Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Ford f250 front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Ford f250 Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Ford f250 you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement.
The inner part of the tie rod uses a nut that will need to be removed, this nut may spin with the rest of the tie rod depending on how
rusty it is. I suggest using a pair of vice grips to hold the portion of the bolt to prevent it from
spinning. You may also use a wire brush to clean off the threads prior to removal and or use penatrating oil to
aid in removal of the nut. Once removed you can now tap out the tie rod from the spindle and
start to remove it completely. If you want to replace just the outer portion of the tie rod you can remove the clamp bolts further down the tie rod and remove the Outer portion of the rod and replace.
Once the outer tie rod is off you can now install the new part and reinstall it the same way it had been
removed. Once you get the nut back in place you can torque it to 85 ft-lbs. The inner clamped portion can be torqued to 41 ft-lbs.
Ford f250 Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Inner Tie Rod Clamp Torque Spec : 41 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Tie Rod Connecting Nuts Torque Spec : 67 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Steering Box Main Nut Torque Spec : 200 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
To install the new wheel hub you must first remove the old hub from the vehicle. To do this you must first jack
up the vehicle and remove the lugnuts from the side of the vehicle that you want to replace
the part on. Once the tire is off you will need to remove the bolts from the brake bracket on the steering
knuckle. These bolts will be rather tight so you may want to use an impact or find some
leverage. Once removed you can move the brake assembly out of the way and move the brake rotor from the vehicle.
Next you must remove the center hub cap on the hub assembly. Once off there is a c clamp on the axle shaft that must be
removed prior to removing the entire hub assembly. Now you will have access to the wheel hub bolts from the rear of the part. The best way to remove
these is to move the steering wheel one way and then the other to allow yourself more room to access each bolt.
Once the four bolts are removed the hub should be
able to move out of the vehicle. You may need to use some penetrating oil to assist in the removal as
occasionally corrosion builds up and causes it to become stuck. Once the hub has been removed you can install
the new hub in reverse order from which it had been removed. Start by placing the hub into the
knuckle and then fastening the 4 bolts into it from the back. Once in place these bolts will need to be torqued
to 135 ft-lbs. The next step is to reinstall the brake rotor and bracket. The bracket bolts torque
to 166 ft-lbs. Now with everything back in place you can install your tire and torque your lugnuts to 150 ft-lbs.
Ford f250 Front Wheel Hub Torque Spec : 135 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Lugnuts Torque Spec : 150 ft-lbs
Front Ball Joints Installation
The Ford f250 has two sets of front ball joints being the upper and lower ball joints. The most common one
for replacement is the lower ball joint as it takes most of the vehciles weight. To replace the joints without replacing the knuckle
you will need to press the old joints out and then press the new joints in. Once done the lower ball joint nut
torques to 150 ft-lbs. The upper ball joint is similar to the lower but is easier to install.
The upper ball joint nut can be torqued to 69 ft-lbs.
Ford f250 Front Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 150 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Front Upper Ball Joint Torque Spec : 69 ft-lbs
Front Shocks installation
To replace the front shocks on a Ford f250 you will first need to remove the nut on the top of the shock.
This can be accessed from under the hood of the vehicle or by the side with a wrench. Once removed the next bolt to remove
is the lower bolt that connects the shock to the axle. With this bolt removed you can now remove the shock from the vehicle. The new shock can then be moved back into the vehicle the same
way the old one came out. Once the new shock is installed you can then start installing the bolt and nut. The
upper nut can be installed the same way that it had been removed and should be torqued to
76 ft-lbs. The lower bolt may need to be aligned and put back into place. If you must hammer on the bolt be
sure not to ruin the threads, once the bolt is in it can be torqued to 76 ft-lbs.
Ford f250 Front Shock Upper Nut Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs
Ford f250 Front Shock Lower Bolt Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs
