Lower & Upper Ball Joint
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2004 Ford Ranger, 2003 Ford Ranger, and 2002 Ford Ranger. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
Raise and support vehicle. Move lower edge of tire up and down while watching lower steering knuckle arm and lower part of axle jaw. See Fig 1 . If movement exceeds 1/32" (.8 mm), this indicates a worn or damaged ball joint. Install a new spindle or knuckle. To check upper ball joint, move upper edge of tire up and down. See Fig 2 . If movement between upper steering knuckle arm and upper axle exceeds 1/32" (.8 mm), replace upper control arm.