What is the dirrerence between the front wheel bearings and front ball joints?

If it wobbles with your hands at 9 and 3, its a tie rod end.
If it wobbles with your hands at 12 and 6, its a wheel bearing.

ball joint has gone or could even be the wheel bearing. jack up the front with wheel on and hand on wheel 9 to 3 and wiggle and then 12 to 6 do the same if there is alot of movement the bearing has gone. ball joint check all the connectors on that side steering etc if they move side to side easy then the ball joint has gone they should be stiff to move.

Most likely it is the ball joint and a need for an alignment but it could also be the tie rods. I would look at the tie rods and ball joints. If you have over 100,000 miles on those front struts that could cause the "Toe-In" to be off and bouncing in the front end.

Wheel Spindle, F-150, F-250, F-350
Removal

1. Raise the front of the vehicle and install safety stands.
   

1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly. Refer to Section 04-04 .
   

1. Remove the disc brake caliper (2B120) from the rotor and wire it out of the way. Refer to Section 06-03 .
   

1. Remove the dust cap, cotter pin, nut retainer, nut, washer and front wheel bearing (1216).
   

1. Remove the rotor from the front wheel spindle (3105).
   
   
   
   
   
   Item Part Number Description 1 606085 Clamp Bolt 2 3B404 Camber Adjuster 3 800895 Nut 4 800937 Nut 5 3049 Front Suspension Upper Ball Joint 6 3050 Front Suspension Lower Arm Ball Joint 7 3105 Front Wheel Spindle 8 642569 Cotter Pin 9 3304 Steering Sector Shaft Arm Drag Link 10 383489 Nut 11 3001 Front Axle Assembly 12 388727 Bolt A - Tighten to 77-103 Nm
   (57-75 Lb-Ft) B - Tighten to 68-92 Nm
   (50-67 Lb-Ft) C - Tighten to 113-153 Nm (83-112 Lb-Ft) D - Tighten to 340-460 Nm (250-339 Lb-Ft)

1. Remove bearing cone and roller (1201) and wheel hub grease seal (1190). Discard the seal.
   

1. Remove front disc brake rotor shield (2K004). Refer to Section 06-03 .
   

1. Disconnect the steering linkage from the integral front wheel spindle and spindle arm by removing the cotter pin and nut and then removing the front wheel spindle tie rod from the spindle arm with Tie Rod End Remover TOOL-3290-D or equivalent.
   

1. Remove the cotter pin and castellated nut from the lower ball joint stud.
   

1. Remove the nut from the axle clamp bolt and remove the bolt from the axle.
   

1. Remove the camber adjuster from the upper ball joint stud and axle beam. If required, use Ball Joint Removing Tool D81T-3010-B or equivalent to remove adjuster.
   

1. CAUTION: Do not use a pickle fork to separate the ball joint from the axle as this will damage the seal and the ball joint socket.
   Strike the inside area of the axle as shown to pop lower ball joints loose from the axle beam.
   

1. Remove the front wheel spindle and ball joint from the axle.
   
   

Ball Joint, F-150, F-250, F-350 SPECIAL SERVICE TOOL(S) REQUIRED Description Tool Number U-Joint Tool T74P-4635-C Ball Joint Remover T94T-3010-AH
Removal

1. Remove the front wheel spindle (3105) and ball joint assembly from the axle. Refer to Wheel Spindle, F-150, F-250, F-350 in the Removal and Installation portion of this section.
   

1. NOTE: Lower ball joint must be removed first.
   
   Install the front wheel spindle in a vise and remove the snap ring from the lower ball joint.
   

1. Remove the lower ball joint from the front wheel spindle using U-Joint Tool T74P-4635-C and Receiver Cup D81T-3010-A5 or equivalent for F-150. Use Ball Joint Remover T94T-3010-AH for F-250 and F-350.
   

1. Turn the forcing screw clockwise until the ball joint is removed from the front wheel spindle.
   
2. CAUTION: Do not heat the ball joint or the front wheel spindle to aid in removal.
   Assemble U-joint tool and cup on the upper ball joint, and turn forcing screw clockwise until ball joint is removed from the front wheel spindle.
   
   
   Installation
   
   1. CAUTION: Do not heat the ball joint or axle to aid in installation.
      NOTE: Upper ball joint must be installed into the front wheel spindle first.
      
      NOTE: Individual ball joint tools are included in Ball Joint Adapter Set D81T-3010-A or equivalent.
      
      To install the upper ball joint, assemble C-frame assembly, Ball Joint Receiver Cup D81T-3010-A5 and Installation Cup D81T-3010-A1 and D81T-3010-A3 or equivalents inside cup D81T-3010-A4 or equivalent in position on the front wheel spindle.
      
   1. Turn forcing screw clockwise until ball joint is seated.
      
      
      
      
   

Removal Steps

1. Torsion bar

2. Wheel speed sensor

(if equipped with ABS)

3. Back plate

4. Lower ball joint

5. Upper ball joint

6. Knuckle assembly

7. Oil seal

8. Thrust washer

9. Needle bearing

10. Knuckle

Installation Steps

10. Knuckle

9. Needle bearing

8. Thrust washer

7. Oil seal

6. Knuckle assembly

5. Upper ball joint

4. Lower ball joint

3. Back plate

2. Wheel speed sensor

(if equipped with ABS)

1. Torsion bar

Hi, this could be caused by worn ball joints or worn wheel bearings. If the whole hub moves look at the ball joints to determine the play on the joints, if the wheel moves and there are no movement on the ball joints, then you need to replace the wheel bearings.

Remove wheel
Remove axle nut
Remove outer tie rod nut
Leave outer tie rod nut on 3-4 threads
Hit spindle area where tie rod is mounted very hard with a large hammer (wear Saftey glasses)
The tie rod should loosen up and you remove it off spindle.
Remove lower ball joint nut
Leave nut on 3-4 threads
Hit spindle area where ball joint mounts (wear saftey glasses)
Carfully pry down the lower control arm too remove ball joint from arm.
Press in the axle towards the trans. out of the wheel bearing.
Place a piece of wood between the shock and inner fender to give yourself room to work.
Remove the three 15mm bolts that hold the wheel bearing on.
Hit wheel bearing out with hammer (wearing saftey glasses)
You may need to break a sweat on this part. Somtimes they are rusted in.
Be carfull not to damage the ABS sensor.

Reverse procedures to install

these are actually easy to replace on these cars.
there are 3 small bolts that hold the ball joint to the control arm. new ball joints are sold with new hardware, so don't worry if it gets damaged when removing.
mark the postion of the old ball joint. they can be moved slightly on the control arm to change alignment.
the top of the ball joint is clamped into the wheel bearing housing with one large bolt.
I use a very large & dull chisel to spread the clamp on the bearing housing if the top of the ball joint is difficult to pull out of the wheel bearing housing.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/villagerquest/


Item Part Number Description 1 — Cotter Pin 2 — Nut Retainer 3 1131 Insulator 4 3B477 Front Axle Wheel Hub Retainer 5 1195 Front Wheel Outer Bearing Retainer Washer 6 1104 Wheel Hub 7 1107 Lug Bolt 8 3K050 Snap Ring 9 3123 Front Wheel Bearing 10 2K004 Front Disc Brake Rotor Shield 11 3130 Front Wheel Knuckle

Wheel Hub, Wheel Knuckle and Wheel Bearing SPECIAL SERVICE TOOL(S) REQUIRED Description Tool Number Tie Rod End Separator T85M-3395-A
Removal

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
   
2. Remove the wheel (1007) and tire assembly.
   
3. NOTE: It is not necessary to disconnect the front brake hose (2078).
   
   Remove the disc brake caliper (2B120) and suspend it with mechanic's wire out of the way. Refer to Section 06-03 for the removal procedure.
   
4. Remove the front disc brake rotor (1125).
   
5. Remove and discard the cotter pin.
   
6. Remove the nut retainer and insulator.
   
7. Remove the front axle wheel hub retainer (3B477) and the front wheel outer bearing retainer washer (1195).
   
   
   
   
   
8. Remove and discard the cotter pin from the front suspension lower arm ball joint (3050).
   
9. Loosen the front suspension lower arm ball joint nut until it contacts the front wheel driveshaft joint.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Strike the front wheel knuckle with a hammer while pulling down on the front suspension lower arm (3078) until the front suspension lower arm ball joint separates from the front wheel knuckle.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Remove the front suspension lower arm ball joint nut.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Remove the front suspension lower arm ball joint from the front wheel knuckle.
    
13. Remove and discard the cotter pin.
    
    
    
    
    
14. Remove the tie rod end nut.
    
    
    
    
    
15. Use Tie Rod End Separator T85M-3395-A to separate the tie rod end (3A130) from the front wheel knuckle.
    
    
    
    
    
16. Remove the front brake anti-lock sensor bolt.
    
    
    
    
    
17. Remove the two front shock absorber-to-front wheel knuckle nuts.
    
    
    
    
    
18. Remove the two front shock absorber-to-front wheel knuckle bolts.
    
19. Remove the front shock absorber (18124) from the front wheel knuckle.
    
20. Use 2-Jaw Puller D80L-1002-L, or equivalent, to separate the front wheel driveshaft and joint (3B436) from the front wheel knuckle.
    
21. Remove the front wheel hub, front wheel knuckle and front wheel bearing as an assembly from the vehicle.
22. If necessary, match mark and remove the steering stop bolt and steering stop bolt jam nut from the front wheel knuckle.
    
    
    
    
    

Installation

1. Position the front wheel hub, front wheel knuckle and front wheel bearing as an assembly on the front wheel driveshaft and joint.
   

1. Install the front wheel knuckle into the front shock absorber.
   

1. Install the two front shock absorber-to-front wheel knuckle bolts.
   

1. Install the two front shock absorber-to-front wheel knuckle nuts. Tighten the front shock absorber-to-front wheel knuckle nuts to 113-123 Nm (83-91 lb-ft).
   
   

1. Remove the steering knuckle with wheel hub and bearing attached.
2. Remove the lower ball joint flange with a chisel.
3. Install J9519-E and J34874 to the lower ball joint.
4. Remove the lower ball joint from the lower control arm using J9519-E and J34874

1. Install the lower ball joint and J9519-E, J41435, and J45105-2 to the lower control arm.
2. Install the lower ball joint to the lower control arm using J9519-E, J41435, and J45105-2.
3. Remove J9519-E, J41435, and J45105-2 from the lower control arm
1. Install J9519-E and J45105-1 to the lower ball joint.
2. Flare the lower ball joint flange using J9519-E and J45105-1.
3. Remove J9519-E and J45105-1 from the lower ball joint.
4. Install the steering knuckle with wheel hub and bearing attached. Install the tire and wheel.
1. Lower the vehicle.
2. Check the front wheel alignment.

these jouints are pressed in and there is a flange that is flared this is what the tool numbers refer too.