How hard is it to remove spindle nut?
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How hard is it to remove spindle nut?
This morning I woke up early to replace the pads and rotors on my dad's 2000 F150 2WD V6. I was unpleasantly surprised when I discovered that the spindle nut must be removed for the rotor to come off.
I've never removed this nut before on any car...much less a truck. I really don't want to pay someone else to do this if I can do it myself. I have an impact gun and a 2 ft. breaker bar if needed.
I've searched before I asked, but didn't really find what I was looking for.
Please help someone who is inexperienced.
Nate
I've never removed this nut before on any car...much less a truck. I really don't want to pay someone else to do this if I can do it myself. I have an impact gun and a 2 ft. breaker bar if needed.
I've searched before I asked, but didn't really find what I was looking for.
Please help someone who is inexperienced.
Nate
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Leave the 2 foot breaker bar & impact gun in the toolbox. IIRC, tightening torque is around 17ft/lbs, then backed off a 1/3 turn. You should be able to spin the nut with a socket (1 1/8" ?) in your fingers. Unless the F-series is different than the E-series you'll be playing with the wheel bearings as well.
Do you have a shop manual of any sort?
Do you have a shop manual of any sort?
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3
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Leave the 2 foot breaker bar & impact gun in the toolbox. IIRC, tightening torque is around 17ft/lbs, then backed off a 1/3 turn. You should be able to spin the nut with a socket (1 1/8" ?) in your fingers. Unless the F-series is different than the E-series you'll be playing with the wheel bearings as well.
Do you have a shop manual of any sort?
Do you have a shop manual of any sort?
No, I don't have a shop manual.
Are you sure it's only 17 ft-lbs.? I mean, it's a pretty big nut...it's looks like the same kind of high-torque nut used for CV joints...
There is a bunch of grease covering it, and there is a dust cap that you have to remove just to get to it...
I just don't want to mess anything up.
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it's an adjustable bearing.. you'll be fine man
I personally don't torque them but i do them almost everyday
clean the grease out with a rag, pull the cotter pin off and take the nut off.
I would repack the bearings while you have it apart.
put it back together, and then torque the nut and back off a half of turn.
reinsert the cotter pin, or a new one and you're good to go.
FYI good idea to check the front end before you take it about.. move the tire up and down to check bearings/balljoints. Sideways for tierods. you're feeling for movement
I personally don't torque them but i do them almost everyday
clean the grease out with a rag, pull the cotter pin off and take the nut off.
I would repack the bearings while you have it apart.
put it back together, and then torque the nut and back off a half of turn.
reinsert the cotter pin, or a new one and you're good to go.
FYI good idea to check the front end before you take it about.. move the tire up and down to check bearings/balljoints. Sideways for tierods. you're feeling for movement
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$20 on a Haynes/Chilton manual would be a decent investment. A new cotter pin is worth the 25cents too 
Yes, that nut really is just a little more than finger tight. I'm almost certain that a 2wd F is the same set up as the vans have (where most of my experience is) There's the dust cap, cotter pin a little cage type thing that keeps the nut from spinning, then a flat washer, then the outer bearing. Once the nut is off the rotor will slide off the spindle, be ready to fish out/catch the bearing as there is nothing holding it in but the grease. The inner bearing is held in by an oil seal. You'll need to either transfer the bearings to the new rotor, or put in new ones. You will definitely need a new oil seal. Clean the old grease off everything, then slather it all with fresh, pack grease into the bearings as well.
Assembly is the reverse, tighten the nut while spinning the rotor. As I said, IIRC the spec is 17-25 ft-lbs, then back off 1/3-1/2 turn. put the little retainer on the nut, you may need to adjust it's position a little to line up with the hole. Put a new cotter pin in and knock on the dust cap.
I don't recall when they changed, or if they changed back (haven't done it in a while) but I've found that Ford switched to an outer bearing with a plastic "cage" holding the rotors. Seems cheapass to me so I always swapped them out at the first chance I got.
Yes, that nut really is just a little more than finger tight. I'm almost certain that a 2wd F is the same set up as the vans have (where most of my experience is) There's the dust cap, cotter pin a little cage type thing that keeps the nut from spinning, then a flat washer, then the outer bearing. Once the nut is off the rotor will slide off the spindle, be ready to fish out/catch the bearing as there is nothing holding it in but the grease. The inner bearing is held in by an oil seal. You'll need to either transfer the bearings to the new rotor, or put in new ones. You will definitely need a new oil seal. Clean the old grease off everything, then slather it all with fresh, pack grease into the bearings as well.
Assembly is the reverse, tighten the nut while spinning the rotor. As I said, IIRC the spec is 17-25 ft-lbs, then back off 1/3-1/2 turn. put the little retainer on the nut, you may need to adjust it's position a little to line up with the hole. Put a new cotter pin in and knock on the dust cap.
I don't recall when they changed, or if they changed back (haven't done it in a while) but I've found that Ford switched to an outer bearing with a plastic "cage" holding the rotors. Seems cheapass to me so I always swapped them out at the first chance I got.
