First off let me state that I,m not a mechanic. Just able to do somethings myself which started at the age of 15 by not having the money to pay someone to do it for me.
Second if you don't have a manual like a Haynes, Chilton, or FoMoCo go buy one. It will be well worth the money. There is a ton of info in a Haynes that I'm not going to get into here.
The truck is a 98 F150 4x4 with 141k on her. Nothing that I'm replacing right now is broken just well worn and in need of attention to keep her on the road. So for example if your replacing the hubs only some will not apply.
CV Shafts
Before you raise the truck You will have to loosen the outer hub nut (36mm) and the six inner bolts (12mm twelve point) and of course the Lugs.
Remove Brake Caliper (13mm) caliper hanger or backing plate(18mm) the rotor, and the dust shield (8mm)
If doing ball joints and tie rods I prefer to remove all cotter pins and break loose all the castle nuts while the steering knuckle is intact.
Hub assembly
You will need to know if you have two wheel ABS or four wheel ABS. Two wheel ABS is the rear only. Easiest way to check is to turn wheels all the way to the left and look at the drivers side from the front, the wiring for the ABS will be run beside the brake line and disappear into the hub which is where the speed sensor is. If you see the wiring you have four wheel ABS.
Under the hood on the inner fender you will find the plug for the ABS. Unplug and carefully pull the wiring out while separating it from the brake line(plastic clips) and one 8mm bolt attached to the Knuckle. Remove three bolts on the back side of the Knuckle(15mm) and remove the outer Hub nut(35mm) and the hub should slide off.
Ball Joints Tie Rods
I like to reverse the castle nut like so when tapping out with a mallet.
But if your replacing the ball joint not really necessary. they make a tool for this, I don't have one yet.
Tap out the tie rod(21mm) the upper ball joint(21mm)and lower ball joint( larger than 22mm I used a large crescent wrench)from the knuckle. The upper ball joint is part of the control arm and does not come apart. remove control arm (21mm) nut and bolts. Remove snap ring on lower ball joint and tap down out of the lower control arm. Once it is flush with the surface of control arm use a large nut to drive it down below the surface as to not damage the control arm.
As far as reassembly this is a far as I have gotten at this time. Will update when I'm finished.
Here are some tips that I use. These might help you or they might not.
Since I took all this apart i am now waiting on parts to get here. I have kept all the old parts until the new ones are here and installed. I just set them up front somewhat out of the way.
I also use a towel or paper to lay out all the hardware, brakets and such so they don't end up getting swept up or misplaced.
Also while waiting on parts it gives me time to clean all the nuts bolts and parts I'm reusing. While cleaning I noticed that the inner bolts for the CV Shafts have a tread locker on them, I will make sure to use some when putting back together.
Also noticed that the Steering knuckle has an oil seal that presses in from the back and one is damaged so they get replaced. This is why I like to clean and inspect things. Would kind of suck to wait on parts only to find out you overlooked something that will hold the job up longer.
Second if you don't have a manual like a Haynes, Chilton, or FoMoCo go buy one. It will be well worth the money. There is a ton of info in a Haynes that I'm not going to get into here.
The truck is a 98 F150 4x4 with 141k on her. Nothing that I'm replacing right now is broken just well worn and in need of attention to keep her on the road. So for example if your replacing the hubs only some will not apply.
CV Shafts
Before you raise the truck You will have to loosen the outer hub nut (36mm) and the six inner bolts (12mm twelve point) and of course the Lugs.
Remove Brake Caliper (13mm) caliper hanger or backing plate(18mm) the rotor, and the dust shield (8mm)
If doing ball joints and tie rods I prefer to remove all cotter pins and break loose all the castle nuts while the steering knuckle is intact.
Hub assembly
You will need to know if you have two wheel ABS or four wheel ABS. Two wheel ABS is the rear only. Easiest way to check is to turn wheels all the way to the left and look at the drivers side from the front, the wiring for the ABS will be run beside the brake line and disappear into the hub which is where the speed sensor is. If you see the wiring you have four wheel ABS.
Under the hood on the inner fender you will find the plug for the ABS. Unplug and carefully pull the wiring out while separating it from the brake line(plastic clips) and one 8mm bolt attached to the Knuckle. Remove three bolts on the back side of the Knuckle(15mm) and remove the outer Hub nut(35mm) and the hub should slide off.
Ball Joints Tie Rods
I like to reverse the castle nut like so when tapping out with a mallet.
But if your replacing the ball joint not really necessary. they make a tool for this, I don't have one yet.
Tap out the tie rod(21mm) the upper ball joint(21mm)and lower ball joint( larger than 22mm I used a large crescent wrench)from the knuckle. The upper ball joint is part of the control arm and does not come apart. remove control arm (21mm) nut and bolts. Remove snap ring on lower ball joint and tap down out of the lower control arm. Once it is flush with the surface of control arm use a large nut to drive it down below the surface as to not damage the control arm.
As far as reassembly this is a far as I have gotten at this time. Will update when I'm finished.
Here are some tips that I use. These might help you or they might not.
Since I took all this apart i am now waiting on parts to get here. I have kept all the old parts until the new ones are here and installed. I just set them up front somewhat out of the way.
I also use a towel or paper to lay out all the hardware, brakets and such so they don't end up getting swept up or misplaced.
Also while waiting on parts it gives me time to clean all the nuts bolts and parts I'm reusing. While cleaning I noticed that the inner bolts for the CV Shafts have a tread locker on them, I will make sure to use some when putting back together.
Also noticed that the Steering knuckle has an oil seal that presses in from the back and one is damaged so they get replaced. This is why I like to clean and inspect things. Would kind of suck to wait on parts only to find out you overlooked something that will hold the job up longer.
