After noticing that my Scorpio was pulling slightly to the left I decided to let my Main Ford Dealer have a look at the problem.  I would normally have done the work myself but having previously had the same problem with a Mondeo I found that Ford were able to sort the problem after others failed.  I waited while the steering was checked and the tracking was adjusted.  After one hour and twenty-five minutes and four test runs the man said that he had corrected the problem.  When asked what the problem had been he simply said that it needed careful adjustment and that luckily there was no wear in the steering and charged me a modest £20.

I ordered the parts from Ford as they are not available from parts suppliers. Although the front and rear rubber bearing are serviceable parts the balljoint is fitted into the wishbone and cannot be replaced as a separate item. I set about the job that should have been simple enough with just six nuts and bolts to undo.  I went to remove the bolt that passes through the front bush and found it was seized solid and would not be shifted, even with heat and lots of penetrating fluid.  Next was the balljoint pinchbolt which was also seized but after a minute with the blowlamp it gave a little, I managed to knock this bolt out but destroyed it in doing so.

The only way I could remove the bolt for the front bush was to cut it. After a few minutes with a hacksaw blade I decided something more drastic was required.  Fortunately there is a gap between the ends of the bush and the mounting where I could get in with the angle grinder to cut the bolt and the spacer that the bolts passes through.  First though I had to cut off part of the wishbone so that I could get in with the grinder.  The grinder made short work of the wishbone and bolt and soon the new parts were in place.  I fitted a new rear bush as a matter of course as they are not expensive.

This is a job that any competent DIY mechanic can do and with the Scorpio it seems that balljoint wear is a  common problem and of course an MOT failure.  If you decide to do the job yourself then prepare for the worst and buy replacement bolts for the front bush and the balljoint pinchbolt - they are only a few pounds and are unlikely to be available from stock so ordering at the same time as the wishbone makes sense. The front rubber bush comes fitted in the wishbone but can be purchased as a serviceable item if required.  Make sure you fit the rear bush the correct way, with the little cut out on the large end to the top. Make sure you have access to a small angle grinder just in case and use plenty of anti-seize compound when reassembling. Put the weight of the car back on the suspension before tightening the bolts for the front and rear bushes so they sit naturally in that position - failure to do this will result in premature failure and you will have to do the job all over again.

Rear bearing clamp - 4 bolts @ 23 Nm

Front bearing - 120 Nm