2015 - 2021 mustang 5.0L Torque Specs


2017 mustang Front End Torque Specs

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Mustang 5.0L Repair Information

Mustang 5.0L Engine Repair Information

Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Mustang 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.

Mustang Tie Rod Change/Removal

Mustang Tie rod
To install a new tie rod on a Mustang 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 an nut that will need to be removed, this nut may spin 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 the removal. 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 use a wrench to hold the inner tie rod and spin off the outer tie rod. I usually count how many turns it takes to come off so that I can then use the same number when installing the new part. This helps to avoid alignment costs and hassles, although you may still want to get your vehicle realigned. Once the outer tie rod is off you can now screw on 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 41 ft-lbs. Be sure to tighten back up the nut on the middle of the tie rod to ensure it does not move your alignment. If you happen to be installing the inner tie rod as well you will need a special tool to loosen and tighten the inner part. The torque specs for the inner tie rod are 60 ft-lbs.

Mustang Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec : 41 ft-lbs

Mustang Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 60 ft-lbs

 

Front Wheel Hub Installation

Mustang wheel hub
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 remove the brake rotor from the vehicle. Now you will have to remove the center hub nut from the vehicle, much the same as the brake bracket bolts this nut will be very tight and will require either an impact or a larger breaker bar and pipe. Once you finally get the nut off you can pull the wheel hub off 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 wheel hub nut to 251 ft-lbs. The next step is to reinstall the brake rotor and bracket. The bracket bolts torque to 76 ft-lbs. Now with everything back in place you can install your tire and torque your lugnuts to 95 ft-lbs.

Mustang Front Wheel Hub Torque Spec : 251 ft-lbs

Mustang Front Brake Bracket Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs

Mustang Lugnuts Torque Spec : 95 ft-lbs

 


Front Ball Joint Installation

Mustang Front Ball Joints
The Mustang has only one front end ball joint which is located on the lower control arms connection to the steering knuckle. This ball joint is apart of the lower control arm but can be pressed out by using a ball joint pressing tool kit. To start with the ball joint removal we will need to remove the tire, brake assembly, and steering knuckle from the vehicle. This includes removing the outer tie rod from the knuckle and the ball joint nut from the knuckle. Once you have enough room to access the joint with the pressing tool you can press out the old ball joint and then press in the new ball joint. During reassembly you will need to start by tightening the lower ball joint back up to the knuckle while torqueing it to 85 ft-lbs. You can then retighten the tie rod to 41 ft-lbs, the brake bracket to 76 ft-lbs, and finally the lugnuts to 95 ft-lbs.

 

 

 

Mustang Front Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs

 

Front Control arms Installation

Lower Control Arm
Mustang Front Control arms

The ford mustang front suspension only uses one control arm along with the use of a strut assembly to connect the steering knuckle to the vehicle. The lower control arm is connected to the car in 3 main areas. These are the lower ball joint, and then 2 fastening points to the frame. In order to remove the old control arm you will have to remove the arm from the steering knuckle and then remove it from the frame. This involves taking off the nut on the ball joint and loosening up the 2 bolts to the frame. The new control arm can then be installed starting with the frame bolts. These bolts will need to be torqued down to 177 ft-lbs. The next step is to connect the ball joint to the steering knuckle. This will need to be torqued to 85 ft-lbs.

Mustang Lower Arm to Frame Torque Spec : 177 ft-lbs

Mustang Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs

 

Front Strut installation

Mustang Front struts
The Ford Mustang front strut plays an important role in the suspension system. It not only handles bumps and road imperfections, but also holds the steering knuckle to the vehicle which is important as it keeps the wheel on the car. The strut has 2 main connecting points to the vehicle which will need to be removed in order to install a new strut assembly. One being 2 bolts located on the steering knuckle and the other being a nut which holds the strut to the upper strut tower. To remove the old one you can simply remove the wheel from the vehicle and support the lower control arm with a jack and then remove the 2 fastening points and take the part out of the vehicle. To install the new strut you reverse the steps and torque down the fastening points. The lower bolts will need to be torqued down to 184 ft-lbs and the upper nut will need to be torqued to 76 ft-lbs. Once both fasteners have been tightened you can reinstall the wheel and the job is done.

Mustang Front Strut Upper Nut Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs

Mustang Front Strut Lower Bolts Torque Spec : 184 ft-lbs

Mustang Front Strut Upper mount to frame Torque Spec : 46 ft-lbs

 

Front Stabilizer Installation

Mustang stabilizer
The front stabilizer on the Mustang consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove the stabilizer you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the brackets. To install the new stabilizer you will need to move it back into the place as the old one and torque the endlink nuts to 85 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 76 ft-lbs as well.

 

 

 

Mustang Front Stabilizer Bracket Torque Spec : 76 ft-lbs

Mustang Front Stabilizer Endlinks Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs

 


Front Steering Torque Specs
Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec 41 ft-lbs
Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec 60 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub / Knuckle
Brake Caliper Bracket Torque Spec 76 ft-lbs
Wheel Hub Nut Torque Spec 251 ft-lbs
Stabilizer Mount Torque Spec 76 ft-lbs
Stabilizer Endlink Torque Spec 85 ft-lbs
Control Arms Torque Specs
Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec 85 ft-lbs
Lower Arm to Frame Bolts 177 ft-lbs
Front Shock Torque Specs
Upper Strut Mounting Nuts Torque Spec 46 ft-lbs
Upper Strut Nut Torque Spec 76 ft-lbs
Lower Strut Bolts Torque Spec 184 ft-lbs