Ford Repair: The ball joints are fine there..., lower ball joints, power steering racks

Question
The ball joints are fine there is no movement.
The driver side was just changed about 2 mths ago and the passenger about  year
Tie rods about 6 mths ago and the pass side wheel hub assembly about 10 mths ago and also new sway bars about a years ago
The lower ball joints were changed about 75,000 miles

I am running out of things to change.

What noises would the power steeeing cause if it were to go.
Is there a test that ford can do to check the function of the power steeringthat will not cost an arm ad a leg


thank you


steve





what kind of noise







Followup To
Question -
Hello

I have a 1998 ford explorer sport 4.0 SOHC 4 wd with 136,000.

Everytime I turn to the far right and to the far left I have noise coming from the front end.
Through the past 2 years I have changed the both upper ball joint and control arms. Both lower ball joints and the wheel hub assembly on the passenger side.
Also have changed the tie rods.

I am thinking I might need a new power steering pump.
I don't have any problems steering just when I go to the far right to the far left I have the noise.

What do you think?

If it is the power steering pump would you recommend going with a ford or a rebuilt after market?  The is a huge price difference ford = $ 200 and the rebuilt after market is 70


Could something else because causing this noise  rack & pinion  or something else


Thank you


steve
Answer -
What kind of noise do you hear?  Ball joints are a very common repair on Explorers.  Aftermarket parts usually fail a lot sooner, but if you don't mind doing the repair over you could save a few bucks.

Answer
Ball joints and tie rod ends can sometimes make a loud creaking sound due to lack of lubrication.  Most factory and aftermarket replacements don't have grease fittings and must be replaced.  

Power steering "racks" don't usually make noise when they fail.  Most failures are due to internal fluid leakage.  Sometimes a rack mount will fail and cause faint creaking or clunking.

Another, more common, front end problem for Explorers are sway bar links, mostly causing clunking over bumps.  

Hope this helps,

Dave