Hi. I have a '99 E150 work van with about 140,000 miles. Went to get an alignment but was told it could not be done because the front upper ball joints were bad. I replaced these about 12,000 miles ago. There is some play on them which I figure to be about 1/8 of an inch. was wondering if this amount of play warrants replacing them already or if I can get a few more miles out of them. Thanks in advance for any help

 

Technically there should be no ply.
If the tires are worn bad enough for you to see it , then the tires and joints have to be replaced before a good alignment can be done. Many shops don't have the necessary parts and equip to do an effective alignment on Ford vans so be careful where you take it in for the alignment. As far as a few more miles a lot depends on where you drive. Locally and short trips may buy you some time, but other than that if you drive on bumpy roads accelerated wear will take place.

 

thanks for responding. had a follow-up question though. is it possible to replace the uppers without removing the spindle from the vehicle. I did all four last time and the lowers look ok

 

From my experience , no. You would need the room to use the forcing tool and it's safer to do it the right way.

 

great. thanks for the help