Alignment & control arm Question

1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Hello All,
Last inspection I found out that one of my lower ball joints needs to be replaced this year.

I have bought replacement upper and lower control arms and links.
I am ready to start, but I do not want this to turn into a “stuck project.”

I remember that when I did this on my Cougar, the upper arms needed me to remove the nuts from under the hood and some of the nuts were hare to reach. I just looked at my Mark and it looks like one of the nuts is below the master cylinder.

I know that I will need an alignment after I replace lower control arms, but will I need a second alignment if I leave the upper arms till later? Or, should I just get on with it?

Note: I still have original air shocks.

Are there any gotchas I need to watch out for? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Y
 
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beerdog

New member
I remember passenger side being easy. That nu under the master cylinder is an SOB but it can be done without removing anything. I seem to remember there being an access hole from the wheel well. You want to to remove the inner wheel well liner. Wait for a few others to post up. Search for older threads. There are probably dozen front suspension rebuild threads with plenty of pictures and tips. Half the club has done this job at least once.
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thank you Beerdog,
I just found these postings:
http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.or...rm-help-and-others&highlight=front+suspension
http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?31249-Upper-control-arm-replacment

but i did not find many pictures.

There seems to be agreement that the best way is to remove the strut then pry the flags off the heads of the bolts so you can remove the bolts from the bolt side.

is it necessary to turn off the air pump. where is the cutoff switch or should i just undo the battery?

thanks,
Y.
 
B

beerdog

New member
as JP said turn off the switch. I woudl take the strut out just to give myself room. Teh struct is super easy to remove as long as that lower bolt is not too corroded.
 
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beerdog

New member
I never pryed off the flags but it may not be a bad idea. I know there is a hole that you can access the nut from in the wheel well with a long extension.
 
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billcu

Head Moderator
I like to leave the flags on and use the access hole in the wheel well. You need the right combination of socket, extension, and swivel/U joint though.

You should always get an alignment whenever changing any suspension part but just the upper control arm shouldn't change the alignment much, unless it's a real cheap part.
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thanks Bill,
I was asking about the alignment in case I decide to only replace the lower arms.
These are the ones that need to be replaced now and I always get an allignment with the lower arms.

It looks like i will do them all.

Y
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thank you for your help everyone,
This past weekend, i was able to jet to this job.

Before i started, i took off the wheels and inspected everything.

The upper arms and links and joints were in very good shape, but the lower arms although tight, had torn boots.

So i decided to change the lower control arms and links. Even though the links were good, i preferred to change them out and keep the old ones as spares. The setup is just about the same as on my old 1996 Cougar. The difference seems to be with the upper arms (where they connect to the air shock sensor) and in the steering rack. This rack setup looks much nicer.

It was pretty much as expected with only a few bolts that needed convincing (read as get a bigger hammer) :rolleyes:

I used paint to tag the inner bolts, so my alignment should not be too far out.

Tomorrow, i will have her aligned.






 
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