How do I Remove a Ball Joint on a 1998 4WD Ford F150?

Removing the ball joint on a 1998 Ford F150 really means removing the entire upper or lower control arm. The ball joints on this vehicle are permanent parts of the control arm and can't be removed separately. Removing the upper control arm and ball joint on the F150 is the same no matter the suspension type, but removing the lower joint on a four-wheel-drive model is slightly different than on a two-wheel-drive truck.

Instructions

Upper Arm Removal

1

Measure how high the center of the wheel hub is from the ground with measuring tape and record. This figure is needed for reinstallation.

2

Raise the truck's front end and support it on jack stands, then remove the front wheel. Raise a floor jack under the lower control arm near the ball joint and spring seat using a wood block on the jack head.

3

Remove the sensor wire for the anti-lock brake system using a wrench on the bracket bolt.

4

Pull the cotter pin from the ball joint's castle nut, then loosen the nut with a few turns without removing it. Insert a ball joint puller onto the joint and separate it from the knuckle, then remove the nut.

5

Remove the pivot bolt nuts for the control arm with a socket wrench and remove the control arm with the ball joint.

Lower Arm Removal

6

Raise and support the front end and remove the wheel as described in Section 1. Remove the anti-lock sensor.

7

Mark the torsion bar's relationship to the crossmember with correction fluid, then install a small puller with its bolt centered on the dimple in the torsion bar adjuster arm. Turn the puller bolt to remove the tension from the adjuster arm, then remove the adjuster bar's nut and the puller.

8

Mark the torsion bar's forward-end relationship to the control arm and push the bar forward through the control arm until the rear end clears the crossmember, then remove the adjuster arm. Pull the bar down and to the rear as far as possible.

9

Disconnect the control arm from the shock absorber, removing the single bolt and nut at the shock's lower end using your wrench and pull out the shock from below.

10

Unscrew the nuts and remove the bolts for the stabilizer bar link to disconnect the stabilizer bar from the control arm.

11

Separate the ball joint from the steering knuckle using a ball-joint pulling tool.

12

Unscrew and remove the lower control arm's pivot bolts with its nuts and washers and remove the arm.