Front Suspension Ford Crown Victoria II

DESCRIPTION

Front suspension consist of upper and lower control arms, wheel bearing and hub assemblies, wheel knuckles, shock absorbers, coil springs and a stabilizer bar with end links. The shock absorber and spring are a coil-over design mounted between the lower control arm and the frame crossmember. Upper and lower control arms have integral ball joints that attach to wheel knuckles. The wheel bearing and hub assemblies are bolted to the wheel knuckles. (Scheme 1)

Scheme 1

ADJUSTMENTS & INSPECTIONS

BALL JOINT

Note. The ball joint is not serviced separately. If the ball joint requires service, a new the front suspension lower arm or the front suspension upper arm will have to be installed.

Turn the air suspension service switch off. The air suspension switch is located in the luggage compartment. Raise and support the vehicle. Inspect the ball joint boots for tears. If torn, install a new arm as necessary. Prior to inspecting the ball joints for lateral backlash and end play, inspect the wheel bearings. Using safety stands, support the front suspension lower arms. While an assistant pushes and pulls equally on the top and bottom of the tire, observe any relative lateral backlash between the upper and lower arms and the wheel knuckle. If backlash is evident, a new upper or lower arm must be installed. While an assistant pries upwards on the bottom of the tire, observe any relative end play between the upper and lower arms and the wheel knuckle. If end play is evident, a new upper or lower arm must be installed.

RIDE HEIGHT

Note. See SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article under WHEEL ALIGNMENT in SUSPENSION.

WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Note. See SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article under WHEEL ALIGNMENT in SUSPENSION.

WHEEL BEARING

Note. Wheel bearings are not adjustable. Wheel hub and bearings are serviced as an assembly.

Turn the air suspension service switch off. The air suspension switch is located in the luggage compartment. Raise the vehicle until the tire is off the floor. Make sure the wheel rotates freely and the brake pads are retracted sufficiently to allow movement of the tire and wheel assembly. Grasp each front tire at the top and bottom and move the wheel inward and outward while lifting the weight of the tire off the front wheel bearing. If the tire and wheel hub is loose on the wheel spindle or does not rotate freely, install a new wheel hub. See WHEEL BEARING & HUB in REMOVAL & INSTALLATION.

Removal

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
2. Remove and discard the lower ball joint nut. Remove the shock absorber-to-lower arm nut and bolt, discard the nut. CAUTION: Do not remove the cam bolt at this time or damage to the steering bellows boot will result.
3. Remove and discard the lower arm-to-crossmember nut. (Scheme 2) Remove and discard the lower arm-to-frame bolts.
4. Remove and discard the steering gear-to-crossmember nuts. Remove the steering gear studs and move the steering gear upwards to access the cam bolt.
5. Remove the cam bolt and the lower arm.

Installation

1. To install, reverse the removal procedure. If a new lower control arm is being installed, tighten the bushing retaining nut. (Scheme 3)
2. Snug the lower arm cam nuts and bolts. Do not tighten until the installation procedure is complete and the weight of the vehicle is resting on the wheel and tire assemblies.
3. Install NEW fasteners as necessary. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension__torque-specifications). Reactivate air suspension. Align the front end. See «SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/wheel-alignment/#wheel-alignment-specifications-procedures) article under WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

Scheme 2

Scheme 3

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Remove and discard the shock absorber-to-crossmember upper nuts. (Scheme 4) Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
2. Remove the caliper anchor plate-to-wheel knuckle bolts and position the caliper, pads and anchor plate aside. Remove the brake disc.
3. Remove and discard the stabilizer link nut on wheel knuckle. (Scheme 5) Remove the stabilizer link-to-bar nut. Remove the stabilizer link. Detach the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) sensor wire retainer.
4. Remove and discard the upper ball joint-to-wheel knuckle nut. Remove the shock absorber-to-lower arm nut and bolt. Remove the shock absorber and spring assembly.

Scheme 4

Scheme 5

Disassembly

1. Position the shock absorber and spring assembly in a suitable holding device. Mark the upper mount, spring and shock absorber for assembly reference. (Scheme 6)
2. Install an appropriate spring compressor. Compress the spring. While holding the shock absorber rod, remove and discard the rod nut. (Scheme 7)
3. Remove the upper mount and dust boot as an assembly. Carefully remove the spring and spring compressor.

Scheme 6

Scheme 7

Assembly

Note. If installing a new spring, make sure the part number is correct. Refer to the Vehicle Certification (VC) label for the correct spring code.

Note. If a new shock absorber, spring or upper mount is installed, the new part should be marked in the same place as the old part to make sure the assembly is correctly aligned.

1. Inspect the lower and upper spring seats for damage. Inspect the spring insulator for wear or damage. Install a new upper mount if necessary. Inspect the spring for nicked or scratched paint. If the paint is nicked or scratched, install a new spring.
2. Position the shock and spring compressor onto the strut. Position the upper mount and dust boot onto the spring. Make sure the marks made during disassembly, are lined up.
3. Install a new shock absorber rod nut. Remove the spring compressor.

To install, reverse the removal procedure. Install NEW fasteners as necessary. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Reactivate air suspension.

Removal & Installation

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the tire and wheel assembly.
2. Remove the caliper anchor plate-to-wheel knuckle bolts and position the caliper, pads and anchor plate aside. Remove the brake disc. NOTE: The stabilizer bar links are under pressure when the suspension is in the rebound position
3. Using a suitable jack stand, raise the suspension arms until the pressure is released from the stabilizer bar links. Remove and discard the stabilizer bar link nut on wheel knuckle. (Scheme 5) Remove the stabilizer link-to-bar nut. Remove the stabilizer bar links. Remove and discard the four stabilizer bar bracket nuts. (Scheme 8) Remove the two brackets and the stabilizer bar.
4. To install, reverse the removal procedure. Install NEW fasteners as necessary. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension__torque-specifications). Reactivate air suspension.

Scheme 8

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the shock absorber and spring assembly. See «SHOCK ABSORBER & SPRING ASSEMBLY»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension).
2. Detach the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) sensor wiring retainers from the upper arm. Remove and discard the upper arm-to-crossmember nuts and bolts. (Scheme 9) Remove the upper arm.

1. Snug the upper arm-to-crossmember nuts and bolts. Do not tighten until the installation procedure is complete and the weight of the vehicle is resting on the wheel and tire assemblies.
2. To install, reverse the removal procedure. Install NEW fasteners as necessary. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension__torque-specifications) . Reactivate air suspension. Check and, if necessary, align the front end. See «SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/wheel-alignment/#wheel-alignment-specifications-procedures) article under WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

Scheme 9

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Disconnect the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) wheel speed sensor electrical connector. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
2. Remove the caliper anchor plate-to-wheel knuckle bolts and position the caliper, pads and anchor plate aside. Remove the brake disc. Detach the ABS sensor wiring retainers.
3. Remove the wheel hub-to-wheel knuckle bolts. (Scheme 10) Remove the wheel bearing and hub assembly.
4. To install, reverse the removal procedure. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension__torque-specifications). Reactivate air suspension.

Scheme 10

1. Turn the air suspension service switch off. Remove the wheel hub. See «WHEEL BEARING & HUB»(/ford/crown-victoria/ii-1997-2011/remont/suspension-front/#front-suspension). Remove and discard the tie-rod nut and detach the tie-rod from the wheel knuckle. NOTE: The stabilizer bar links are under pressure when the suspension is in the rebound position.
2. Using a suitable jack stand, raise the suspension arms until the pressure is released from the stabilizer bar links. Remove and discard the stabilizer bar link nut on wheel knuckle. (Scheme 5)
3. Detach the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) sensor wiring retainers. Remove and discard the upper ball joint-to-wheel knuckle nut.
4. Remove and discard the lower ball joint-to-wheel knuckle nut. Remove the wheel knuckle.

To install, reverse the removal procedure. Install NEW fasteners as necessary. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Reactivate air suspension. Check and, if necessary, align the front end. See SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article under WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

See also:
• SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES
• WHEEL BEARING & HUB
• TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS