96 Transit Common faults

Buford T Justice

Hi

Took my 96 transit out for a run over the weekend, testing out the camper side of. Noticed a knock has come into the front of it. Sounds like its from the front passenger side. Only over bumps or through potholes. Its not a big knock, but enough that I can hear it.

Are there common points of failure on these transits. Just wondering where the obvious place to look is, as I mightn't get a chance to have it on a lift for a week or two.

Plug

Ball joints, links maybe? I don't have any experience with these old transits.

Slidey

Ball joints are a real problem on the older transit.

They can actually fall out when worn.

Jack the van up under the arm as near to the wheel as you can without touching the tyre and with a tyre lever at the bottom of the tyre and you facing the wheel shake it up and down. If you feel any knock or play, replace it.

Buford T Justice

Cheers guys.

Number 6 below by any chance?

Slidey, do you mean stick the bar under the tyre and use it as a lever to lift it up and down to check for play?

Plug

Your right in your two questions. An other way to check for ball joint play would be to grab the wheel at 6 and 12 o clock and rock it.

Slidey

Yep, as plug says.

On heavier vehicles the 6 and 12 o'clock method does not always work

Buford T Justice

Thanks lads.

Anywhere else to look, while I'm under there? May as well do the lot in the one go....

Which links plug?

Don't mean to ask stupid questions, but I just want to know which points to go straight to, and not be dicking around for a few hours looking at everything else.

Slidey

The links plug mentions are the Anti roll bar links and they go on to the end of the bar numbered '8' on that diagram

Buford T Justice

Aah, the droplinks on the anti rollbar

Thanks lads.... Appreciated.

Buford T Justice

Ok, i've had a nose under the van, and it seems like the ball joints and links are sound. Turns out, the rubber shock top on the drivers side is shot. Just looking at fords TIS, and they're saying to remove the centre bold from it and the shock drops through the van.

It seems a fair bit tight and I was wondering if I undo the three bolts around it in the image below will I be able to drop the shock out in the same way?




Also, I've noticed the exhaust has seen better days too. Its gone at the back of the second box, so that box needs replacing. It just strikes me as odd that there'd be one box directly behind another one. Would I be able to pipe straight through it, or does the second box need to be there?
Thanks lads.
Pic is from a camera phone