You made the assembly of the 2 lower ball joints look easy, OMG, never want to do that job again. I had to press them out so when trying to get them back in there wasn’t enough thread to get the nut on until I pressed them half way in. Good video though, was a big help to me, thanks
I had to replace the wheel bearing on the other side of my fusion and was able to remove the lower ball joints with vibration. What I did was had somone hold a 5 pound hammer against one side of the knuckle next to the joints while I hit the other side of the kncukle with another 5 pound hammer and after two or three hits the joints came loose. Thank you for your comment I am glad it helped you.
Great video. Guided me through this rather frustrating job. Some additional notes not in the video: 1.) The adjustment screw on the tie rod is bigger than 19mm (I used an adjustable wrench, so I'm not sure specifically) 2.) The ball joint nuts are 23mm 3.) He skipped over the actual removal of the ball joints, and for good reason...it is a NIGHTMARE...here are my tips - *** DON'T use a ball joint separator (pickle fork, special tools, etc.) *** they will do NOTHING to remove the ball joints and will definitely RUIN the boots leading to a full control arm replacement (the ball joints are not separate from the control arm). There is a sleeve in the knuckle that *ALWAYS* gets fused to the ball joint taper/bolt. Instead, take off the 23mm nuts, use plenty of penetrating oil, and use a torch to heat up the bottom of the bolt/sleeve/knuckle. Get it good and hot, then use a 5lb sledge and pound up on the bottom of the bolt to knock out the whole thing (sleeve, bolt, and ball joint). Some folks put the ball joint nut back on the bolt, but when I did this it ruined the threads on the bolt. I did it without the nut on the second round and it barely damaged the end of the bold and left the threads in tact. The sleeve WILL come out with the bolt...if you don't need to change the control arm/ball joint, you can just press them back into the knuckle. If you DO need to change the arm/joint, a pitman puller with get them off easily (you have to reuse them, they don't come with the new arms/joints). I guess that's it. "The ball joints suck" is the main take away.
Thank you. The ball joints were a pain to get off. The way that I did it was to loosen the 23 mm nut for the ball joint and leave it flush with the end of the bolt. I then used a lot of penetrating oil and used the ball joint separator to apply pressure I then took a 3 pound hammer and hammered up on the nut/bolt and after several strikes they separated from the sleeve. I also forgot to mention that the axle nut should be torqued to 185 ft-lbs. I appreciate the feedback thank you!!+elskeetro
I took off the ball joint nut off. However, it is definitely not 23mm, which is too small. I then put 24mm, it is a little loose. I used a 15/16 socket, which took the nuts off.
@elskeetro Sure would have been nice to be informed how much of a "NIGHTMARE" The lower ball joints was to start of with not to mention how a ball joint separator is absolutely useless.. Thanks for the info...
Overall a good video, one point though. Anytime you're going to strike the end of a threaded part, like the tie rod or axle shaft, make sure to thread the nut on until it is flush with the spot you want to hit. The nut will help protect the threads so you can reassemble those parts without the cost of replacing them.
Good video, A tip to make life a bit easier, rap the new bearing in paper and then a in a poly bag and put in in the freezer for as long as you can as this shrinks the bearing, and once you have the bearing out clean the hub put the and then put it in some boiling water, when the hub id hot it expands remove it grease it and fit the bearing quick as a cold bearing will almost drop in, but be ready as the bearing will warm quick and return to it's normal size, it works both ways external bearings water proof bag and in boiling water and the hub in the freezer if it fits inside the bearing.
It's worth your time if you plan on saving thousands of dollars over the years and buying your own tools a little at a time. If you're only sampling mechanic work and not willing to commit then save yourself the time and pay a professional. I pay myself the mechanic's fee by purchasing myself good quality American made tools whenever I need them. It's a great feeling fixing a car while properly equipped with tools that don't give out or fail on challenging jobs.
Great video. I have a 07 mkz that’s giving me vibrations when turning and accelerating up to 2nd gear I’m inclined to think it’s either bearings cv or both. Jiffy claims my differential fluid needs changing but I seriously feel the vibration is getting worse... I replaced engine mount middle I think. But I suspect it may need the other 2 mounts replaced as well. Question can I do these jobs? I don’t have a press but may be able to use my nephews. I just can’t afford to get any of these jobs done with a mechanic. Please would appreciate if u can shoot me any advice/tips. Thanks for the video
If you can get the car up in the air you can try spinning the tire and listening for any noise and see if there is any play in the wheel this may help to rule out the bearing.While turning the wheel and driving if you hear a clicking noise than most likely it is the cv joint. If you can it best to try and replace all the mounts at once. I have changed them out once on my fusion and once on my wifes fusion. It takes some time but is not very difficult to do. I will try to post a video of replacing the transmission mount and the engine mount in the near future. Good Luck!!!
is has been same time since you did this but if you can take the time and answer it will be great where the you find the separator for the lower control arms.?
Great video! I am midst of this project now, with a broken snap ring and loads of rust. Was the bearing removal kit of no use? I have one of these, but have not got to that step yet ;-)
Hello Harvey Thank you for you comments and questions. I also had a lot of rust on my bearing which made it difficult to come off. The bearing removal kit wasn't strong enough to remove my bearing and so I ended up going to get a 20 ton shop press and that did the trick. A couple of things that you can try are heating up the hub around the bearing with a torch and then using the apporpraite bearing adapter and a mallet try to break the bearing free from the hub and then use the bearing kit to remove it the rest of the way. As far as the snap ring I have seen kits online that come with a new bearing, snap ring and axle nut. Let me know if you have any other questions and Good Luck!
Hello Marquis, Your welcome and thank you for the comment. The rotors are at the end of their life lol. One of my next videos will be replacement of rotors and pads.
To all who wanna do the work themselves: bearing adapter set won't work because these chassis models need a 5-10 ton hydraulic press to get out the front bearings. Either buy one or take the knuckle to a mechanic and have them press out the old one and put in the new one.
I'm getting the same thing fix on my car but my friend cant get the axle pushed out, he states it has to do because theres so much rust on it, could that be true?
Yes there could be a lot of rust especially if you live in places that’s get snow and the roads get salted or near the ocean. He may have to use some heat or/ and a good penetrating oil. Good Luck
i have heard around that fusions, Milans, and mkz like to eat through wheel bearings did this replacement last a long time or did the bearing fail again a year later??
The initial factory bearing started making noise at 200,000 miles and that is when I replaced it so far I have put about 20,000 miles on the new bearing and no issues at all. Thank you
There is a bearing separator tool that you can try that might work. I Initially tried using the bearing separator tool and it was not strong enough therefore I had to use the press. Good Luck
2007 Fusion SEL AWD V-6 135,000 miles. I have a popping clunking noise coming from what seems to be the right front wheel when the speed gets above 30 MPH but the noise and vibration comes and goes in 2 or 3 second bursts (like running over speed strips) until the speed is reduced. It also only does this sporadically not constantly, sometimes you can drive it a couple of miles and it will do nothing sometimes it starts as soon as the speed climbs. I had a local shop owner come by and ride with me and of course it did nothing in 5 miles of driving. The next day it did it as soon as I left the driveway and hit 35 MPH. So my first inclination is wheel bearing. The steering wheel does not shake or vibrate the way I would expect it to with a wheel bearing though nor is the noise and vibration constant so I am wondering if it might be the CV joint? Has anyone experienced similar issues with either a wheel bearing or CV joint with their Fusion? I called a parts house and the front hub assembly is $354.00 so I would love to have an idea before I start digging into this. THANKS for any guidance anyone can provide.