How to Replace the Upper & Lower Ball Joints on the 2001 Lincoln Navigator

Until 1998, Fords luxury division, Lincoln, never offered its customers an SUV. In 1998, however, Lincoln borrowed the same platform used by the new-at-the-time Expedition and added high-end features to create the Navigator. Just as in the case of its Ford cousin, it is not uncommon to hear a Navigator rolling down the road with the ominous squeaking sound of dry ball joints, as the factory ball joints are not serviceable. Replacing the upper and lower ball joints on the Navigator is an involved task, but the money you save by not taking the vehicle to a repair facility makes it well worth the time.

Instructions

1

Find the air compressor power switch on the passengers side kick-panel and turn it to the Off position.

2

Loosen the front lug nuts on the wheel with the bad ball joints, using a ratchet and socket. Raise the front of the SUV with a floor jack and slide jack stands under the Navigators frame rails. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the front wheel from the vehicles hub.

3

Proceed directly to Step 3 if the Navigator has a two-wheel-drive system. Remove the cotter pin from the drive axle shaft with needle-nose pliers and pull the castellated axle nut retainer from the axle shaft. Instruct your assistant to press and hold the brake pedal as you remove the axle nut with a ratchet and socket.

4

Remove the two caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket and pull the caliper from its bracket. Hang the caliper from a nearby suspension component, using a bungee cord. Pull the brake pads from the caliper bracket. Remove the two caliper bracket bolts with a ratchet and socket and remove the caliper bracket.

5

Trace the antilock brake system wire until you find where it plugs into the Navigators wiring harness. Press and hold the unlocking button on the wiring harness and unplug the ABS wire. Pull the ABS wire from its routing clips.

6

Pull the cotter pin from the outer tie-rod end stud, using needle-nose pliers. Remove the castellated nut from the tie-rod end stud, using a ratchet and socket. Position a Pitman arm puller on the tie-rod end so that its screw part touches the end of the tie-rod ends stud and its claws wrap around the tie-rod ends mounting point on the steering knuckle. Tighten the Pitman arm puller with a ratchet and socket until the tie-rod end pops from the steering knuckle.

7

Slide the floor jack under the lower control arm and raise it until the jack just touches the control arm; do not apply any upward force on the control arm.

8

Remove the cotter pin from the lower ball joint, using needle-nose pliers. Remove the lower ball joints castellated nut with a ratchet and socket. Position a Pitman arm puller on the lower ball joint so that the pullers screw touches the end of the ball joint stud and its claws wrap around the lower part of the steering knuckle. Tighten the Pitman arm puller with a ratchet and socket until the lower ball joint pops free of the steering knuckle. Thread the nut back onto the lower ball joint, just two or three turns.

9

Remove the cotter pin going through the upper ball joint stud, using needle-nose pliers. Remove the upper ball joints castellated nut with a ratchet and socket. Position the Pitman arm puller on the upper ball joint so that its screw part contacts the ball joints stud and the claws wrap around the upper part of the steering knuckle. Tighten the Pitman arm puller with a ratchet and socket until the upper ball joint releases from the steering knuckle. Remove the castellated nut from the lower ball joint and pull the steering knuckle of the Navigator. If the Navigator has a four-wheel-drive system, you need to also guide the knuckle off the axle shaft.

10

Release the snap ring on the head of the lower ball joint, using snap-ring pliers, and remove the snap ring. Position a ball joint press over the ball joint so that its screw part contacts the head of the ball joint and the fixed part contacts the underside of the lower control arm. Tighten the ball joint press until the ball joint is free from the lower control arm.

11

Guide a new lower ball joint onto the lower control arm so that the head of the ball joint contacts the underside of its hole in the lower control arm. Position a ball joint press so that its screw part contacts the end of the ball joint stud and the fixed part touches the top of the lower control arm.

12

Tighten the ball joint press slowly and carefully with a ratchet and socket until it seats in the control arm. Keep a close eye on the ball joint stud as you tighten the press. If the stud cocks to one side while pressing it, remove the press, straighten the ball joint stud and continue pressing the ball joint into the control arm. Pressing on the stud while its cocked may cause damage to the new ball joint.

13

Open a new snap ring, included with the new ball joint, using snap-ring pliers, and guide it onto the top of ball joint. Line up the snap ring with the groove in the ball joint and release the snap ring.

14

Remove the two upper control arm nuts with a ratchet and socket while holding their respective bolts steady with a combination wrench. Pull the bolts from the upper control arm. Pull the upper control arm off the SUVs frame. Set a new upper control arm in its brackets on the Navigators frame and slide the bolts through the brackets and the upper control arm. Hand-thread the nuts onto the upper control arm.

15

Guide the knuckle onto the front axle, if fitted with four-wheel drive. Set the steering knuckle back in place between the upper and lower control arms, guiding the upper and lower ball joints into their respective holes in the steering knuckle. Hand-thread the castellated nut on the upper and lower control arms.

16

Tighten the upper control arms castellated nut to 66 foot-pounds and the lower ball joints castellated nut to 98 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and socket. Check that a valley on each of the castellated nuts lines up with the hole through the ball joint stud. If needed, slightly tighten the castellated nuts to create the necessary alignment.

17

Slide a new cotter pin, included with the new ball joint and control arm, through the ball joint studs. Bend the legs on both cotter pins in opposite directions with needle-nose pliers to lock them in place.

18

Guide the tie-rod end stud through its hole on the steering knuckle and thread its castellated nut onto the stud. Tighten the castellated nut to 70 foot-pounds. Check that a valley in the castellated nut lines up with the hole through the tie-rod end stud. If they do not line up, slightly tighten the castellated nut until they do align. Insert a new cotter pin through the hole in the tie-rod end stud and bend its legs in opposite directions to lock it into place.

19

Reconnect the ABS wire to the Navigators wiring harness and press the ABS sensor wire back into its routing clips.

20

Press the connector on the end of a grease gun filled with long-life grease meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B onto the Zerk fitting on the lower ball joints, if serviceable. Pump the grease gun to fill the ball joint with grease until the ball joints rubber boot feels firm. Do not add so much grease that it oozes out of the rubber boot, as this means you broke the boot's protective seal. Repeat this step on the upper ball joint. Do not be alarmed if there is no Zerk fitting on the ball joints you installed, as some manufacturers fill and seal them.

21

Proceed to Step 22 if the Navigator has a two-wheel-drive system. Hand-thread a new axle nut onto the axle shaft, then tighten it to 221 foot-pounds as an assistant holds the brake pedal. Slide the axle nut retainer over the axle nut so that a valley on the retainer lines up with the hole in the axle shaft. Slide a new cotter pin through the hole in the axle shaft and bend its legs in opposite directions to lock it into place.

22

Set the caliper bracket back onto the steering knuckle and hand-thread its retaining bolts. Tighten the bracket bolts to 83 foot-pounds. Slide the brake pads into the caliper bracket, then set the caliper on the bracket. Hand-thread the caliper bolts and tighten them to between 21 and 26 foot-pounds.

23

Reinstall the front wheel onto the front hub and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the SUV off the jack stands with a floor jack, then remove the jack stands. Lower the Navigator to the ground. Tighten the lug nuts, in a crisscross pattern, to 100 foot-pounds.

24

Tighten the front nut on the upper control arm to between 83 to 112 foot-pounds while holding the bolt still with a combination wrench, then tighten the rear nut in the same manner. Turning the wheel to the left and right will create extra clearance, if you need it.