Reman tranny & Rebuilt Engine Replacement.

[tomj76]

"Do you suppose a 3/4 wrap of shim "paper" brass would help"

Funny you should mention that... I bought some steel sheet metal, about 24 gauge, and made a shim that wrapped around the pin, a little more than 3/4 around. I also removed the "bump" in the hole with a sanding drum in my hand grinder.

I torqued the pinch bolt a fairly high setting, and I eliminated the vertical movement of the pin in the hole, but I still had lateral movement. Now I couldn't see what was moving because the boot on the ball joint was covering the "action", but my guess is that either the ball is moving in the socket or a taper in the hole allows the pin to move at the bottom of the knuckle even though the pin is gripped at the top.

So, my next step is to put on a new control arm, and if that doesn't cure the problem then find a good recycled part. I found they can be purchased for $50 each, but the final cost will be a good bit more if I install new bearings.

[12Ounce]

You must have a lot of road salt in your area ... that's the only way I can imagine this connection area would become very loose. The outer end of the lower arm only sees loading during braking and acceleration. If the ball joint is in good shape, there is almost no radial twist. The cinch-bolt is mostly there to prevent the seal-boot from being over compressed, up-down ... pushing out the grease. No real loads to speak of. I think you will be surprised what a new lower arm will do for you.

You would have to get the metal really clean for it to be effective, but Loc-Tite use to sell a product call "Bearing Mount" that might close up the looseness quite well.

[tomj76]

I "rebuilt" the front suspension (new control arms, new tie rods (inner & outer), new anti-sway bushings & links). The ball joint pins on the new control arms is a little bit larger, and I worked the hole in the knuckle to remove the taper. That and a new (and somewhat better) shim seems to be holding much better than the first try.

However, just in case I have a used knuckle that I can replace this one with if it doesn't hold over the long haul, but it's been on there for a couple thousand miles and seems to be working.

[12Ounce]

TRANNY REPAIR AT 473 K MILES:

This is my third tranny "event".
(1) A broken tranny pump shaft replacement at 97K miles.
(2) Total replacement with Ford reman at 216 K miles. Did the labor myself: $1700 replacement costs.
(3) After approx 260 K miles of service, the reman began slipping. I knew total shutdown was gonna happen soon, so I spent the last tranny miles going to a local tranny shop ... made it! No towing fee! I wanted to do the work myself, but there are just too many projects going on, so I jobbed it out. $2400. The repairs seems to be good, but time will tell.

Hope this major expense carries me beyond 500 K miles.

[scubacat]

Originally Posted by 12Ounce

TRANNY REPAIR AT 473 K MILES:

This is my third tranny "event".
(1) A broken tranny pump shaft replacement at 97K miles.
(2) Total replacement with Ford reman at 216 K miles. Did the labor myself: $1700 replacement costs.
(3) After approx 260 K miles of service, the reman began slipping. I knew total shutdown was gonna happen soon, so I spent the last tranny miles going to a local tranny shop ... made it! No towing fee! I wanted to do the work myself, but there are just too many projects going on, so I jobbed it out. $2400. The repairs seems to be good, but time will tell.

Hope this major expense carries me beyond 500 K miles.

Wow, that's only the second thing I've ever seen cheaper in the Chicago area than it was in Atlanta. I got mine rebuilt for $1750! Although it did take a couple of return visits before they "found the problem", but it's now been 18 months and it drives like new. So you're at 476K now?

[12Ounce]

Will cross 476 K tomorrow morning.

It kinda hurt to shell out the cash for a rebuild. I wanted to replace myself, but have gotten too slow to keep up with my needs. The shop seems to be good one, been around for a while. One year warranty, unlimited mileage.

[scubacat]

Originally Posted by 12Ounce

Will cross 476 K tomorrow morning.

It kinda hurt to shell out the cash for a rebuild. I wanted to replace myself, but have gotten too slow to keep up with my needs. The shop seems to be good one, been around for a while. One year warranty, unlimited mileage.

I feel like we're among the last of the mohicans, although I do see windstars on the road still fairly often. I guess only people with some DIY experience (or with a shop) keep them going. Still, they're out there...