Control Arm Issues

[Bubba]

Hey everyone,

So I just put a level kit on my 2010 XLT and I had to replace the upper control arm on the driver's side. It's been aligned and it rides fine. It's my first attempt at this and I have a feeling I did something wrong. I did notice that the arm was awfully close to the spring when finished installing it. I figured that when I set the truck down it would raise the arm on its own. However, when I hit a pot hole or the tire drops there is a clunk on that side. I'm thinking it's the arm hitting the spring.
The problem is that there is no way to tighten the control arm bolts after the coil/strut is in place (no access to the inner bolts) and there's weight on it. I can't find anything that shows me in that year or model how to properly install it or fix the current clunk sound.

Any suggestions from you veteran expy owners and experienced knuckle busters would be much appreciated.

 

[Bedrck47]

Upper Arm
Special Tool(s) Separator, Ball Joint
204-592

Item Part Number Description
1 3091 LH/ 3084 RH Upper arm
2 W520215 Upper ball joint nut
3 W520215 Upper arm-to-frame nuts (2 required)
4 W707841 Upper arm-to-frame bolts (2 required)

Removal
NOTICE: Suspension fasteners are critical parts because they affect performance of vital components and systems and their failure may result in major service expense. New parts must be installed with the same part numbers or equivalent parts, if replacement is necessary. Do not use a replacement part of lesser quality or substitute design. Torque values must be used as specified during reassembly to make sure of correct retention of these parts.
Measure the distance from the center of the hub to the lip of the fender with the vehicle in a level, static ground position (curb height).
Remove the shock absorber and spring assembly. For additional information, refer to Shock Absorber and Spring Assembly in this section.
Remove and discard the upper ball joint nut.
Using the Ball Joint Separator, separate the upper ball joint from the wheel knuckle.
Remove the upper arm-to-frame nuts and bolts and the upper arm.
Discard the bolts.

Installation
NOTE: Do not tighten the nuts at this time.
Position the upper arm and loosely install the new upper arm-to-frame bolts and nuts.
Position the ball joint into the wheel knuckle and install the new upper ball joint nut.
Tighten to 115 Nm (85 lb-ft).
Use a suitable jack to raise the suspension until the distance between the center of the hub and the lip of the fender is equal to the measurement taken in Step 1 (curb height).
Tighten the upper arm-to-frame nuts to 150 Nm (111 lb-ft).
Install the shock absorber and spring assembly. For additional information, refer to Shock Absorber and Spring Assembly in this section.
Check and, if necessary, align the front end. For additional information, refer to Section 204-00 .


Copied from the 2010 Ford Service Manual

 

[Bubba]

Thank you Brdrck! The measurement is what I missed.