Front knuckle matches ?'s

[Monterusto]

I have a severely bad right front bearing.( i only found 6 mangled and fused roller bearings) major neglect. i was wondering what cars/ years would be a match for front knuckles. also what is the best way to remove the outer tierod from the knuckle and the lower control arm.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Why do you need another knuckle? A new wheel bearing should do you good. Unless the bearing was so bad that it started to spin within the knuckle

The outer tie rod end removal is easy. Remove the cotter pin, remove the nut, and tap the ti rod end out of the knuckle.

Lower ball joint to knuckle can be a bit tricky. Mine were a pain to take apart... remove the pinch bolt and nut, use a cold chisel to spread the pinch joint, and pry the lower arm down to remove the ball joint from the knuckle.

All that is left is removing the strut from the knuckle and the brake line thumb

 

[Monterusto]

i was thinking the outer part of the bearing assy. might not come out of the knuckle. its been messed up real long. 2 bearing rollers actually fused together. i called a bunch of junkyards and no 1st gens.

 

[91taurisho]

Try and find a SLO or SHO from 94-95. Then new caliper brackets, calipers, rotors and you have yourself a 96 brake upgrade. you don't have abs so finding a 94-95 SLO/Sable/SHO should be easy. Get both knuckles and calipers, go to autozonbe get new caliper brackets and pads and rotors for the 96 SHO and you just did your upgrade for ~$160.00. I got my knuckles, calipers and rotors(95 rotors) from the yard(Off of a 95 SLO with ABS) for ~$80.00. The caliper brackets are $28.00 from AZ and rotors are $20.22. The pads are where it gets expensive. if you are low on cash get the cheap pads now and replace them with better ones in the future.

Good luck and I hope this info helps!
Scott

 

[rangerj]

Will the stock 89 wheels fit over the 96 brake upgrade? I don't think so. Do you want to buy new wheels also?

If the steering knuckle is not damanged there is no need to replace it. The bearing may come out in pieces, but it will come out. Check the knuckle for cracks, if there are none you can reuse it.

As for the removeal of the tie rod end, if you do not have "the tool" for removing it, use two hammers. Place one hammer on one side of the joint, and hit the other side of the joint with the other hammer. Smack it good. The force distorts the knuckle where the ball stud goes thru. The end will come out. Try it, you'll like it!

Hitting the tie rod end on the threads is not a good idea. If you are going to hit the end of the tie rod leave the nut on, flat side up, and hit the nut. This keeps the threads from being damaged.

To remove the ball stud from the knuckle use a small bottle jack. Place the jack on the junction of the lower control arm and the stablizer strut.

Place the upper end of the jack against the lip of the inner fender well. The jack pushes down on the lower control arm, and thus the ball joint, and pulls the stud out of the knuckle.

Be sure to remove the "pinch bolt" from the knuckle first.

Remove the bolt that holds the knuckle to the strut last, but I would loosen it while everthing is still together.

From the sound of your bearings it seems you waited a little to long before changing them. You will also need a new hub. Your hub is distorted from the heat and wabbling in the bearing.

You can have a local parts store press out the old bearing and press in the new one. They should be asked to inspect the knuckle for cracks around where the bearing goes, BEFORE they press in a new bearing and hub.

Your other bearing cannot be far behind! Do both sides. rangerj

 

[Monterusto]

actually i am super short on money so i am going to try and do the install with some nust bolts washers a jack and a car. the inboard side of the knuckle where the dust shield might go is distorted as is the rh halfshaft cog (ground) a bit. also there is only an 1/8 th in lip of the outer race to push out. maybe ill post pictures for the fun of it.so i went to the junkyard and $60 got me a new knuckle and caliper. one question, is there a poormans version to installing the halfshaft onto the hub?

 

[Monterusto]

by the way i used a tie rod removal tool from autozone.

 

[91taurisho]

Monterusto:
One question, is there a poormans version to installing the halfshaft onto the hub?

How exactly do YOU know how to install it??? The only way I ever install a halfshaft into a hub is slide it in, bolt it on and put the lower control arm ball-joint back on. That's cheap(Free to be exact!). If it doesn't slide in really easily, then I grab the halfshaft and the knuckle and push the 2 together(I grab the half shaft at the closest point to the knuckle that I can reach.)

 

[Monterusto]

ok ill admit, is was compliments of all the insightful shoforum posts. thanks. the shop manual and the search function. but in the ford manual it says not to use the hub fastener to install the halfshaft. there is a special tool for installing and dissassembling it. ok i have an idea.

 

[91taurisho]

Monterusto:
but in the ford manual it says not to use the hub fastener to install the halfshaft. there is a special tool for installing and dissassembling it.

Ford has a way of doing things their own way... I, on the other hand, will do something without shelling X amount of money out. I will only buy a tool if it is really needed and the job can't be accomplished without it. If there is a way I can avoid paying alot of money for something I don't need, I will find it!

 

[projectSHO89]

Monte,

I pulled a used knuckle from a 90 Sable from a local U-Wrench-It for $15 to fix my recent bad wheel bearing.

I happened across that car that some one had already pulled the tranny out of, so all I had to do was drop it off the strut. My good fortune and it only took 5 minutes to procure.

Bearing is nice and quiet with no play. Hope your luck runs the same if you go this route.

Steve

 

[Monterusto]

ok i have a problem. the threads for the strut holder on the knuckle are half gone and half stripped. i tried torquing the old bolt and it popped. any suggetions? i went to the hardware store and got an 8.8 bolt 8 nut and a lock washer. i know its a weaker bolt (fully threaded and not a pinch)and probably shouldnt be used (original stamped 9.8). but if i torque it to 90 ft/lbs, use some red threadlocker. and maybe tac the nut to bolt with a mig would that be ok? also for the control arm i picked up a nylon locknut and will use the old bolt?

 

[Monterusto]

Any advice?