Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Can't reassemble after bearing job

Decided to do FW bearing job myself. Disassembled everything. No problem until the step where you remove the lower ball joint stud. I had to position bottle jacks under the knuckle to do that.

Took the knuckles to a machine shop and had them press the new bearings in.

Upon reassembly the problem is that the knuckle (which is fastened to the strut with the axle installed) cannot be positioned over the ball joint stud. When I push down on the lower arm there is clearance for the knuckle, but as I push the knuckle inward, the axle reaches its compression limit and limits the inward movement about 1 inch short of aligning with the stud.

It appears that if the spring could be compressed on the vehicle, it may pull the knuckle toward the body enough to allow the stud to align, but the spring compressors I rented from Auto Zone do not work on the vehicle.

This happens on both sides.

Here are the questions.

1. Re: Springs. The vehicle is an SE. Are SE springs so much more stiff that they would need to be compressed on the vehicle to do this type of job?

2. Re: Axles. Is it possible that there was some dislocation/separation within the axles during disassembly so that they are an inch or so longer and will not allow the stud to align with the hole in the knuckle?

3. Anything else anyone can think of.

p.s. I have done axle replacements and knuckle replacements on Tauruses, so I know how to do this job under normal circumstances. Something probably just isn't right here that I'm not picking up on. Surely all Contours can't be this impossible to do this job on.

MKoine

I assume you took a look at the how-to in Duratec maintenance FAQ?

Have you tried using a long pry-bar through the LCA and pressing downwards to lower the LCA further than you could by hand?

do this, while orienting the balljoint at a 45�º angle towards the knuckle itself.


You can also use a long board, etc, instead of a pry-bar. Have a friend stand on the board or something. You do not need to compress the springs. Obviously this all assumes that the knuckle is splined on to the axle COMPLETELY and flushly.

SE springs are stiffer, but wouldn't make a difference. You got it off without compressing the springs, and the springs haven't changed since, so it wouldn't be any different.

It is possible that the axle dislocated from within the tranny, though VERY unlikely. You would have likely felt a jarring, and heard a click or pop if it did. That and it normally takes a slide hammer with a CV attachment to get those to seperate.

Ray

if the axle is not hyperextended it will go back together, check the cv joint is seated corretly. try lossening the pinch bolt on the strut and muve the knuckle all the way up on the strut, this should yeild the extra clearence you need to do the ball joint back together.

this is what I have done with front suspention installs and it has worked great

you do also have to get the arm as far down as possible

you can try compressing the spring but good luck getting a spring compressor up in the strut tower

Ray, I found something interesting in the archive. In 2001 Terry Haines posted this about the inner joint becoming internally dislocated.

"Inner CV is the one you use the ties on,the 'tripod' will slide out if you dont,the 3 bearings will fall into the boot inside and you will never get it re-engaged without removing the boot."

Perhaps I allowed the axle to move at too great an angle and caused this to happen.

I wouldn't have thought that would cause an INCH of misalignment. perhaps a 1/16 or 1/8, but then again I am not sure as I 've never actually seen this happen in person to measure what kind of gap it would create.

that's awfully in depth to start digging in, to not be sure. I would attempt to get it in again, using the methods outlines above and in the How-to.. have a friend help. Ensure the inner CV is secure to the tranny, and that the knuckle is slid ALL THE WAY up the strut as far as possible (further than normal)

These first, then start looking in to replacing a boot.

Ray

I have had the axle pull out..... turn the axle and push towards the trans util it "locks" back in.... everything should go then....

It definitely sounds like you've over extended the CV joint and caused the joint to separate inside the boot. If you're lucky you might be able to jostle the CV around and get the joint lined back up, but if not, you've got to pull and replace the boot which is a pain. If it's out of joint it will most definitely cause about 1-1.5" of difference in getting the knuckle back onto the ball joint. For future reference it helps to wrap a retainer wire from the inner CV to the outer CV to keep the joints from hyper extending and causing this problem.

Thanks,
Rick

Rick,

Nice to know the actual distances it can cause (Where's that "The more you know" logo?)

Replacing a boot is a slight paint, but easily doable (pain as in time consuming and messy, not hard).

Just, in case you don't know this, PLEASE DON'T USE A "quick boot" or anything of the sort (screws or the like running down the edge of the boot to seal it, allowing you to replace the boot without pulling the axle at all). They DON'T work.. they DON'T stay on..

they DO one thing, though... They leak.. terribly.


Buy a true replacement (solid) boot and do it the right way.. you may know this, but it helps future readers, either way.


Ray

Tony.. take a stiff (robust) piece of wire (clothes hangar?) and wrap it around the inside edge of the inner CV joint (between the inner boot and the tranny) and then wrap the other side tightly around the outermost edge of the outer boot. This holds them together while you are messing with the knuckle and inadvertantly pulling on the axle.

At least, this is what I am gathering. Its a much more crude and fundamental (vs technical) process than I think you're picturing.

Ray