the ball joints as well as all the mating surfaces. if you ever do this again, you will be glad you did!

Thank you. I agree with you completely about taking the initiative and having some grit. A little RU-vid and asking a few questions can save you and the family money best used elsewhere. Hats off to you 👏

Just went to get new tires and alignment the other day, they couldn't do the alignment due to bad ball joints and tie rod ends etc. Quoted me $2000 and some change to replace it all just after dropping $1150 on tires, no thanks! I'm fairly handy and used to do a lot of my own repairs as a younger man, (not that interested as I get older but to save some big money I'm all in) after watching this video I'm ready to tackle this job now. I want to echo some of the comments that others have made about the generosity of people like this guy to share his knowledge and understanding to the world for free. Sadly there are people who get off somehow by thumbs downing a video or trolling with idiotic comments or criticism.

You just pissed off every Ford dealership in the US. Were not suppose to know about fixing it our self!!!!! I'm guessing that the 70 negs was the dealerships!!

I'm not sure which I hate more: paying somone to do the job I can do myself, or doing the job myself. I learned how to work on vehicles in 1979-80, when I souped-up a 1971 Mach 1 Mustang with a 351 Cleveland. Things have changed a lot since then, and it drives me crazy when I have to work on my vehicles. I am a mechanical engineer, but if I was an automotive engineer, I would never admit it. Brake lines run in front of suspenion bolts, plastic parts that break instead of coming apart, spark plugs that need three extensions with 2 u-joints in-between, starters that can't be reached without taking off the intake manifold, fill-in-the-blank simple thing that can't be changed without taking off 47 pieces of whatever. Sorry. Ranting there.

I was a dealership technician for many years. Great video. I searched for this video because I have a friend's 250 at my house that needs the ball joints replaced, and I wanted to make sure that the procedure was what I thought it was. A couple of things that I would recommend when disassembling is Leave the nuts threaded three or four threads and shock the knuckle right next to the drag link, and both of the ball joints with a BFH (Big F**king Hammer). You can run the risk of tearing up the boot on the drag link and you can mushroom the head of the ball joints and cause issues with fitting them through the hole, if they are really stuck in there with a lot of rust or maybe just gorilla tight. If they are super duper stuck you can use a pickle fork for the drad link and a ball joint separator. Thanks for this tutorial!

RESPECT 2U. Now in 2014 your statement about everything getting to costly is even more correct. I dont have a truck or a car, to costly. I still enjoyed watching the video.

The 52 people that disliked this video must be mechanics.

I'm a mechanic I don't mind when customers want me to diagnose things for them and do it themselves but I also don't work for free. I hope you paid the mechanic who you referenced in the beginning of the video for diagnosing your ball joints. Other than that nice video and good job.

My son has this exact truck and needs his ball joints replaced. NOBODY wants to do it, so we are going to do it. It's looked like a big pain, but I just replaced the ball joints on my 4wd Explorer and except for the fact that the F-250SD is a little more heavy-duty, it's basically the same deal. I'm gonna get a few pieces of pipe first - great tip! Thank you for this wonderful video - you've inspired / encouraged me and I'm confident we will get it done fairly easily now!

I just left the mechanic's shop with a written quote...$800 parts, $900 LABOR for upper/lower ball joints, wheel bearings, tie-rod end. I'm now heading to the parts store for the parts and am going to tackle this myself! Thank you very much for the video!!!

Just replaced ball joints on my father's truck after watching this video. Thanks. On this truck, axle did not come out easy like yours. It was hard getting axle seal out of knuckle. Had to punch it out from behind and replace the seal. After finishing everything, something just came to question. Do you need to grease axle seal? What is lubricating this axle seal?

The great mysteries of life like why does it only take for bolts to hold the hub on and eight to hold the wheel on .

I agree with your attitude. Because of this video I will replace the ball joints on my own truck in remembrance of my father that taught me that I can do it.

Great video and so true. People used to do for themselves. Now people are lazy and just let others do. Kudos to you. I tackle projects myself thanks to my dad always telling me...you can do anything you put your mind to.

This showed up on my recommendations 8 years later, I thought it said 8 hours so I clicked it, but no 8 years

Nice job saving yourself some hard earned cash. A few things, NEVER use a heavy dead blow on a steering knuckle. You can deform the living daylights out of the casting with one. I have seen more than one steering knuckle ruined this way by DIY'ers. Usually it is the arm when the tie rod connects that get bent, but I have seen the ball joint flanges bent as well. The best thing is a big ball peen hammer, not a dead blow, not a soft mini-sledge/beater/top maul. One swift hard shot perpendicular to the axis of the joint will pop it right apart. The idea is to take advantage of the ductile nature of cast iron. Done this way, the casting deforms then returns to shape. Beating on it with a soft hammer just swages the casting around until it vibrates free. Also, always use anti seize before pressing the new joint in. It helps lube the joint so it can straighten out when it gets cocked going in, and makes life much easier when on the next person. You need to lube that upper joint, it does not have enough grease in it from the factory. it is called a "zert," not a "cert." :)

Great video. I'm only 17 and my f250 needs ball joints. A shop quoted me $750 and I just don't have that kind of money right now, going to show my dad this video and it could be a project for both of us to take on.

You love Fords and cats! You're smart and kind! Thanks for sharing. This gives us non-mechanics some insight on how much work it takes to make a repair like this. I have a lot of appreciation for mechanically inclined people. My Ford needs this and I wanted to understand why I would need to pay the quoted amount in labor, and now I see how intricate it is to do, so thank you!

honestly u can do anything in this world because now they have internet.

The manufacturer does not put grease nipples on ball joints and the such so the part wears out quicker and you have to pay them to fix it, or buy new parts and do it your self. Just a money making exercise.

Damn Cody! Eleven years later your vid is still the only one really covering this subject. Thanks from the future!!

Very good video. I'm doing this on my 89 F250. I thought about saving some money by buying cheap replacements but with the help of this video I'm able to afford the best. Thanks

$1200? that is a rip off!!! Ball joints only cost at least $30 per. and about an 30min - 1hr to replace.

"Specialists are first in line for unemployment." --me

Been watching for yrs n up to date, you was just playing with your new forge and anvil. This is one of your more useful videos, Tks

Found my dad trying to change the ball joints out while the knuckle was still on. Lots of swearing before watching this. Saved our skins.Thank you so much! :D

this guy is 100% right on, we need more people like this in the world, people are way to lazy so it cost them ,80% of people could do this if they would just try ..

Great job on this video man. I've watched a few and they are/were no where near as thorough. I especially liked the message at the end, that was a nice touch to end a really good tutorial. That message couldn't ring truer in today's world.

Thanks..from the guy trying to save money with no general mechanic experience! Very helpful.

5 years ago the only trucks we had on the road were 7.3 250-350 fords. Too bad they went to the POS 6.0. This is an excellent video, and I have watched it at least 3 times.

Great video. Your life lessons are far more important than the ball Joint job. You are a great teacher and councilor! GREAT JOB!

I really enjoyed your video. I have an F250 with worn ball joints that I have to replace and this helps a lot. You and I have the same mentally when it comes to tackling a job that most people nowadays would never try themselves. Thank you...

Watched this so I can go change these right now. These poor kids today they will hardly understand that you can actually do this on your own with the right tools and instructions. Great Video, thanks for posting and sharing. I actually learned a few things. I hope mine comes apart as easy as this one did but we all know how often that happens. thanks again

Awesome mindset man! I’ve been telling so many people how important self reliance is and saying that people have gotten so dependent on everybody else to solve there problems for them even though it’s easier than ever to handle things like this.Thanks for the great video brother👍

Wow dude your like a farmer! Which I am. We all realize that so much of what needs doing has to be done by no one else but us. I also know there are many ways to skin a cat, but having the fortitude to get going is like you say a must in today's world. Excellent production thank you. Johnny Amish

Great video. I just had ball joints put in my F250 and you are right 1250.00. The only thing I was missing to do the job was this video and a heavy bench with a nice big vice. I agree you just saved yourself a ton.

Im 17 and had this same problem with the ball joints obviously i dont have $1200 to pay like nothing and this video actually gave me some knowledge and taught me something!👍🏼

I absolutely love your F250 videos! Very well made, easy to watch and follow. You're helping us become more self sufficient and save our families money where we can. I'm doing all of my own work where I can on my 03' 7.3 and it's saving me tons of money!

I wish I could give this TWO thumbs up. I'm a mechanic. I still go to RU-vid occasionally to observe others at work. Very nice job. Your closing thoughts echo what I tell people all the time. "Get your hands dirty, ya pansy".

This is the video that introduced me to your Chanel. Still the best super duty ball joint video on RU-vid👍

Love that this video exist. I've got an 03' that I try and do as much work as I can on it myself. Videos like this allow me to do my own work and not rely on other people to do it for me. Thanks!

There is no greater value then making an effort to learn on your own. pay attention to good advice. Well said.

I had to watch a few more videos. I have a warn hub assembly. But once I got involved it took me about 6 hours. My ball joints were fried! Thanks for all the help

Great video - just changed joints on my Excursion and this vid really helped. Can't believe how straight forward the job was. One big tip: have the right tools! The ball joint kit I borrowed was too small and the majority of job time was spent futzing with making it work. REALLY like the attitude! I saved north of $1000 doing the joints, trans cooler, trans filter, and fluid change. Maybe us old fa&ts remember when money was worth something eh?

man, thanks for the very informative posting bro.....made life alot easier and sooooo much cheaper than going to the shop. thanks bro you rock!

I have the same issue with my f250 and this clip is exactly the one I need to fix my truck. Awesome presentation! Your advise on self-reliance is very true. Thanks for posting this clip. I am now a follower 😁

Thanks, this is a great step by step video. I'm going to tackle this project including a complete front end rebuild tomorrow. One thing to add, when you start to get frustrated, walk away for a few hours to a day and a solution will often present itself. I've found the cost of the tools is more than offset by the labor and you have the tools and knowledge for the next job.

Great video!!!! you saved me so much cash that I was able to fix my truck and pay some bills. I can't thank you enough

Major props to you, Thanks for the video! I have to change all four ball joints on my F350 tomorrow and I havent done ball joints before. You have saved me a ton of cash. Good work and Thanks again.

I must say - You are so right on getting the way of thinking of being self reliant, I love your way of thinking. As we learned back when I was young in 4H the motto was { Learn by doing }. A very well done video... Good going!