Front Suspension Woes

[anupaum]

Hello everyone!

I've not been around for awhile because my supercharged Ranger is no more and I've been driving a 2004 Explorer Sport Trac with the 4 liter V6. I really like the truck, but I've been experiencing chronic problems with the front end and I'm wondering if there is a fix . . .

I've replaced the upper and lower control arm bushings on both sides, along with the ball joints -- also on both sides. I've put a little over 100 000 kilometers on this vehicle since we bought it, and now I need a THIRD set of tires. The toe-in goes out of whack and wears the inside of the front tires so badly I can't get more than 2 years out of a set. Is this a known issue? Is there a way to fix it?

Additionally, the front brake discs warp easily. I've also replaced these twice, and they need replacing again. I like to think I'm gentle on brakes and I never had this problem with my Ranger, but the Sport Track is a front-end nightmare.

Suggestions?

Robert Luis Rabello

 

[anupaum]

Okay, it's worse than I thought . . .

The truck needs ball joints and shocks replaced. Its rear brakes aren't working AT ALL. Now I need brakes on all four corners, in addition to the ball joints, shocks and an alignment. Then, it will need a new set of tires.

I looked at replacing it with a comparable F 150, but we're looking at $60K or more for the same kind of trim package. A new Ranger up here starts at $30+, and to get something with comparable trim, it starts pushing well into the $40K range.

Grief! Vehicles are ridiculously expensive these days . . .

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Find the parts you need/want, get the part number and Google them. You'll soon find some excellent deals on them. Plus, if you're clever about it, you can find some coupons or discount codes to use as well. AdvanceAuto will have heavy discount codes available. Rockauto always has their 5% discount. Sometimes you can even get lucky with Jegs and Summit offering discounts or having sales on certain parts. I often search on Ebay and use the part number or UPC and click the box to "include description" in my search. It'll bring up a lot more listing normally.

You might also check a few forums for some parts deals in their classifieds. As well as the Facebook Marketplace and Sport Trac pages on FB.

 

[JohnnyO]

I like NAPA's Ultra Premium rotors and their ceramic pads. Always got good service from them. Gen 1 Trac shocks were junk when they were new, let alone 15 years later. Ball joints were always a weak spot.

 

[19Walt93]

My friend used to own our local Napa and he'd bring his wife's Explorer to us for repairs and supply the parts. Napa introduced a "value line" of suspension parts to compete with the likes of Autozone and he had us install one of the new "value"(read:cheap) wheel bearings to see how it would do. Three months later we replaced it with a standard Napa part. If more than one grade of part is available buy the better ones unless you need practice replacing them. Ball joints and tierod ends take a beating n every bump and turn.