Mr Greasy and new click

New with reused backing plates and cleaned spacer end cap

Clean spline hole
use spray brake cleaner and eye protection

Clean spline hole inside

Ready for new half shaft
inside shaft end connection to front diff. shaft plate is held by 4 bolts heads=45mm Torx, shallow torx hole so use high quality tough torx to not destroy hole...also 2 alignment bolts that screw into spacer and have alignment pins that stick into drive axle plate holes, 8mm 12 point
use non permanent Threadlocker on all bolts
got carried away with new air tools, took tie rod nut off

One end in
use cv joint grease on splines for easy removal next repair
use non permanent threadlocker on threads
snug up new nut....torque after wheel back on and one ground to prevent damage to shaft joints

Jack under A frame coil base
used 2 jack stands under front side frame and jack under lower A frame to allow A frame down slightly after removing squeeze clamp bolt on top ball join....made positioning of half shaft in tight space much easier and faster...

 

"The Phoenix has risen from the ashes!" Your article 96_4wdr that is.

I just started into my 1994 last night with removing and replacing the drivers side half shaft. After removing the wheel I noticed I didn't have anything as big as the 30mm socket for the shaft nut so I improvised. I have a very nice slim headed Ford wrench that I used. The jaws seat all the way down around the nuts body even with the shoulder of the hub I took a 1/2" drive 18" long breaker bar extension placed an large deep well over the handle and from 3 O'clock position to 12 O'clock position broke the torque on the nut. I have read differing opinions on the life of the nut. Ford says to not reuse the nut because it is of a torque prevailing design and cannot be reused. On some of the posts I read where people have reused them. I was very careful with mine and didn't even dent it in or hurt it in anyway soooo I might go back on with it. I counted 10 threads exposed and did a match mark so I should be good there.

Question---I saw where you had placed your jack under the cup housing of the coil spring. Is this to help keep it from exploding out of there once the ball joint and steering arm(tie rod) are disconnected?

I was just asking because it only seems the is a small chamfer (lip) keeping the coil where it stands/seats right now.

The way I did mine was I jacked up my van in the middle front support area of the sub-frame and then placed two jack stands under-one under the other end of the A-arm and the other next to it for insurance.

I've seen how to do this its just that I'm worried about the coil spring. I can lock it down with a strong cargo strap or chain for -what if.---Thanks Boz

Oh yeah-if there are any other tricks I need to know I'd appreciate that as well.

 

Is this to help keep it from exploding out of there once the ball joint and steering arm(tie rod) are disconnected?


yes

 

thanks-I moved the jack under the a-arm to keep it from happening and compressed it up further for insurance-problem solved-i appreciate it

nice pictures too. I made copies and then took them out for the repair. They helped out greatly

 

i think this thread should be stickied. lots of us own awd's, and this q comes up alot. and i have personaly found (after doing two and still needing to replace a third) that the haynes manual does NOT help

 

The Haynes manual on Aerostars does not cover anything on 4wd. It says specifically for 2wd models only.

For any information on the 4wd model, you need to look to the Chilton's manual, or the factory service manuals.

 

I just finished mine. It wasn't too bad. I bought this van in the Spring of 04. The prior owner had just had a new set installed before I bought it.

I had allot of popping going on under my wheel well of the drivers side making me think my cv joint was going out since I had been driving on it for a while with the torn boot. Turns out that when I was under there to pickle fork the ball joint I noticed the boot missing and the cup connecting the pivoting area bent causing the noise so I changed it out as well.

I picked up a little more info. than I had read on this site as to the in's outs of doing this. But got a really lot of helpful info. starting out from 96_4wdr. The pictures were very nice.