1999 150 Ball Joint Replacement---Camber Adjuster

I found yotermaniac's great description for the replacement,

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3182697&postcount=2

I have the CD version of the shop manual but it sure is great to have real life instructions.

The question I have is about a "camber adjuster". The CD says to remove the upper ball joint pinch bolt AND THE CAMBER ADJUSTER. I am concerned that this adjuster may have to be rotated to adjust the camber. Should I be concerned?

The reason I am going to change the ball joints is tire wear. I took it in for an alignment today and they said they can't because the ball joints are shot.

I don't trust the b*$t**d$ because they tried to find all other kinds of problems (noise from brakes..Bull, new rotors and pads and I can't hear anything), (Hard to stop...WHAT?????), (Need new tires to do the alignment...bull again, the wear is just starting).

Anyway, the van has 116k miles on it so new ball joints are plausible. I can't be sure because even the shop manual says check for "excessive play". Crap, what is excessive? One man's excessive is another man's tight...is that how the saying goes?

anyhow.....

Thanks

Pete

Hi Pete, Guess you got your Balls fixed? Actually, I went for that BALL-Joints replacement on my '99 E150 at around 30K miles. The el cheapo units ford uses(no grease Nipples),well you know(should be a TSB/Recall). If you raise the van and pull(or jack-it) outwards at your feet),you get the excess play you don't want(have someone watch the upper joints move).Actually, there is a min-max play number to go by. However,I waited past warranty, and so coughed up th $600 to a local mechanic. Ford wanted $much$ more to fix &
replace THE CAMBER ADJUSTERs & do a front-end alignment!! Anyway, your Adjusters might be worn at your miles. However, if you get an honest appraisal,if may not need those overpriced Adjusters. My guy did the job(had to degrease the rotors afterwards!) without the babble. Anyway, I got some bertter Balls with Nipples!!! Maybe, if they replace the turn-around CAMBER ADJUSTERs, you will need the Alignment. Your probably over This by now.Must be others out there dealing with these bad nylon Balls without Nipples!!! So many crap parts, and not enough time to deal with them. Good Luck!:rofl:

Actually I replaced them myself. I got all four joints, with grease fittings, for less than $50 from AdvanceAuto. They lent me the tool for pressing out the old joints and pressing in the new ones. No charge.

The only problem I hit was pressing the last joint into the fitting, I pulled my shoulder. It still hurts a week later.

Before installing them, there was noticeable movement when pulling/pushing the top of the tire. Same for the bottom of the tire. Then after replacement, I couldn't detect any movement.

I now understand the adjusters. Basically they are "collars" that position the upper joint. They control both camber and caster by controlling the in/out position and fore/aft position of the shaft of the upper bearing. Originally they are not adjustable and are probably selected at time of manufacture. Now, to set the camber and caster, the manual says to measure the camber and caster and calculate how much both have to change (subtract the number stamped on the OEM part). Then select an adjuster based on a chart in the manual and orient it as a prescribed angle. It is a tradeoff of camber and caster to get within tolerances. Toe in is then adjusted. AdvanceAuto wants about $12 per adjuster, two required if you know which two from about 20 different variations.

I haven't taken it in yet for an alignment. I have been surfing the net looking at ways to measure the caster, camber, and toe in at home. I have found 4 or 5 methods and gotten 4 or 5 different and conflicting answers. EXTREMELY CONFLICTING!!

I don't drive the van much now. I'll keep playing around and collecting information until I have to take it on a trip. Then I'll cough up for an alignment. I wonder if the alignment shops keep a selection of adjusters and just charge for the ones they need. I also wonder if they refund me for the ones they remove (ha ha).

Hi, Sounds like you licked the job.Except for that shoulder issue which you'll remember. Actually, I remember some similar injury when I tackled my old Dodge Ram van. That memory, and my age, and my wife convinced me to shell out the bucks for a pro job(not ford). :cwm27: As to the C&C & Toe-In, I suspect most alignment shops just screw with the Toe-In(maybe). You might talk a drive on the straight,flat,and level(safe) to see how it tracks and turns. When the wheels are centered and straight ahead, they should be perpendicular to the ground(+/-). The wheels do slant in the turns and should return without resistance. The Toe-In is easy to measure and adjust the tie-rods(without rust)to spec. Ofcourse, with that bum shoulder, you might not. The experts might know much better.:naughty:

Camber is easy, just a spirit level held vertically. I just get one reading, go for a drive, then get a different reading. When I get a chance, I'll resolve the differences.

As for toe in, it seems to drive pretty straight but the steering wheel seems to be a little to the right. The van doesn't pull and the wheel doesn't want to turn, it just seems to want to be a little to the right. I had to replace the steering box a year or so ago but I didn't notice this problem then.

Toe in is easy to measure until I tried it. If I did the trig. right, a toe in angle specification of 0.06 degrees +/- 0.25 degrees comes out to the back should be wider by 0.03 inches nominally with a range of -0.096 to +0.15 inches. (29 inch outside tire diameter) That's over a 70 inch or so tire spacing meaning I have to measure with an accuracy of 0.14%. Tough to do lying on your back and with some frame members in the way.

I messed around with a laser level taking a shot straight down the middle of the van from the middle of the frame in front to the middle of the differential. Made some under the van measurements but I could just feel too much slop in my readings.

Then I rigged up a piece of angle aluminum to make an extension that went across the rim and extended ahead of the van. I measured from the van center line to this extension at a point near the bumper and a point near the front end of the extension. Sort of a similar triangles deal. The numbers don't match the other method. I'll play with it some more when I get a chance. It would be nice if I could take it to a pro and see what he reads and compares to my readings.

Oh well, fun and games until I really need to drive any distance.

Thanks

Pete