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2000 Ford Taurus Front Wheel Bearing And Half-axle Replacement

27K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Blue Coupe 
#1 ·
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.
 
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#2 ·
Problems with separating LCA from steering knuckle

Hi, I was reading your post and on step 6 you say to use two levers to separate the knuckle from the LCA. I got my lower ball joint nut off and can't seem, to find a good spot to put the 5 ft lever that I have. Could you possibly upload a photo or tell me any spots that you wedge the lever against?
 
#3 ·
The goal is to push LCA down so that you can lift BJ stem out of the hole.

LCA looks like a triangle. One corner is connected to BJ. 2 other corners are connected to the chassis (also called subframe). Hold one end of the bar with your hand. The other end goes under the metal chassis that runs between the 2 corners. Push down your end.

Some people prefer to loosen 2 subframe nuts 3-4 turns. This has the same effect as pushing LCA down.

By the way, has the BJ stem been loosened from the hole with BJ separator? YOu need to separate them BEFORE pushing down LCA. If they are not separated, LCA cannot be pushed down.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I drove a pickle fork between the LBJ and the LCA all the way. No sudden loosening of ball joint. Before that I tried using a pitman arm puller to remove the LBJ by positioning it against the LCA and tightening it, but that did not help me at all. I also tried spraying it with some penetrating blast, but to no avail.

I just tried to use a lever made out of a pickle fork and a steel bar to wedge the ball joint free by pulling up on the lever against the LCA, but the pickle fork bent.

I think I'll try loosening the LCA subframe bolts, although I'm not sure if the ball joint stem is loosened. Will I get some free play out of the space between the LBJ and the LCA if it is loosened? Because right now I am getting nothing.

I also tried two pickle forks on opposite sides of the LBJ to loosen it up, but I was not able to get them both fully lodged into the space between the LCA and the LBJ.
 
#5 ·
I've always used a pittman arm puller combined with dropping the subframe to remove the ball joint from the lower control arm.

That's the only method I've been able to make work, and believe me, I've done this a few times.

As for free play, no, you'll have none if you just remove the castle nut. You need to create additional space for the ball joint to drop down. Just be careful, because if there is too much room, the CV joints in the half shaft can pop out of place, which might damage them or the CV boot.

JR
 
#6 ·
Ok, I got the LBJ separated from the LCA (turns out I didn't turn the pitman arm puller enough the first time) and I am up to the point to where I got the new LBJs in the knuckle, but I am having trouble getting the LBJ back into the LCA. I have the knuckle bolted to the strut and the axle in the hub and I had someone pull down on the LCA to push the LBJ stem into place, but I could only push the knuckle back so far, even though I had some more free space to push it in more. I have a theory that something might be messed up within the inner axle boot. But I could be wrong. Any ideas on how to get the LBJ back into the LCA?
 
#12 ·
I realize this is an older post...
I read about using 5ft 2x4s and 5ft bars to move the LCA low enough to insert the LBJ on the drivers side.
I just finished the job and there is a trick.

I used 2 2ft long pry bars in the LCA on the aft side of the control arm. I stood on the bars and pushed down by holding the fender. A friend inserted the LNJ, it barely fit.

I hope this helps others...I fought with this for about an hour.
 
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