'03 expy sways back and forth

[69ford99]

I just replaced upper ball joints and strut/shocks and had an alignment done. When I'm driving down back country roads the expedition sways back and forth a lot. Would that be sway bar links front and back or do I need to upgrade factory sway bars?

 

[RichardH]

Good question.

I once did a power slide intentionally on a wet/rainy road (no traffic, cars) on a U-turn with my '01 to see how it handles in case the need arises. Not so well. It took more turns on the steering wheel to correct promptly. Uncle told me when I was about 8 yo find the limitations of your car/truck before you need to use it - braking, steering, acceleration etc. Now I know.

I'd have a suspension shop inspect your suspension. Maybe go back to the original shop to inspect free of charge?

 

[Trainmaster]

The sway bar only affects the manner in which the truck negotiates turns. It will not affect its tracking a straight line. Your problem is front alignment, steering gear or rear axle tracking, links or springs.

 

[Hamfisted]

Have the lower ball joints already been replaced earlier? They take the majority of the load, and wear out much faster than the uppers. If you have your alignment paperwork, did they print off the before and after spec sheet? Sometimes they confuse the Expedition for the Excursion and get the specs wrong. You can help the overall handling some by installing the Belltech 5550 rear swaybar. You're Expy's not lifted is it?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bel-5550/year/2003/make/ford/model/expedition






Swaybar Size Comparison.... rear stock vs rear Belltech 5550 ...

 

[69ford99]

Not sure if the lowers have been done the boots looked good... definitely don't look original...it's not lifted and I didn't get a spec sheet on alignment.

 

[Hamfisted]

Well if you see grease fittings on them, they're not original. By now the original dust boots would be all cracked and torn up anyway. Alignment shop should've checked them for play anyway before doing the alignment. If you're not happy with the post-alignment handling, I would go back to the shop and discuss it with them.

 

[69ford99]

It swayed a lot b4 the alignment I just assumed it was because of the upper ball joint, it was super loose.

 

[creecer]

How are your tires? The only time I've felt any sway was when I was on my spare (full sized) that was several years old. You could tell the sidewall wasn't up to the task, and it felt like I was driving a boat with all the motion. New tires solved it.

 

[69ford99]

The rear tires are new but the fronts are older. I wonder if I could tell a difference by putting rears on the front.

 

[Plati]

The rear tires are new but the fronts are older. I wonder if I could tell a difference by putting rears on the front.

i always replace tires in 4's, all 4 tires identical & rotate