2001 Ford F-150 Super Crew: Replacing Upper Control Arms
05-14-2010, 11:08 AM
#1
2001 Ford F-150 Super Crew: Replacing Upper Control Arms
In May 2010, I took my 2001 Ford F150 XLT Super Crew in for its annual inspection. I felt I did a good job looking over my truck before taking it in. When I get my vehicles inspected, I always go in as the “gullible guy” just to see if the shop is going to try and screw me. Well, the mechanic came back and said that my upper control arms were bad and needed to be replaced. The estimated cost (part and labor)…$400!!! Really? The guy says, “If we do it, we can have it to you tomorrow evening.” Hmmm, what do I do? I would have left it with them had I not taken two years of automotive maintenance in high school, eight months training as a diesel mechanic, and three years as a automotive mechanic in the Marine Corps. So guess what? I did it myself and this is how I did it.
First I went to a retail parts store and purchased new left and right upper control arms for about $80 for both of them. That beat the $160 the shop would have charged me for parts alone. It’s wiser to replace the whole assembly instead of pressing out the bushings and ball joints. Don’t waste your time trying to take them out; just replace the whole assembly. Then, I made sure I had access to the following tools:
- Tire iron
- Floor jack
- Jack stands (x 2)
- Pull handle
- Sockets and ratchets
- Box end wrenches
- Pickle fork
- 2 lb hammer
- Drop light
- Needle nose pliers
- Flat screw driver
- Wire or coat hanger
- Grease gun
- TIME!!!
Here’s what you do:
1) Lift the front of your truck and secure it on your two jack stands. (You will need the floor jack to hold up the lower control arm.)
2) Remove the tire(s)
3) Your upper control arms are U-shaped and hold two bushings and a ball joint on each. I recommend marking the bolt heads for the upper control arm bushings. They should be reinstalled in the same direction they were removed.
4) Place a piece of wood on the floor jack and place the floor jack underneath the lower control arm. The wood should be positioned on the lower control arm between the lower ball joint and the shock. This will support the weight of the lower control arm and prevent it from dropping when you separate the upper control arm ball joint from the lower control arm. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the lower control with the jack and make sure you are not actually lifting the vehicle!
5) Loosen the bolts in the bushing end of the upper control arms. You may have a hose/cable attached the upper control arm associated with the anti-lock breaking system. With a flat screwdriver, loosen the plastic clip. Try not to destroy it; you will need to refasten it to the new upper control arms once it’s installed.
6) Remove the cotter pin from the ball joint on the upper control arm. DO NOT REMOVE THE CASTLE NUT AT THIS POINT!!! Loosen the castle nut enough to allow room for the ball joint to be separated by the pickle fork.
7) Place your pickle fork between the ball joint and the lower control arm. Using your 2lb hammer, drive the pickle fork between the ball joint and lower control arm until they are separated (you will hear and feel it separate). Once they are separated, you can then remove the castle nut from the upper control arm ball joint.
8) Once the upper ball joint is separated, remove the bolts from the upper control arm bushings and remove the upper control arm. Be careful. Your spindle is now unsupported and can fall over and damage your brake lines. I recommend running wire through the hole what the upper ball joint was in and attaching the wire to the front suspension spring to prevent it from falling over.
9) The original upper control arm may have been sealed and may not have a grease fitting. Your new upper control arm should come with a fitting, new castle nut, and new cotter pin. Inspect the new part to ensure it is serviceable. Check the new boot for rips and tears. Ensure the bushings are installed properly. On one of my new control arms, I had an issue with the bushings being pressed in too far. I had to have the bushing pressed back in order for them to fit in the brackets properly (a real pain). Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint (if uninstalled) and ensure the ball joint is greased to specification. I recommend working the ball joints a bit to ensure they are lubricated well.
10) Install the new control arms in reverse order. You just saved yourself about $250 by buying after market parts and doing it yourself!!
First I went to a retail parts store and purchased new left and right upper control arms for about $80 for both of them. That beat the $160 the shop would have charged me for parts alone. It’s wiser to replace the whole assembly instead of pressing out the bushings and ball joints. Don’t waste your time trying to take them out; just replace the whole assembly. Then, I made sure I had access to the following tools:
- Tire iron
- Floor jack
- Jack stands (x 2)
- Pull handle
- Sockets and ratchets
- Box end wrenches
- Pickle fork
- 2 lb hammer
- Drop light
- Needle nose pliers
- Flat screw driver
- Wire or coat hanger
- Grease gun
- TIME!!!
Here’s what you do:
1) Lift the front of your truck and secure it on your two jack stands. (You will need the floor jack to hold up the lower control arm.)
2) Remove the tire(s)
3) Your upper control arms are U-shaped and hold two bushings and a ball joint on each. I recommend marking the bolt heads for the upper control arm bushings. They should be reinstalled in the same direction they were removed.
4) Place a piece of wood on the floor jack and place the floor jack underneath the lower control arm. The wood should be positioned on the lower control arm between the lower ball joint and the shock. This will support the weight of the lower control arm and prevent it from dropping when you separate the upper control arm ball joint from the lower control arm. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the lower control with the jack and make sure you are not actually lifting the vehicle!
5) Loosen the bolts in the bushing end of the upper control arms. You may have a hose/cable attached the upper control arm associated with the anti-lock breaking system. With a flat screwdriver, loosen the plastic clip. Try not to destroy it; you will need to refasten it to the new upper control arms once it’s installed.
6) Remove the cotter pin from the ball joint on the upper control arm. DO NOT REMOVE THE CASTLE NUT AT THIS POINT!!! Loosen the castle nut enough to allow room for the ball joint to be separated by the pickle fork.
7) Place your pickle fork between the ball joint and the lower control arm. Using your 2lb hammer, drive the pickle fork between the ball joint and lower control arm until they are separated (you will hear and feel it separate). Once they are separated, you can then remove the castle nut from the upper control arm ball joint.
8) Once the upper ball joint is separated, remove the bolts from the upper control arm bushings and remove the upper control arm. Be careful. Your spindle is now unsupported and can fall over and damage your brake lines. I recommend running wire through the hole what the upper ball joint was in and attaching the wire to the front suspension spring to prevent it from falling over.
9) The original upper control arm may have been sealed and may not have a grease fitting. Your new upper control arm should come with a fitting, new castle nut, and new cotter pin. Inspect the new part to ensure it is serviceable. Check the new boot for rips and tears. Ensure the bushings are installed properly. On one of my new control arms, I had an issue with the bushings being pressed in too far. I had to have the bushing pressed back in order for them to fit in the brackets properly (a real pain). Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint (if uninstalled) and ensure the ball joint is greased to specification. I recommend working the ball joints a bit to ensure they are lubricated well.
10) Install the new control arms in reverse order. You just saved yourself about $250 by buying after market parts and doing it yourself!!
05-22-2012, 08:02 AM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by marine02xx
In May 2010, I took my 2001 Ford F150 XLT Super Crew in for its annual inspection. I felt I did a good job looking over my truck before taking it in. When I get my vehicles inspected, I always go in as the “gullible guy” just to see if the shop is going to try and screw me. Well, the mechanic came back and said that my upper control arms were bad and needed to be replaced. The estimated cost (part and labor)…$400!!! Really? The guy says, “If we do it, we can have it to you tomorrow evening.” Hmmm, what do I do? I would have left it with them had I not taken two years of automotive maintenance in high school, eight months training as a diesel mechanic, and three years as a automotive mechanic in the Marine Corps. So guess what? I did it myself and this is how I did it.
First I went to a retail parts store and purchased new left and right upper control arms for about $80 for both of them. That beat the $160 the shop would have charged me for parts alone. It’s wiser to replace the whole assembly instead of pressing out the bushings and ball joints. Don’t waste your time trying to take them out; just replace the whole assembly. Then, I made sure I had access to the following tools:
- Tire iron
- Floor jack
- Jack stands (x 2)
- Pull handle
- Sockets and ratchets
- Box end wrenches
- Pickle fork
- 2 lb hammer
- Drop light
- Needle nose pliers
- Flat screw driver
- Wire or coat hanger
- Grease gun
- TIME!!!
Here’s what you do:
1) Lift the front of your truck and secure it on your two jack stands. (You will need the floor jack to hold up the lower control arm.)
2) Remove the tire(s)
3) Your upper control arms are U-shaped and hold two bushings and a ball joint on each. I recommend marking the bolt heads for the upper control arm bushings. They should be reinstalled in the same direction they were removed.
4) Place a piece of wood on the floor jack and place the floor jack underneath the lower control arm. The wood should be positioned on the lower control arm between the lower ball joint and the shock. This will support the weight of the lower control arm and prevent it from dropping when you separate the upper control arm ball joint from the lower control arm. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the lower control with the jack and make sure you are not actually lifting the vehicle!
5) Loosen the bolts in the bushing end of the upper control arms. You may have a hose/cable attached the upper control arm associated with the anti-lock breaking system. With a flat screwdriver, loosen the plastic clip. Try not to destroy it; you will need to refasten it to the new upper control arms once it’s installed.
6) Remove the cotter pin from the ball joint on the upper control arm. DO NOT REMOVE THE CASTLE NUT AT THIS POINT!!! Loosen the castle nut enough to allow room for the ball joint to be separated by the pickle fork.
7) Place your pickle fork between the ball joint and the lower control arm. Using your 2lb hammer, drive the pickle fork between the ball joint and lower control arm until they are separated (you will hear and feel it separate). Once they are separated, you can then remove the castle nut from the upper control arm ball joint.
8) Once the upper ball joint is separated, remove the bolts from the upper control arm bushings and remove the upper control arm. Be careful. Your spindle is now unsupported and can fall over and damage your brake lines. I recommend running wire through the hole what the upper ball joint was in and attaching the wire to the front suspension spring to prevent it from falling over.
9) The original upper control arm may have been sealed and may not have a grease fitting. Your new upper control arm should come with a fitting, new castle nut, and new cotter pin. Inspect the new part to ensure it is serviceable. Check the new boot for rips and tears. Ensure the bushings are installed properly. On one of my new control arms, I had an issue with the bushings being pressed in too far. I had to have the bushing pressed back in order for them to fit in the brackets properly (a real pain). Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint (if uninstalled) and ensure the ball joint is greased to specification. I recommend working the ball joints a bit to ensure they are lubricated well.
10) Install the new control arms in reverse order. You just saved yourself about $250 by buying after market parts and doing it yourself!!
First I went to a retail parts store and purchased new left and right upper control arms for about $80 for both of them. That beat the $160 the shop would have charged me for parts alone. It’s wiser to replace the whole assembly instead of pressing out the bushings and ball joints. Don’t waste your time trying to take them out; just replace the whole assembly. Then, I made sure I had access to the following tools:
- Tire iron
- Floor jack
- Jack stands (x 2)
- Pull handle
- Sockets and ratchets
- Box end wrenches
- Pickle fork
- 2 lb hammer
- Drop light
- Needle nose pliers
- Flat screw driver
- Wire or coat hanger
- Grease gun
- TIME!!!
Here’s what you do:
1) Lift the front of your truck and secure it on your two jack stands. (You will need the floor jack to hold up the lower control arm.)
2) Remove the tire(s)
3) Your upper control arms are U-shaped and hold two bushings and a ball joint on each. I recommend marking the bolt heads for the upper control arm bushings. They should be reinstalled in the same direction they were removed.
4) Place a piece of wood on the floor jack and place the floor jack underneath the lower control arm. The wood should be positioned on the lower control arm between the lower ball joint and the shock. This will support the weight of the lower control arm and prevent it from dropping when you separate the upper control arm ball joint from the lower control arm. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the lower control with the jack and make sure you are not actually lifting the vehicle!
5) Loosen the bolts in the bushing end of the upper control arms. You may have a hose/cable attached the upper control arm associated with the anti-lock breaking system. With a flat screwdriver, loosen the plastic clip. Try not to destroy it; you will need to refasten it to the new upper control arms once it’s installed.
6) Remove the cotter pin from the ball joint on the upper control arm. DO NOT REMOVE THE CASTLE NUT AT THIS POINT!!! Loosen the castle nut enough to allow room for the ball joint to be separated by the pickle fork.
7) Place your pickle fork between the ball joint and the lower control arm. Using your 2lb hammer, drive the pickle fork between the ball joint and lower control arm until they are separated (you will hear and feel it separate). Once they are separated, you can then remove the castle nut from the upper control arm ball joint.
8) Once the upper ball joint is separated, remove the bolts from the upper control arm bushings and remove the upper control arm. Be careful. Your spindle is now unsupported and can fall over and damage your brake lines. I recommend running wire through the hole what the upper ball joint was in and attaching the wire to the front suspension spring to prevent it from falling over.
9) The original upper control arm may have been sealed and may not have a grease fitting. Your new upper control arm should come with a fitting, new castle nut, and new cotter pin. Inspect the new part to ensure it is serviceable. Check the new boot for rips and tears. Ensure the bushings are installed properly. On one of my new control arms, I had an issue with the bushings being pressed in too far. I had to have the bushing pressed back in order for them to fit in the brackets properly (a real pain). Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint (if uninstalled) and ensure the ball joint is greased to specification. I recommend working the ball joints a bit to ensure they are lubricated well.
10) Install the new control arms in reverse order. You just saved yourself about $250 by buying after market parts and doing it yourself!!