Ford 7H6Z-3A329-A
Intermediate Shaft, Front

Service and repair of the right axle shaft starts by taking off the front tire along with the wheel. First utilize the brake to stop the axle shaft rotation and afterward take out and dispose of the front wheel hub nut. Move on to remove the front as well as rear lower control arm nuts. Disconnection of the lower ball joints requires the Ball Joint Separator and Adapter while tapping the wheel knuckle when needed for separation. Remove the axle shaft from the wheel hub by using the Front Wheel Hub Remover yet always place wood between the lower arm and outer constant velocity (CV) joint to safeguard the boot during detachment. Begin by removing both the damper fork bolt along with the flagnut which connects the damper fork to the lower control arm. Then disconnect the brake caliper hose bolt. A jackstand secures the knuckle while you pull it outward before rotating it in a rear direction. First detach the lower control arm-to-subframe bolt before pulling out the lower control arm. Use a brass drift tool to disconnect the right side axle shaft from the intermediate shaft. Then push the strut toward the front before removing the axle shaft which needs to be placed in front of the damper fork before extraction. The intermediate shaft requires its circlip to be discarded first. Installation requires the correct diameter circlip according to application needs and a new intermediate shaft circlip needs to be installed. Push the right side shaft straight out to verify the circlip secures in place before lining up both shaft splines with each other, and then slide the stub shaft inward until the circlip locks the shafts. Put the axle shaft into the wheel hub then position the knuckle correctly before tightening the lower control arm subframe bolt to 103 Nm (76 lb-ft). First fasten the damper fork bolt along with flagnut to the lower control arm then tighten them to 109 Nm (80 lb-ft) after which install the brake caliper hose bolt with 22 Nm (16 lb-ft) torque followed by front and rear lower control arm nut tightening to 200 Nm (148 lb-ft). Put the axle shaft through the wheel hub with the Axle Shaft Installer; afterward tighten the new front wheel hub nut to 255 Nm (185 lb-ft). However, keep the vehicle off the ground while installing to stop wheel bearing damage. The new nut should receive a minimum 1 mm (0.039 in) insertion depth into the keyway before using it as a locking feature and reinstallment of front tires and wheels should proceed.

Service and repair operations for the front drive halfshafts should start with removing the right halfshaft initially. Unbolt the intermediate shaft support bearing bracket using the two fasteners. The removal process requires supporting both ends of the intermediate shaft because damaging transaxle seals must be avoided completely. The circlip must be discarded after it is removed from the outboard end of the intermediate shaft. To install the intermediate shaft position a new 30 mm (1.181 inch) circlip onto its outboard end. Install the intermediate shaft into the transaxle while making sure its splines match the position of the side gears yet maintaining the security of the circlip. Attaching and torquing the two intermedium shaft bracket bolts must reach 40 Nm (30 ft. lbs.). Finally, reinstall the right halfshaft.