2018 Expedition Max XLT shocks or struts?

[sprint]

2018 Expedition Max XLT - Does the front have shocks or struts from the factory?

 

[DWs-TTEB]

Struts front and rear. I replaced mine myself with Bilsteins

 

[Squark]

Officially the fronts are struts and the rears are shocks, even though they’re both coilovers. I argued with my dealer about it when I found out only the fronts are covered by the Ford ESP. I looked them up in the Ford parts site and that confirmed the distinction.

 

[sprint]

My 2018 expedition was at the Ford dealership for the cam phaser PCM reprogram on Wednesday. The dealership did the reprogramming but also informed me that my two front shocks are leaking. The cost is $950 to replace both shocks and the dealer said it's not covered by my Ford ESP. Struts are covered but not shocks, I declined replacement and walked over to the parts department where they gave me a price for the parts - the parts manager said that the fronts are struts. The service department says the parts are shocks.

 

[FlyBry]

We all know, Struts include the Shock Absorber. Per Ford's drawings, the Fronts are Struts: https://parts.lakelandford.com/a/Fo...1346__7605614/FRONT-SUSPENSION/T122050.html#2

FRONT SUSPENSION. STRUTS & COMPONENTS.. 2018 Ford Expedition | Lakeland Ford, Lakeland FL

2018 Ford Expedition FRONT SUSPENSION. STRUTS & COMPONENTS. 122. 5 wheelbase. 131. 6 wheelbase. 4WD. Continous damping. Premium. Rough road. Standard damping.

parts.lakelandford.com

 

[sprint]

I spoke to a tech person for the Ford ESP warranty yesterday regarding the leaking front struts/shock and he said it is not covered under my premium ESP plan as the part is a shock - not a strut.

 

[JasonH]

I think these parts normally aren't covered beyond the original warranty because they are wear items. Not sure it has anything to do with it being a shock or strut. I suggest reading the warranty for suspension coverage details.

 

[8131full]

Struts front and rear. I replaced mine myself with Bilsteins

how difficult are the fronts to swap out? thanks.

 

[DWs-TTEB]

how difficult are the fronts to swap out? thanks.

The rears were a pain in the a$$. Fronts (minus the spring compressor slipping off & the spring hitting my finger) wasn't hard/bad. Lots of YouTube videos covering the process. Best of luck!

 

[sjwhiteley]

The rears were a pain in the a$$. Fronts (minus the spring compressor slipping off & the spring hitting my finger) wasn't hard/bad. Lots of YouTube videos covering the process. Best of luck!

I did the rears and found that they were not bad (apart from the gorilla torque settings). If the fronts are easier, it'll be golden!

Do you have the torque settings for the front: I can only find earlier model settings (which I'm dubious about - mentions 400ft-bs for the shock, which is a rear setting). Particularly the ball joints and axle nut.

 

[DWs-TTEB]

I did the rears and found that they were not bad (apart from the gorilla torque settings). If the fronts are easier, it'll be golden!

Do you have the torque settings for the front: I can only find earlier model settings (which I'm dubious about - mentions 400ft-bs for the shock, which is a rear setting). Particularly the ball joints and axle nut.

Honestly, I YouTubed it and went with that guy’s recommended torque #s. This was over a year ago. Let me see if I have that video link saved somewhere.

 

[DWs-TTEB]

All I could find for the 4thGens (rear shock replacement). I must have used a video for the 3rdGens. It worked though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99xp8Z48dbA

 

[sjwhiteley]

All I could find for the 4thGens (rear shock replacement). I must have used a video for the 3rdGens. It worked though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99xp8Z48dbA

Thanks, I found that one and was helpful for the rear. All I could find is the 3rd gen front strut. At least it has some torque settings for a variety of bolts. It'll just be the lower shock mounts, but that doesn't seem enormously critical.