Mustang Ball Joint Replacement | 1994-2004

[@elysiandraws9866]

You know you need tie rod/ball joint replacement when your car sounds like a bed in a motel on a saturday night

[@OvensGarage]

lol

[@codysawyers4586]

yes🫣😂

[@jackryan4313]

Mine sounds like a damn 25 year old bed in a whore house...replacing it right now tho so

[@jeff1385]

😂😂😂😂

[@melbajordan3767]

This was the best video I watched to do this job. Thank you for your help

[@OvensGarage]

Glad it helped! Cheers!

[@AzalofForossa]

I like how you just blip out your ball joint and I'm here literally impacting it and it doesn't even budge

[@OvensGarage]

GIVE ER THE HEAT AND LEVERAGE!!! THROW SOME BREAKER BARS AT IT! Lol

[@AzalofForossa]

@@OvensGarage I took a breaker bar, with a fat pipe on it and cranked that bastard out, I felt like I was breaking the control arm but the ball joint eventually just sharted out, pressed the new one in no prob, I did notice there was a metal piece sticking out of the arm, like the old one was pushed in at an angle or something, got 'er done tho after a few hours and my patience being tested lmao.

[@drewkaplin6514]

Someone should say that this guy must have lowering springs on this mustang, which means at full strut extension the springs are virtually unloaded. On a stock spring however, the coils are still VERY loaded at the full droop, and if you pull out those strut bolts or ball joint while it’s loaded up, you’re going to have that spring shoot the control arm down with so much force. I know because I’ve rebuilt several of these, and I have a massive 1/2” gouge out of the lifting arm of my 3 ton jack from that exact force while installing this suspension. If novices see this and just start unbolting a stock suspension they are going to get hurt, this is easily enough force to shear fingers / break bones.

[@OvensGarage]

Interesting. I'm pretty sure this mustang is stock. The struts unbolted and went back in quite easily. Perhaps yours were aftermarket.

[@GageDrums]

I am going to guess it did not shoot down like that because the sway bar was still connected. I thought the same thing though

[@jonathanblanchard6480]

​@@GageDrumsit looks like he left the step out, because he lifted up to compress the spring to reconnect the strut later.

[@AustinMeyers-ki2tz]

Mine didn't just saying it's stock

[@COBRO98]

I promise you, if you unbolt the sway-bar end link and then the two strut bolts without having a jack under the control arm first.. any spring is going to push down violently, the spring itself is likely to go flying out. Those springs are very high tension in Mustangs because of the design, they're about 500lbs per square inch when compressed. Do not let the control arm be held up by just the sway-bar end link either, it's not strong enough to reliably hold that spring tension, I've seen them snap. You need to very slowly lower the jack to relieve the spring tension.

[@tommybennett451]

Thanks bro I didn't know how to use the ball joint tool. Much appreciated

[@OvensGarage]

Cheers!

[@Experience1]

Thanks for including all the torque specs

[@siccmade8877]

I just had my lower pass side break while driving. F'd up my fender to ha. Good to know how easy it is to fix. Better do both sides with some quality products :) good video

[@OvensGarage]

That must have been sketchy having it break while driving! Glad you are okay good luck with the repair.

[@LilRhody]

I had the same thing happen to me like 2months ago

[@benb5308]

Same thing, and it was making that awful squeezing from the video too the whole time I had the car. Must be a pretty common problem with sn95s

[@thadhill6690]

How long was your squeaking? Mine started as it gets cold

[@Savannahjbo]

super common, Ive seen new ones make noise with in 6 months... them and dodge durangos , explorers and mustangs .. good step by step vid.. now is a good time to check the hub bearings since the spindle is off.... how many times did it take ya to press the ball joint in itself ... took me 3 times my last go around lol

[@OvensGarage]

Surprisingly it went in on the first go with the ball joint press. Just reefed on it and it eventually straightened itself out as it went in. lol

[@juanpedraza563]

So it’s recommended to replace the ball joints in pairs even though only one side makes the noise?

[@OvensGarage]

You should always replace everything in pairs when doing automotive work. That's just good practice for preventative maintenance.

[@GoldSeals]

Nice Video.I have the same year car.Im trying to seperate the ball joint from the spindle.You didnt show how you seperated the ball joint from the spindle.I tried using a pickle bar but could not get it to come off.I ordered a wheel puller made to seperate ball joints.It looks like a giant clothes pin.Your help would be tremendous.Thanks in advance

[@thadhill6690]

The most helpful video yet thanks Guy

[@OvensGarage]

Cheers!

[@richardrawson]

I ended up ruining my drivers side control arm because the press I rented was so bent up that the ball joint wouldn’t go in straight. It pulled the inside seating surface outward so I ended up have to buy a new control arm. Me being frugal ended up costing more in the end!

[@OvensGarage]

Oh that sounds like a pain in the butt

[@jaydavis4396]

Where did you get the clamp press gadget n what is it called exactly?

[@OvensGarage]

It's a ball joint press. I got it from Amazon. Link in description of video.

[@vladdamir]

Currently mid job and found that the ball joint broke in half and the top is firmly stuck in the caliper mount, the bottom cup of the ball joint was easy enough to press out.

[@asanchez2974]

My ball joint slipped out the socket today. Is it okay to just change out the ball joints or do I also need to change the control arms?

[@handlehouseflamingknights6913]

Fantastic video. I appreciate your time making the video

[@jonathanblanchard6480]

How is camber adjusted there? Are the strut bolts adjustable? Do you need to get new strut bolts?

[@COBRO98]

The bolts that connect the knuckle to the strut are recommended to be replaced by Ford, camber is adjusted through the camber/caster plate at the top of the strut in the engine bay.

[@SuspectShot46]

I'm trying tø figure øut if it's really my ball jøints . . I dønt hear any squeaking nøise . But It's sound like there's something jumping by my tire I can hear it usually when I'm reversing up ør døwn hill

[@OvensGarage]

It could be your ball joints! Just spray some lube on them and see if the squeak goes away temporarily.

[@SuspectShot46]

There's nø squeak ,,,,just pøpping nøise

[@AzalofForossa]

Clunking is a sign of ball joints or tie rods, honestly, while you're there I'd do both if you don't mind getting an alignment, if an alignment is an issue, do both ball joints. If they're not greasable, they tend to all fail around or before the 120-140k mark anyways if you got that many miles, and they fail sooner if it's mostly city driving due to potholes, speed bumps, etc. I'm about to do ball joints, tie rods, sway bar bushings, and links bc fuck it.

[@OzielSarellano]

Hey man my Mustang makes that same whirring noise when accelerating at low rpm’s, you probably know more than me so do you happen to know what it was ? I’m afraid it’s a trans issue 😅

[@OvensGarage]

Pretty normal for those transmissions to make those noises I believe.

[@freakin_wertz109]

This was very helpful, thankyou sir I appreciate you

[@2vcrew782]

It’s the most annoying sound in the world. And it’s very dangerous if it blows apart. I have done my driver side with the control arm the Moog replacement and it was a bear of a job the forward frame bolt was frozen in the sleeve and I had the cut it in half with a air saw to remove the lower control arm. If your control arm bushings are good I recommend just doing the ball joint.

[@alexwilliams1400]

how hard did you have to hammer the control arm because mine took some abuse to get loose

[@OvensGarage]

Mine didn't take too much abuse to get apart

[@viprz5444]

I have the nut off of the actual lower ball joint and the outer, but I can’t get the caliper bracket/knuckle out it’s literally like stuck onto the threads and this is haultingnme from finishing can someone tell me what I need to do

[@OvensGarage]

The knuckle is stuck on the stud of the ball joint? Beat that sucker to death with a BFH and maybe some heat if you are having trouble. It'll come off.

[@shanepaz1343]

What if they ain’t got any grease fittings? Did you not add any?

[@OvensGarage]

If I remember correctly the ones I got came with grease fittings

[@shanepaz1343]

@@OvensGarage ah okay I can’t recall if they do or not but I have a steering noise but I replaced The Whole control arm with the ball joint. Heard the 99-04 mustangs didn’t have grease fittings but I’ll check tomorrow

[@alltheangels648]

You made it look easier than it is. How important is changing the upper ball joint on this vehicle? Is it as bad?

[@OvensGarage]

Not sure haven't done them

[@theeyeperspective]

Just so you know, that noise comes from the sway bar links. Not sure why but the bolts loosen up n when it looses pressure is squeaks. Tightening them goes away or using grease or Vaseline..

[@OvensGarage]

Interesting, because the noise went away after replacing the ball joints. If the noise comes back I'll know exactly where to look! Thanks

[@jackryan4313]

@@OvensGarage update on that cuz if it's not the whole joint that needs a fixin then I'm gonna focus on another area of the full rebuild I'm doing

[@OvensGarage]

@@jackryan4313 Still no squeaks! The ball joint replacements solved my problem.

[@jackryan4313]

@@OvensGarage awesome. Well I'm overhauling a lot so I'll make sure to add that to the list

[@jackryan4313]

@@OvensGarage thank you!

[@kendracousar6481]

I've replaced everything but I know this is going to get Sally right

[@danielknight5235]

How did you get the 2 bolts that’s connecting the shock to the the caliber plate. I’m using the 15/16 wrench and the 21 mm but nothing is moving

[@OvensGarage]

Try using a breaker bar if you haven't. If not...more leverage, or use an air impact gun.

[@danielknight5235]

@@OvensGarage yea I ended up going to get an impact gun and I got it great video took me a minute to get the right configuration for the ball joint press but screwing the old screw on ball joint worked

[@anthonysmith2711]

Great job. Bought tools which makes it very easy! Side note, the old ball joint might shoot out like a bullet. Thanks

[@Tarheelsrule]

Shooting out like a bullet probably not I probably done this on over 50 mustangs I've never seen that lol

[@anthonysmith2711]

@@Tarheelsrule the ball joint was completely stuck. Rusted beyond. It was 30 minutes of trying. Finally came out. Front of garage to back in a seeding flat. Other side would not budge. Heated it a few times. Final time till joint was orange on fire. Used a steel mallet and a few hard snacks. Car say for 7 years in a garage. All rubber parts were shot. Many areas were rusted.... Midwest winters! So yes came out like a bullet boss

[@anthonysmith2711]

Further more I decided to replace both front control arms. When doing alignment they said the ball joints won't sit... So I bought BMR Non-Adjustable Front Lower Spring Pocket A-Arms; Polyurethane Bushings; Tall Ball Joint; Black Hammertone

[@Tarheelsrule]

@@anthonysmith2711 okay I get what you're saying now sorry about that

[@Tarheelsrule]

@@anthonysmith2711 I can see that lol they have a new product on the market that's called Deep creep it helps a lot in freeing up rusted nuts and Bolts also the PB blaster with silicone is a great great to hear you got the job finished up

[@jamesa6272]

Do you need to get a alignment after unbolting the strut?

[@OvensGarage]

No adjustment on the bolt holes, so no.

[@jacobbruner1]

my ball joint just broke on my 99 and now its parked in the driveway whole front suspension is trash on my car and steering is awful

[@OvensGarage]

Hope the video helped you!

[@briandimascio3624]

Moog K8749 ball joints are great. Used em on my 99 cobra a few years ago and just got em for my 89 gt (with 95gt 5lug swap) $25 ea on Amazon. Vevor 21piece ball joint press $47

[@masoodfarhadi84]

Thnx budy great video and informative 👍

[@OvensGarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@fearlessflyer03]

Thanks for this! Just bought a 2002 base Stang from a family member with only 74,000 miles on it. I have the same exact squealing noise! Do you suggest changing out both joints on the front? The right side joint is bad.

[@OvensGarage]

Hi, I suggest changing out both ball joints as well as the sway bar end link bushings on both sides. This will solve your squeaking problem.

[@TheJrt1983]

What kit is that?

[@OvensGarage]

Link is in the description!

[@TheDallasSkeptic]

Great video. I have a 2004 with the same symptoms. Guess I'll be buying some ball joints and borrow some tools from Oreilly.

[@OvensGarage]

Cheers, maybe do the sway bar end links while you are in there. I hear that this may also be cause for the squeak. The ball joints fixed my squeak though.

[@breepak63]

That squeeking noise comes from worn end link bushings. Cheap easy repair

[@jvvarietychannel1601]

Good video!

[@jhonkafirk]

Great video...thanks

[@OvensGarage]

Glad you liked it!

[@quintenmason2518]

This is a very unsafe way to do the ball joints, you should have either used the jack or something to support the control arm. Not saying you didnt do a good job, just saying, you got lucky your sway bar endlinks held up to the force of the coil springs. Nice video though next time just take more caution, coil springs can be scary and very dangerous.

[@OvensGarage]

Yeah a jack under the control arm for safety would have been a good idea...it worked though.

[@bryanconner5208]

Sway bar bushing

[@OvensGarage]

You are probably right...but no noise since I replaced it.

[@jamesa6272]

Awesome!

[@OvensGarage]

Thanks!

[@0rvelazqu]

My ball joints were so old that they wouldn't stay in place at the top. I had to use a torch, floor jack and then had to hit it with my purse about 4,953 times

[@hideouseblob955]

My man, get something on that spring

[@Justarandomdude7]

Yo.......fml I took the whole damn control arm off and now need to get a spring compressor to get it back together.....smh live and learn I suppose...

[@OvensGarage]

Lol, good luck! Now you have both tools. haha

[@2vcrew782]

Yeah you want to leave the sway bar end link connected to the control arm unless you support the lower arm if not it’ll blow the spring in your face. This way shown is the easiest way to do it .

[@bigwaves2824]

skipping alot of parts but still ok video

[@OvensGarage]

Thanks for watching

[@timscraggs2693]

I could have told you it was the lower ball joint.. you a grown ass man. You should know proper maintenance.

[@OvensGarage]

That's right. It was the ball joint.

[@izzyv9087]

And yet u watched the video🤣 seems he stills know more than u grown man

[@TheChiefJudgeDredd]

I bought a car and 2 weeks later the ball joint started making noise, is it because I failed to do proper maintenance? No, don’t be a fucking idiot

[@Kosworth]

Great video. Please stop mixing imperial and metric tools, you're just asking to round something off.