Subframe bolt extraction

[SoopaCooga]

Perhaps you are replacing your control arms. Perhaps you are pulling your engine following the procedure recommended by Ford. Regardless, you're trying to drop the front subframe (a.k.a. cradle) and as you turn the subframe bolt for the 50th time, that sinking feeling starts to set in:

"The only way the bolt would turn in place is... if the nut broke free from the body. But I cannot access the nut to stop it from spinning. Sawing through the bolt would allow the cradle to drop, but I won't be able to thread a new bolt in there. Guess I'm gonna have to cut a window in the frame rail. Where's that hole saw..."

WAIT! There's a more elegant solution. Believe it or not, Ford designed a means to access the nut... from inside the car. Here is a simple how-to showing the steps taken to reach the nut of the rear bolt of the front subframe on the passenger side of the vehicle.

1. Pry up the trim from the door sill.
2. Remove the kick panel in the foot well that extends back from the center console.
3. Remove fasteners as needed to peel back the carpet.



4. Disconnect the battery.
5. Remove the PCM. One bolt is inside the cabin; the other is under the power steering reservoir.
6. Remove fasteners on foam in foot well to pry foam back.



7. Cut through adhesive to see access panel.



8. Cut through access panel to reach nut.
9. Keep nut stationary using wrench or vise-grip.



10. Remove bolt from below.
11. (Optional) Cut a new panel from steel and tack weld or rivet in place.

[SoopaCooga]

Just for the record, OB1 beat me to it with his how-to from the archives:
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/sh...Number=1184674

[todras]

I don't recall removing the PCM doing it on the pass. side.

[TRicker]

that's nice and all. but you still gotta have a hole saw for the front bolt, thats the one i had problems with hahahaahah

[OB1]

Technically mine was on the Drivers side. Too much info never hurts either. Glad to see my pics still hanging in there.

[hmouta]

does the nut break off inside? when i lowered my subframe the bolts would spin freely but when u undo the other bolts and lower the subframe evenly it puts weight back on the bolts and they'd work again. i thought my bolts werent going to tighten until i started with the other bolts. same for lowering the subframe and same for tightening it back up. i even had the bolt come out and in my hand. it would spin freely until evening out the subframe. kept seesawing back and forth between bolts and they all tightened up.