While everyone else was busy "taking the knee" or burning NFL logos, I was taking the rig to the shop. You see, the front suspension was sounding rough and creaky.
Where was the creak coming from? Sure, somewhere at the front but where exactly; hard to tell. I rocked the stationary leviathan back and forth, trying to pinpoint the apocalyptic creak. Like a hot coal falling from a smoking thurible, it seemed to be coming from behind the wheels.
Underneath an F150
So I climbed under the thing and had a look, all the while pushing up on the Beast to provoke the eschatological creak. Was it the shocks, tie rods, sway bar or ball joints?
Not The Problem But Change Out The Ancient Shocks Anyway
With a sinking feeling that the end of the world was near, I figured it was probably the ball joints. But, hope against hope, I sprayed lithium grease and WD40 over everything, all on the off-chance that a miracle would occur and lube would magically cure the hideous creak.
Note The Eschatological Bottom Ball Joint
It didn't, no more than words like "millionaire socialist hypocrite" would cure the concussed minds of our nation's baller geniuses. That's because Ford, in its wisdom, doesn't build grease inlets into F150 ball joints. You can spray all the lube you want and it's not going to grease up the interior of the joints, which dry out and die.
Brazen
I know, you'll scorn me for not attempting the job myself but I took the rig to the Shop of The Brazen Pineapple that rests upon the Seven Hills of this rural haven and they quoted me $700, mostly labor.
Genius Patrol
The moral of this end-times tale of country life in Texas is simple. Built-in obsolescence is evil, and learn how to replace your ball joints or pay the price.
Here endeth the lesson.
LSP
13 comments:
Now that we are in our 60s, we prefer to take our vehicles in, too. Why not let people with the right equipment do the work safely?
God bless. :)
You sure it's not the loose nut behind the wheel?
X2 to Linda's comment. If you jacked up the monster truck there at the compound and did it yourself, it would have been more trouble than $700.
I work on antique cars every day, pull their engines, re-do their rat-infested upholstery, dismantle their groaning differentials, you name it, I do it. Every day.
But I will not even attempt to change the spark plugs in my 2013 Ford F150 FX 4x4, no way in hades. When something is amiss on that thing, (which is rare, and on this Ford, has yet to happen), off to the dealership it goes.
I'm too old to work on this modern stuff (anything built after 1940). The old stuff? Bring it.....
Hubby would agree with you on the older cars, Fredd. If they hadn't been so easy to work on, I think it is possible that automobiles might have taken a lot longer to catch on, if not for that.
Linda, that's definitely the path I've taken!
That, Adrienne, is a terriying prospect.
LL, We think as one. The shop will stave off the Eschaton.
I'm no mechanic, Fredd, but my 150 has been a workhorse. Highway, off road, wherever and going strong at 230k+ miles.
Mind you, some things wear oit through attrition. I've had the rotors replaced and the radiator, but that's been it up until the ball joints.
Not bad for a high mileage truck. So I can't grumble.
Good point, Linda.
Pastor: I've been a Ford guy forever, and have had Ford F150's for over 30 years. Your next expense will be the differential, $1800.00, what with a truck with 230K miles on it. Start listening to the whine back there.
Take that to the bank.
Thanks, Fredd. So far, so good but I've been warned.
I like my Ford truck; maybe I should think of swapping it out for another before it becomes too pricey?
Pastor: yes, dump it. Sure, it's like an old leather shoe (no, not Hillary), real comfy and yet ugly. After about 150K on a Ford F150, they still hold up, but you start to pump serious scratch into them to keep them on the road. They become patently unreliable after this point.
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