Ford 8E5Z-3A427-B
Axle Assembly, Front Driver Side

Start the repair process of the left axle shaft by taking out the wheel and tire located at the front position. Stop the brake to secure the axle shaft from turning then take off and dispose of the front wheel hub nut. Begin next by removing nuts on both fronts and rears of the lower control arms. The Ball Joint Separator and Adapter will help disconnect both lower ball joints after you tap the wheel knuckle whenever needed. Detach the axle shaft from the wheel hub using the Front Wheel Hub Remover while keeping a block of wood between the lower arm and the outer constant velocity (CV) joint to safeguard against CV joint boot damage. Start by disconnecting the damper fork bolt together with the flagnut joining the damper fork to the lower control arm and the brake caliper hose bolt. A jackstand should support the knuckle while you draw it outboard and swing it toward the rear of the vehicle. Detach the lower control arm-to-subframe bolt before removing the lower control arm. The four pushpins should be removed to reveal the splash shield which could then be placed to the side. The Axle Shaft Remover and Slide Hammer will succeed in extracting the axle shaft from the transmission but the circlip must be discarded from the stub shaft. The specific installation involving the correct circlip requires using it before installing a fresh stub shaft circlip. An installer should insert the axle shaft into the wheel hub before pulling the inner end to verify the circlip locks. Then push the stub shaft into the transmission until the circlip locks into the differential side gear. After replacing the splash shield with pushpins install the knuckle at proper position before securing the lower control arm bolt and nut to subframe with 103 Nm (76 lb-ft) torque. The lower control arm receives the damper fork bolt that requires a torque setting of 109 Nm (80 lb-ft) then the brake caliper hose bolt requires 22 Nm (16 lb-ft) for proper attachment. The Axle Shaft Installer assists with axle shaft insertion into the wheel hub and demands nut tightening of 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) on both front and rear lower control arm components. Installation of the front wheel hub nut requires a torque of 255 Nm (185 lb-ft) after which the brake must stay engaged to stop the axle shaft from moving during the procedure. To activate the locking mechanism stake the new nut into the keyway at 1 mm below the diameter but above 0.039 in (0.039 in) depth. After this reinstall the tire and wheel in front.

Tighten the shock absorber lower bolt and flagnut to 115 Nm (85 lb-ft).