Trainmaster
Old School Member
The time has come to replace shocks in the 2008. The job began with replacing rear lower ball joints. I checked them and they were shot, with maybe 5mm of play when lifting the tire with a bar after jacking up on the lower control arm. These are changed by removing the mounting bolt and shock bolt on the lower control arms. New ball joints were pressed in and I found a shock leaking.
I ordered two KYB shock/spring units from Rock Auto for about $170 each. The original rubber seats were rotted, and pricing them vs. bare shocks made replacing the entire unit the best choice. They both went in with no troubles. These are shock-inside-coil-springs and not struts, so no alignment changes come with changing them.
Feeling quite victorious, I was driving a couple of days later and the front end collapsed with a God-awful noise and a reduction in altitude.
I found the lower spring seat on a front shock had rusted loose and was now against the bottom control arm. The spring was over extended and rubbing against the front CV axle making the horrible noise. Two more KYB units were ordered from Rock Auto along with Moog upper control arms (boots cracking) - couldn't get Motorcraft without a month's wait. A front left CV axle seal on the differential was leaking badly, so I found a Timkin one locally. Again, no Motorcraft without a month's wait.
Watch the YouTube videos of how the job is done. Here are some shortcuts: Most YouTubers remove every part their tools fit. Save work and only remove what you must. Here's what I did:
Jack the truck under the lower control arm, and put stands under the frame. On the knuckle, remove the top ball joint, and the outer tie rod end ball joint (both 21mm). Remove the axle nut under the cap (15mm). Push the axle in. I pounded it and had to retap the nut and axle threads because I messed them up. If you need to remove the axle from the hub to get more room you may have to remove the vacuum actuator from the hub (3 x 8mm bolts).
The upper control arms are done after you remove the shock and spring. Note the position of the arm at rest or measure the wheel hub center to wheel well edge and tighten the control arm in the proper position so the bushings aren't stressed at rest. The new Moog control arms with integral ball joints are GARBAGE. "This ain't Dad's Moog." Both grease fittings provided would not pass a drop of grease. The castings still had sand stuck to them. It broke my heart to have to use this Chinesium crap. Will probably be doing this again in six months.
The big bolt is something real tight. The axle nut is only 20 ft/lbs. If you reuse (against Ford"s instructions) the Nylok nuts on the ball joint studs, control arms and shock bolts, put some Loctite on them.
Reassembly is pretty easy. You should tighten the big shock bolt with the truck's weight on the lower control arm, so the bolt is bottomed out against the bottom of the hole. Make sure your axle is seated in the wheel bearing when tightening the axle nut (20 ft/lbs). Don't cross thread it and no Hercules nonsense with this thing or you'll pull the threads right out.
You don't have to remove the calipers, rotors, backing plates, wheel bearings or hub vacuum locks. Just get the truck up on frame stands and your your shop jack under the lower control arm so you can lift and drop to line things up while you work.
I also changed that leaky left differential seal to the CV axle. It was a bear getting out,with probably an hour rolling under the truck, sitting next to the truck and getting up and down for another screw driver, chisel, or Vise-Grip and bigger hammer. I won and carefully tapped in the new seal with a piece of pipe.
The KYB springs are EXACTLY the same height as the OEM ones and the ride quality of a duplicate of the original Ford ride, perhaps slightly more controlled because they are new. They are made in USA.
Good luck and be careful.
I ordered two KYB shock/spring units from Rock Auto for about $170 each. The original rubber seats were rotted, and pricing them vs. bare shocks made replacing the entire unit the best choice. They both went in with no troubles. These are shock-inside-coil-springs and not struts, so no alignment changes come with changing them.
Feeling quite victorious, I was driving a couple of days later and the front end collapsed with a God-awful noise and a reduction in altitude.
I found the lower spring seat on a front shock had rusted loose and was now against the bottom control arm. The spring was over extended and rubbing against the front CV axle making the horrible noise. Two more KYB units were ordered from Rock Auto along with Moog upper control arms (boots cracking) - couldn't get Motorcraft without a month's wait. A front left CV axle seal on the differential was leaking badly, so I found a Timkin one locally. Again, no Motorcraft without a month's wait.
Watch the YouTube videos of how the job is done. Here are some shortcuts: Most YouTubers remove every part their tools fit. Save work and only remove what you must. Here's what I did:
Jack the truck under the lower control arm, and put stands under the frame. On the knuckle, remove the top ball joint, and the outer tie rod end ball joint (both 21mm). Remove the axle nut under the cap (15mm). Push the axle in. I pounded it and had to retap the nut and axle threads because I messed them up. If you need to remove the axle from the hub to get more room you may have to remove the vacuum actuator from the hub (3 x 8mm bolts).
The upper control arms are done after you remove the shock and spring. Note the position of the arm at rest or measure the wheel hub center to wheel well edge and tighten the control arm in the proper position so the bushings aren't stressed at rest. The new Moog control arms with integral ball joints are GARBAGE. "This ain't Dad's Moog." Both grease fittings provided would not pass a drop of grease. The castings still had sand stuck to them. It broke my heart to have to use this Chinesium crap. Will probably be doing this again in six months.
The big bolt is something real tight. The axle nut is only 20 ft/lbs. If you reuse (against Ford"s instructions) the Nylok nuts on the ball joint studs, control arms and shock bolts, put some Loctite on them.
Reassembly is pretty easy. You should tighten the big shock bolt with the truck's weight on the lower control arm, so the bolt is bottomed out against the bottom of the hole. Make sure your axle is seated in the wheel bearing when tightening the axle nut (20 ft/lbs). Don't cross thread it and no Hercules nonsense with this thing or you'll pull the threads right out.
You don't have to remove the calipers, rotors, backing plates, wheel bearings or hub vacuum locks. Just get the truck up on frame stands and your your shop jack under the lower control arm so you can lift and drop to line things up while you work.
I also changed that leaky left differential seal to the CV axle. It was a bear getting out,with probably an hour rolling under the truck, sitting next to the truck and getting up and down for another screw driver, chisel, or Vise-Grip and bigger hammer. I won and carefully tapped in the new seal with a piece of pipe.
The KYB springs are EXACTLY the same height as the OEM ones and the ride quality of a duplicate of the original Ford ride, perhaps slightly more controlled because they are new. They are made in USA.
Good luck and be careful.
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