Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / January 2007

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

changing front shocks 2003 f150 supercrew

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Brian and "D" - 28 Jan 2007 00:19 GMT
Hello,

I have just purchased 2 factory front heavy duty shocks for the truck, and
was wondering for a little step by step help.  For the bottom bolt, do I
turn the bolt head to loosen off or do I turn the large nut and keep bolt
head from turning?

One thing I'm noticing for the nuts is that it's not easily fitting a Socket
or wrench, when looking at them closer the hole inside looks Oval not round,
and this seems to be why socket aint fittin good.

Some help would br greatly appreciated, Thanks...

By the way I posted a few months back about my rolling idle when in Park or
Neutral, and as posted by someone it was the IACV (Idle Air Control Valve)
to be replaced.  Thanks.
Ford Tech - 28 Jan 2007 03:32 GMT
> Hello,
>
> I have just purchased 2 factory front heavy duty shocks for the truck, and
> was wondering for a little step by step help.  For the bottom bolt, do I
> turn the bolt head to loosen off or do I turn the large nut and keep bolt
> head from turning?

General rule of thumb I use is to turn the nuts not the bolt. This helps
keep the threads from stripping due to rubbing against metal.

> One thing I'm noticing for the nuts is that it's not easily fitting a
> Socket or wrench, when looking at them closer the hole inside looks Oval
> not round, and this seems to be why socket aint fittin good.

There should be plenty of room in there to get a socket in. Have you tried
making a "slim walled" socket? I have done this several times for custom
wheels with really small lugnut holes. Just get a deep socket and figure out
how much of the socket needs to fit in the hole. Take the socket to the
grinder and only grind off what is absolutely necessary to make the socket
fit the nut securely. There should be about 1/16" wall left on the socket
atleast, or it wont have any strength. That should make it easier to get to
the nuts.

> Some help would br greatly appreciated, Thanks...

Ford Tech
Brian and "D" - 28 Jan 2007 04:02 GMT
Thanks for your quick response

I needed to make myself more clear on the nut.  For my replacement
part(shocks), I can't fit a socket on these nuts and by holdingt it up to a
light, the hole inside looks oval not a circle meaning odd shaped.  Now when
I'm trying to fit a socket over the nut on the shocks on the truck the
socket doesn't fit either.

So what I'm seeing is that if I take an open ended wrench I can fit the 7/16
on 2 sides not all of them, as for these compressed shaped looking nuts.

To recap, I'm seeing this fit on the truck as well as on my replacement
parts.  The bolt is fine 13mm socket fits perfect, as well as on the truck.

It's got me confused...

>> Hello,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Ford Tech
Ford Tech - 28 Jan 2007 09:14 GMT
> Thanks for your quick response

Need some clarification. We talkin 2WD or 4WD? Not that it matters that
much, but it might make a difference in the set up.

> I needed to make myself more clear on the nut.  For my replacement
> part(shocks), I can't fit a socket on these nuts and by holdingt it up to
> a light, the hole inside looks oval not a circle meaning odd shaped.

You are talking about the round part that the bar goes through on the end of
the shock (which is the part that connects to the lower swing arm)?? This
part is going to be oblong perpendicular with the shock, meaning the hole
will be wider than it is longer. Its that way so that the flat ends of the
attachment bar will go through. If it was perfectly round and the exact same
size as the part of the bar that the shock sits on, then it wouldnt fit
through there to install the shock, but most shocks these days come with the
attachment bar already installed in the swing arm end.

> Now when I'm trying to fit a socket over the nut on the shocks on the
> truck the socket doesn't fit either.

Talkin upper nut or lower nuts? This should all be pretty much open to get
into once the wheel is out of the way..

> So what I'm seeing is that if I take an open ended wrench I can fit the
> 7/16 on 2 sides not all of them, as for these compressed shaped looking
> nuts.

Most likely they are going to be a metric size not a standard size.

> To recap, I'm seeing this fit on the truck as well as on my replacement
> parts.  The bolt is fine 13mm socket fits perfect, as well as on the
> truck.

So use the 13mm socket, I guess I dont know what you are asking about here??

> It's got me confused...

Ok I had to go into how to remove the coil spring to get into the shock
absorber pictures.. LOL Its pretty cut and dried.. Take the front wheels
off. Then take the nut off the shock rod (top part of shock). Then take the
two nuts off the attaching bar on the bottom. The shock should then just
drop out. When re-installing the shocks. The torque on the lower nuts is
22-29ft. lbs. and 34-46ft. lbs on the top nut.

To put it plainly, I could have swapped out the shocks on your truck with
basic hand tools in the same amount of time it took me to reply to this post
both times. You are over-thinking this repair. Dont worry about the design
of the new and old shock.. If they both look that way, then thats what they
are supposed to look.

Just remember, take the top nut off first (one big nut), and then the two
lower nuts (two smaller nuts). There is no guess work involved here.
Changing shocks is about as easy as changing your oil. Get a repair manual
so that you will have pictures to follow, and you cant mess this up.

Ford Tech
Brian and "D" - 28 Jan 2007 18:46 GMT
Hello, I'm talking about the nut it self.  You should be able to get a
socket on it.  But you can't, I've tryed metric and standard.  And by
holding this nut up to the light you can see that it's not circular it's
oval looking and to me it looks and if it's ben compressed(squished) a
little.

Also I'm having trouble getting a socket on the nuts on the trucks shocks
also, as I'm seeing the same problem.  I've done shocks before on chevrolet
and dodges but this is my first ford.  And my first Ford replacement shock,
I've looked at the Monroe shocks and I can fit my socket on the nut they
came with.

Thanks.

>> Thanks for your quick response
>
[quoted text clipped - 54 lines]
>
> Ford Tech
David M - 28 Jan 2007 19:50 GMT
> Hello, I'm talking about the nut it self.  You should be able to get a
> socket on it.  But you can't, I've tryed metric and standard.  And by
> holding this nut up to the light you can see that it's not circular it's
> oval looking and to me it looks and if it's ben compressed(squished) a
> little.

Sounds like someone messed it up with the wrong sized wrench.  You may
have to cut it off or use a splitter on it.

Signature

David M  (dmacchiarolo)
http://home.triad.rr.com/redsled
T/S 53
sled351 Linux 2.4.18-14  has been up 18:02 2 users


Rate this thread:






 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.