O'Rattlecan
Redneck Prognosticator
Hey guys, I was too filthy to take any pictures, but I did take one for reference.
This was on the 2005 Ford F150 FX4 4x4, but from my research I believe this to be true for XL, XLT, FX4, Lariat, King Ranch, whatever. The parts are all the same for 2004-2008, and the procedure should be identical (including 2wd/RWD models).
The upper ball joints are not pressable on this truck, so you have to remove the entire control arm. From what I gathered, my guess was that you could replace the upper ball joint control arm without removing the entire steering knuckle. Low and behold, I was correct!
Unfortunately, I also learned that you have to remove the strut assembly to get the bolts out of the control arm. The springs on the strut block the clear line required to remove the bolts. At first I was taken back and really discouraged when I found that out. I had no experience with this type of suspension, and I didn't want to screw everything out.
After I regained my composure, I realized the strut assembly has 3 nuts on the top, and one enormously large bolt at the bottom of the strut. If memory serves, the nuts on the top of the strut are 15mm. I used a huge axle socket (30mm if I recall correctly) on the bottom plus a crescent wrench.
So two lessons learned:
1. You don't have to take off the entire knuckle to replace the upper ball joint control arm.
2. You don't have to remove the knuckle to replace struts (awesome to know for future repairs.
Proof:
Ryan
This was on the 2005 Ford F150 FX4 4x4, but from my research I believe this to be true for XL, XLT, FX4, Lariat, King Ranch, whatever. The parts are all the same for 2004-2008, and the procedure should be identical (including 2wd/RWD models).
The upper ball joints are not pressable on this truck, so you have to remove the entire control arm. From what I gathered, my guess was that you could replace the upper ball joint control arm without removing the entire steering knuckle. Low and behold, I was correct!
Unfortunately, I also learned that you have to remove the strut assembly to get the bolts out of the control arm. The springs on the strut block the clear line required to remove the bolts. At first I was taken back and really discouraged when I found that out. I had no experience with this type of suspension, and I didn't want to screw everything out.
After I regained my composure, I realized the strut assembly has 3 nuts on the top, and one enormously large bolt at the bottom of the strut. If memory serves, the nuts on the top of the strut are 15mm. I used a huge axle socket (30mm if I recall correctly) on the bottom plus a crescent wrench.
So two lessons learned:
1. You don't have to take off the entire knuckle to replace the upper ball joint control arm.
2. You don't have to remove the knuckle to replace struts (awesome to know for future repairs.
Proof:
Ryan
Last edited:
