ball joint or control arm?
 

1988, 5.0L crown vic LX sedan.
Balljoint wear indicators indicate replacement is required.

Are the front lower ball joint replaceable or does the entire control arm need replacing?

The ford shop manual says to replace the control arm but I've seen replacement balljoints are available from parts stores?

can I do just the balljoint??

No input? going to install a balljoint; will post back later to let myself know how i made out.

This post just showed today so I could see it. Sorry you did not get a reply. The ball joint is replaceable by itself. Just curious as to what you are talking about on the ball joint wear indicator. I have been in the business for over 45 years and have never seen anything but lateral and vertical play specs.

wear indicator bj are definitly a thing of the past. I do believe that all of the big 3 used them at some point. They are spring loaded however and will not show play when unloaded.

The wear indicator is the grease fitting on the bottom of the bj. When worn, the fitting shoulder will recess into the joint cover surface. No specs are given for this type; the manual just says wear indicator type. crown vic from 88 to 92 used this type.

I am wondering if the replacement joint will be a wear indicator type or not. Will find out tomorrow. Thanks for the input.

the new bj pressed in nice and easy with a ball joint press tool. At $23, was alot cheaper and easier to replace than a control arm. The replacement bj is not a wear indicator style joint.