sethsport
Active Member
- Joined
- July 11, 2015
- Messages
- 78
- Reaction score
- 2
- Location
- Cocoa beach
- City, State
- cocoa beach fl
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2003 sporttrac xlt 4x4
I just replaced both upper aNd lower control arms,outer tie rods, sway links with a camber bolt kit. I got wrapped up into the install and spaced on taking more pictures so sorry about that.but I figured I'd write it up and throw in a few tips that helped me. But anywho...
Special tools needed = arm puller with a bridge, advance didnt have one with a bridge but I rented the big 3 arm puller, put two arms on eAch side and tightened the arms on them super tight so they wouldn't slip under load. Also an inner tie rod tool if your doing your inners.
You'll need a good socket set with two of every size. I have a socket set with 3 of everything in 1/4 3-8 and 1/2 inch drives. It'll help to have an impact wench as well. A Haynes manual.
Okay
E brake on, wheels chalked, jack stands ready.
- spray every nut to be taken out with penetrating fluid.
-Loosen your lug nuts and your cv axle nut. 19mm and 32mm
-jack up your ride and put em on the stands nice and safe. Then put your jack under the lower control arm for support.
-take your tire off, inspect it and then lay it down next to you and slide it under the truck because it's going to be what you put your brake on when you remove it.
-take your inner plastic wheel shroud off and put the screws in a safe place.
- take your ABS SENSOR bolt off the knuckle, pop the wire out of its clips and get it outta the way. 8 or 10 mm
-take your brakes off and lay it on your tire or zip tie it up or hang it with your shoelaces. two bolts on the backside, I forget the socket size, I think 15mm
- take your hub off. 3 bolts on the backside in a triangle pattern 15mm.
- take this time to slightly loosen the jam nut on your outer tie rod
- loosen your upper control arm bushing but do not take out yet then loosen the pinch bolt on the knuckle that holds the balljoint rod then knock the control arm out of the knuckle or pry it up with a pickle fork. Now you can remove your bushing bolts and camber kit "if your not replacing the camber kit remember to take note of which is the left and right and the position it was in"
- now take the cotter pin off the castle nut for the outer tie rod, loosen the castle nut to where it's flush with the bolt and knock it outta the knuckle. Now put a wrench on the flat side of the inner rod to keep it from turning and Unscrew the outer tie rod and count every turn... Write that number down
- take the cotter pin off the lower control arm balljoint and loosen the castle nut till it's flush with the bolt ( do not remove the nut just yet because once you knock the ball joint out of the knuckle the knuckle will want to fall but the nut will catch it ) now, knock the ball joint out of the knuckle or pry it up with a pickle fork then once it's out remove the castle nut and set the knuckle aside.
-now remove the torsion bar bolt cover plate. Make a mark on the torsion key bolt. Situate the arm puller that I talked about onto the torsion bar key and crank that sucker down. After you've got the key floating above the metal insert pop that metal insert out then back the torsion bar bolt off (your going to turn that bolt what seems like a thousand times and it will suck) after that's out back the puller off and now you can remove the torsion bar from the lower control arm (take note of how the bar is positioned into the control arm)
-now undo the bolts to your shocks and undo bushings for the lower control arm and take it out.
Install the new lower arm, put the bushing bolts in but do not tighten all the way. twist the new outer tie rod on the same amount of turns as you did taking it out, put the new uppers in with the new or original camber kit making sure they're in the right place, tighten them but not all the way. Put the knuckle over the lower control arm balljoint and put the castle nut on, lift the assembly with a jack and put the upper balljoint into the knuckle and tighten the pinch bolt. Tighten the shock back on, put the tie rod into the knuckle and tighten the castle nut and the jam nut. Put the torsion bar back in and arrange the torsion key with the puller and tighten the puller down until the key is high enough to be able to put the metal insert back in and tighten the bolt in to your paint mark. Remove the puller.
Tighten your lower bushing bolts then your upper bushing bolts.
Reinstall the hub, rotor, brakes, abs sensor and tighten the axle nut.
Grease the joints and get an alignment.
Some tips or tricks. The camber bolts on my driver side were difficult to get out because of some brake line,condenser type lines and the moog kit bolts are like a half inch longer than the originals so putting them back in was a pain but I was able to take a screwdriver and carefully pry one of the lines to get access to reinstalling it. You can see the lines in this picture. This is the drivers side right upper arm seat where the camber bolt goes in.
Some more tips, Undo the jam nut on the tie rod while it is still in the knuckle otherwise you'll have a real fun time undoing it without something to hold it in place.
If your doing your inner tie rods install the boot back on with a zip tie with the lower control arm out because you have better access on the underside. Also if you don't have an inner tie rod tool You do have access to the inner tie rod nut with the lower arm out., but it'll be like a 1/4 turn at a time.
That's about all I can think of right now, please add any tips or tricks or let me know if there's anything I missed
Hope this helps
Special tools needed = arm puller with a bridge, advance didnt have one with a bridge but I rented the big 3 arm puller, put two arms on eAch side and tightened the arms on them super tight so they wouldn't slip under load. Also an inner tie rod tool if your doing your inners.
You'll need a good socket set with two of every size. I have a socket set with 3 of everything in 1/4 3-8 and 1/2 inch drives. It'll help to have an impact wench as well. A Haynes manual.
Okay
E brake on, wheels chalked, jack stands ready.
- spray every nut to be taken out with penetrating fluid.
-Loosen your lug nuts and your cv axle nut. 19mm and 32mm
-jack up your ride and put em on the stands nice and safe. Then put your jack under the lower control arm for support.
-take your tire off, inspect it and then lay it down next to you and slide it under the truck because it's going to be what you put your brake on when you remove it.
-take your inner plastic wheel shroud off and put the screws in a safe place.
- take your ABS SENSOR bolt off the knuckle, pop the wire out of its clips and get it outta the way. 8 or 10 mm
-take your brakes off and lay it on your tire or zip tie it up or hang it with your shoelaces. two bolts on the backside, I forget the socket size, I think 15mm
- take your hub off. 3 bolts on the backside in a triangle pattern 15mm.
- take this time to slightly loosen the jam nut on your outer tie rod
- loosen your upper control arm bushing but do not take out yet then loosen the pinch bolt on the knuckle that holds the balljoint rod then knock the control arm out of the knuckle or pry it up with a pickle fork. Now you can remove your bushing bolts and camber kit "if your not replacing the camber kit remember to take note of which is the left and right and the position it was in"
- now take the cotter pin off the castle nut for the outer tie rod, loosen the castle nut to where it's flush with the bolt and knock it outta the knuckle. Now put a wrench on the flat side of the inner rod to keep it from turning and Unscrew the outer tie rod and count every turn... Write that number down
- take the cotter pin off the lower control arm balljoint and loosen the castle nut till it's flush with the bolt ( do not remove the nut just yet because once you knock the ball joint out of the knuckle the knuckle will want to fall but the nut will catch it ) now, knock the ball joint out of the knuckle or pry it up with a pickle fork then once it's out remove the castle nut and set the knuckle aside.
-now remove the torsion bar bolt cover plate. Make a mark on the torsion key bolt. Situate the arm puller that I talked about onto the torsion bar key and crank that sucker down. After you've got the key floating above the metal insert pop that metal insert out then back the torsion bar bolt off (your going to turn that bolt what seems like a thousand times and it will suck) after that's out back the puller off and now you can remove the torsion bar from the lower control arm (take note of how the bar is positioned into the control arm)
-now undo the bolts to your shocks and undo bushings for the lower control arm and take it out.
Install the new lower arm, put the bushing bolts in but do not tighten all the way. twist the new outer tie rod on the same amount of turns as you did taking it out, put the new uppers in with the new or original camber kit making sure they're in the right place, tighten them but not all the way. Put the knuckle over the lower control arm balljoint and put the castle nut on, lift the assembly with a jack and put the upper balljoint into the knuckle and tighten the pinch bolt. Tighten the shock back on, put the tie rod into the knuckle and tighten the castle nut and the jam nut. Put the torsion bar back in and arrange the torsion key with the puller and tighten the puller down until the key is high enough to be able to put the metal insert back in and tighten the bolt in to your paint mark. Remove the puller.
Tighten your lower bushing bolts then your upper bushing bolts.
Reinstall the hub, rotor, brakes, abs sensor and tighten the axle nut.
Grease the joints and get an alignment.
Some tips or tricks. The camber bolts on my driver side were difficult to get out because of some brake line,condenser type lines and the moog kit bolts are like a half inch longer than the originals so putting them back in was a pain but I was able to take a screwdriver and carefully pry one of the lines to get access to reinstalling it. You can see the lines in this picture. This is the drivers side right upper arm seat where the camber bolt goes in.
Some more tips, Undo the jam nut on the tie rod while it is still in the knuckle otherwise you'll have a real fun time undoing it without something to hold it in place.
If your doing your inner tie rods install the boot back on with a zip tie with the lower control arm out because you have better access on the underside. Also if you don't have an inner tie rod tool You do have access to the inner tie rod nut with the lower arm out., but it'll be like a 1/4 turn at a time.
That's about all I can think of right now, please add any tips or tricks or let me know if there's anything I missed
Hope this helps
