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- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2012 F150 4x4
This guide should work for any leaf spring removal and reinstallation, whether it be for Add A Leaf ( AAL ) or the F150 Leaf Spring Mod, 4" Superlift Spring installation, 4 door leaf pack into a sport, etc.
My Mountaineer is modified almost everywhere. Some of these pictures will look different than your Explorer/Mountaineer, but the basic stuff is still there. In these pictures, I am installing 4" Superlift springs.
So lets begin. As always, safety is up to you, and any modifications you may perform are not necessarily endorsed by myself or this site and especially the Ford Motor Company. Proceed at your own risk.
I began by blocking the front wheels, jacking the rear of the vehicle up by the center of the rear axle. I generally don't recommend that you jack up any vehicle this way, but that is the only way to get the frame high enough to let the suspension hang at full droop.
Place jackstands in front of the front spring hanger bolts. Make sure the jack stands are high enough the suspension can hang at full droop even after you add the springs, if they are lift springs. You don't want to get done and figure out you can't get it off the ground.
While the jack is under the differential, remove both rear tires, slowly lower the jack and let the weight of the truck rest on the jack stands.
Only remove one spring at a time, you need the other side intact to hold the axle in place.
Should look about like this:
I started on the passenger side:
It also may be necessary to remove the sway bar links, especially if you are installing lift springs.
Remove the lower shock bolt. The nut is an 18mm, the bolt head is 15mm.
You may have to have to drive the bolt out, rust can seize the bolt in tight.
Next, remove the 10mm bolt that holds the clip that retains the ebrake cable, the bolt interferes with removal of the nuts on the U bolts.
With that removed, its time to remove the spring plate and ubolts. The nuts on the ubolts are 18mm and you will need a deep well socket.
Remove the four nuts on the ubolts and the spring plate should come off. You can leave the ubolts on the axle or remove them.
Support the axle with a jack or jackstand, after your remove the front or rear bolts, the spring will fall and it is heavy.
Remove the rear bolt and or shackle, it uses a 21mm wrench or socket, but a 7/8" will do if its not super tight. Removal of the spare may help, especially if you have to drive the bolt out of the spring.
A picture of my shackle, its ugly, crappy I know.
Now that I have the new springs, they won't be used any more.
Now all that holds the spring on is the front bolt. It's an 18mm bolt head, the backside nut has a clip on it, you won't have to hold it with a wrench.
Once you pull that bolt out, the spring will come loose, a helper may be needed.
Spring removed and supported by my sway bar link:
To reinstall the spring, start with the front eyelet, put the bolt through. As many times as I have had my springs out, I seemingly alway forget this and wrestle and beat and bang before I take the shackle end loose and do the front first. Trust me.
Put the jack under the spring, raise it up to the shackle, put that bolt back in.
Lower the axle back on the spring, make sure the hole in the perch sits over the center pin (aka bolt) in the leaf spring. Put the plate on the bottom of the spring, the center hole goes over the center pin also. Run the nuts up on the ubolts, make sure you tighten them in stages, like you would lug nuts. When you are done, the threads through the nuts should all be close to equal.
Re-install the shock with the nut and bolt.
My spring installed:
The process is the same for both sides, the driver side does not have the 10mm bolt.
My Mountaineer is modified almost everywhere. Some of these pictures will look different than your Explorer/Mountaineer, but the basic stuff is still there. In these pictures, I am installing 4" Superlift springs.
So lets begin. As always, safety is up to you, and any modifications you may perform are not necessarily endorsed by myself or this site and especially the Ford Motor Company. Proceed at your own risk.
I began by blocking the front wheels, jacking the rear of the vehicle up by the center of the rear axle. I generally don't recommend that you jack up any vehicle this way, but that is the only way to get the frame high enough to let the suspension hang at full droop.
Place jackstands in front of the front spring hanger bolts. Make sure the jack stands are high enough the suspension can hang at full droop even after you add the springs, if they are lift springs. You don't want to get done and figure out you can't get it off the ground.
While the jack is under the differential, remove both rear tires, slowly lower the jack and let the weight of the truck rest on the jack stands.
Only remove one spring at a time, you need the other side intact to hold the axle in place.
Should look about like this:
I started on the passenger side:
It also may be necessary to remove the sway bar links, especially if you are installing lift springs.
Remove the lower shock bolt. The nut is an 18mm, the bolt head is 15mm.
You may have to have to drive the bolt out, rust can seize the bolt in tight.
Next, remove the 10mm bolt that holds the clip that retains the ebrake cable, the bolt interferes with removal of the nuts on the U bolts.
With that removed, its time to remove the spring plate and ubolts. The nuts on the ubolts are 18mm and you will need a deep well socket.
Remove the four nuts on the ubolts and the spring plate should come off. You can leave the ubolts on the axle or remove them.
Support the axle with a jack or jackstand, after your remove the front or rear bolts, the spring will fall and it is heavy.
Remove the rear bolt and or shackle, it uses a 21mm wrench or socket, but a 7/8" will do if its not super tight. Removal of the spare may help, especially if you have to drive the bolt out of the spring.
A picture of my shackle, its ugly, crappy I know.
Now that I have the new springs, they won't be used any more.
Now all that holds the spring on is the front bolt. It's an 18mm bolt head, the backside nut has a clip on it, you won't have to hold it with a wrench.
Once you pull that bolt out, the spring will come loose, a helper may be needed.
Spring removed and supported by my sway bar link:
To reinstall the spring, start with the front eyelet, put the bolt through. As many times as I have had my springs out, I seemingly alway forget this and wrestle and beat and bang before I take the shackle end loose and do the front first. Trust me.
Put the jack under the spring, raise it up to the shackle, put that bolt back in.
Lower the axle back on the spring, make sure the hole in the perch sits over the center pin (aka bolt) in the leaf spring. Put the plate on the bottom of the spring, the center hole goes over the center pin also. Run the nuts up on the ubolts, make sure you tighten them in stages, like you would lug nuts. When you are done, the threads through the nuts should all be close to equal.
Re-install the shock with the nut and bolt.
My spring installed:
The process is the same for both sides, the driver side does not have the 10mm bolt.
