How to Replace Front Wheel Bearings and Half-Axles on a 2000 Ford Taurus
(Guaranteed to Work . . . By Experience)
1. Remove hubcap, apply brakes, and loosen drive axle/hub nut (30 mm) ¼-turn with a breaker bar. Loosen lug nuts, raise vehicle, and support securely on jack stands placed under the sub frame. Remove front wheel.
2. Remove stabilizer bar link nut (18 mm) from strut and swing link out of the way.
3. Remove brake caliper (12 mm), pads, caliper mounting bracket (15 mm), and disc. Support caliper with a piece of wire or place it on a small box.
4. Detach tie-rod end from steering knuckle, by removing and discarding cotter pin, loosening nut (18 mm) on tie-rod ball stud, and separating tie-rod end from steering knuckle with a puller. Support tie-rod on a small box so it doesn't hang.
5. Remove ABS wheel speed sensor mounting bolt (Torx E8) and move sensor out of the way.
6. Disconnect the lower control arm (LCA) from the steering knuckle, by removing the ball joint nut (21 mm) and using a ball joint separator. Removing the ball joint stud from the LCA can be a "battle royale." Here's the trick that the do-it-yourselfer needs to know--use two levers: 1) a 5 foot steel bar, from a barbell set, to lever down on the LCA, while 2) a friend uses another lever to lift up on the knuckle.
7. Remove axle nut (discard) and push axle from hub, using a two-jaw puller. Grasp axle shaft in one hand and pull hub and strut assembly out to separate nose of CV joint from hub. Suspend axle with a piece of wire or rest it on the LCA. Don't let it hang free, because this can overextend and damage inner CV joint.
8. Remove the three wheel bearing/hub bolts (15 mm) from the back of the steering knuckle. If the wheel bearing/hub sticks in the knuckle, pry it free.
9. Clean area on steering knuckle where wheel bearing/hub assembly seats; otherwise, it can create a lateral run out (LRO) problem with the brakes. Coat seat with high-temperature wheel bearing grease, to ease assembly and prevent corrosion.
10. Fasten new wheel bearing/hub (Timken 513100) to steering knuckle and tighten the three 15 mm bolts 70 lb.-ft.
11. Insert pry bar or large screwdriver between inner CV joint housing and transaxle case. Pry out just far enough to release the circlip. Seat pry bar on a solid surface and avoid damaging the transaxle case.
12. Support outer CV joint with one hand, grasp axle shaft with other hand, remove support wire, and guide axle clear of chassis.
13. Install new circlip on inner stud shaft spline.
14. Coat differential seal lip with multi-purpose grease, align splines of new inner CV joint (Example: Cardone Select 662008, Left; Cardone Select 662042, Right) with those on the differential side gear, firmly grasp inner CV joint housing and insert it into the transaxle. You should feel the circlip snap into place, as it seats in the differential gear.
15. Install drive axle into wheel bearing/hub. Pull out on the hub and strut assembly, align splines of outer CV joint with those on the hub, and push the outer CV joint stub shaft as far into the hub as possible by hand.
16. Install new axle nut and tighten it securely, but not fully yet.
17. Install control arm. Pull down on control arm and insert ball joint stud into steering knuckle. Install ball joint nut (21 mm) and tighten 50 to 67 lb.-ft.
18. Attach tie-rod end to the steering knuckle arm. Tighten nut (18 mm) 35 lb.-ft.; then, align the next castellation in the nut with the cotter in hole by further tightening.
19. Install disc, caliper mounting bracket, pads, and caliper. Tighten caliper mounting bracket bolts (15 mm) 65 to 87 lb.-ft. and tighten caliper bolts (12 mm) 25 lb.-ft.
20. Tighten stabilizer bar link-to-strut nut (18 mm) 62 lb.-ft.
21. Install wheel and lug nuts. Lower vehicle and tighten lug nuts (19 mm) 85 lb.-ft. Tighten axle nut (30 mm) 186 lb.-ft. Pump brake pedal several times to seat brake.
(Guaranteed to Work . . . By Experience)
1. Remove hubcap, apply brakes, and loosen drive axle/hub nut (30 mm) ¼-turn with a breaker bar. Loosen lug nuts, raise vehicle, and support securely on jack stands placed under the sub frame. Remove front wheel.
2. Remove stabilizer bar link nut (18 mm) from strut and swing link out of the way.
3. Remove brake caliper (12 mm), pads, caliper mounting bracket (15 mm), and disc. Support caliper with a piece of wire or place it on a small box.
4. Detach tie-rod end from steering knuckle, by removing and discarding cotter pin, loosening nut (18 mm) on tie-rod ball stud, and separating tie-rod end from steering knuckle with a puller. Support tie-rod on a small box so it doesn't hang.
5. Remove ABS wheel speed sensor mounting bolt (Torx E8) and move sensor out of the way.
6. Disconnect the lower control arm (LCA) from the steering knuckle, by removing the ball joint nut (21 mm) and using a ball joint separator. Removing the ball joint stud from the LCA can be a "battle royale." Here's the trick that the do-it-yourselfer needs to know--use two levers: 1) a 5 foot steel bar, from a barbell set, to lever down on the LCA, while 2) a friend uses another lever to lift up on the knuckle.
7. Remove axle nut (discard) and push axle from hub, using a two-jaw puller. Grasp axle shaft in one hand and pull hub and strut assembly out to separate nose of CV joint from hub. Suspend axle with a piece of wire or rest it on the LCA. Don't let it hang free, because this can overextend and damage inner CV joint.
8. Remove the three wheel bearing/hub bolts (15 mm) from the back of the steering knuckle. If the wheel bearing/hub sticks in the knuckle, pry it free.
9. Clean area on steering knuckle where wheel bearing/hub assembly seats; otherwise, it can create a lateral run out (LRO) problem with the brakes. Coat seat with high-temperature wheel bearing grease, to ease assembly and prevent corrosion.
10. Fasten new wheel bearing/hub (Timken 513100) to steering knuckle and tighten the three 15 mm bolts 70 lb.-ft.
11. Insert pry bar or large screwdriver between inner CV joint housing and transaxle case. Pry out just far enough to release the circlip. Seat pry bar on a solid surface and avoid damaging the transaxle case.
12. Support outer CV joint with one hand, grasp axle shaft with other hand, remove support wire, and guide axle clear of chassis.
13. Install new circlip on inner stud shaft spline.
14. Coat differential seal lip with multi-purpose grease, align splines of new inner CV joint (Example: Cardone Select 662008, Left; Cardone Select 662042, Right) with those on the differential side gear, firmly grasp inner CV joint housing and insert it into the transaxle. You should feel the circlip snap into place, as it seats in the differential gear.
15. Install drive axle into wheel bearing/hub. Pull out on the hub and strut assembly, align splines of outer CV joint with those on the hub, and push the outer CV joint stub shaft as far into the hub as possible by hand.
16. Install new axle nut and tighten it securely, but not fully yet.
17. Install control arm. Pull down on control arm and insert ball joint stud into steering knuckle. Install ball joint nut (21 mm) and tighten 50 to 67 lb.-ft.
18. Attach tie-rod end to the steering knuckle arm. Tighten nut (18 mm) 35 lb.-ft.; then, align the next castellation in the nut with the cotter in hole by further tightening.
19. Install disc, caliper mounting bracket, pads, and caliper. Tighten caliper mounting bracket bolts (15 mm) 65 to 87 lb.-ft. and tighten caliper bolts (12 mm) 25 lb.-ft.
20. Tighten stabilizer bar link-to-strut nut (18 mm) 62 lb.-ft.
21. Install wheel and lug nuts. Lower vehicle and tighten lug nuts (19 mm) 85 lb.-ft. Tighten axle nut (30 mm) 186 lb.-ft. Pump brake pedal several times to seat brake.