2003 Ford Expedition Front Struts and Upper Control Arm Replacement

In today's video I'll be going over the few simple steps needed to remove and replace the front struts and upper control arms on this 2003 Ford Expedition.
Torque Specs:
Three upper nuts on the mounting
plate to the frame = 29 lb-ft
Tie rod nut = 111 lb-ft
Upper ball joint nut = 111 lb-ft
Lower shock nut & bolt = 295 lb-ft
Disclaimer:
This video is for entertainment purposes. This channel assumes no liability for anything the viewer may do with this information.

[@charlesjones1551]

I have looked at several videos on how to do this, because different people have different ideas. Your video is by far the best I have seen. Thanks, keep up the good work.

[@rolandosalinas1213]

My next project is replacing my upper control arms and this helped simplify what I need to do. Thanks for the video.👍

[@peternorthrup6274]

Mines going in for a 2.5 inch lift. Rancho. 04 expedition. 35s. No rust at all. Southern truck. No more jeeps for me. Can't beat the room. Space for everything.

[@seanc6468]

Thanks brother. Same year and model. Same issues. Getting on it in a couple weeks. Hubs, tie rods , struts and control arms. Thanks you.

[@stephengalvan7722]

Perfect video

[@miguelarce1451]

Thanks very helpful to know what to do

[@neilfigueredo7041]

Thank you so much !! Great video ... Really appreciate it !!!

[@SP-gz5jx]

This was excellent, except if you watch FordTechMakuLoco he states that the Ford factory bolts/nuts are not reusable but if you do reuse them you should use Loctite to address the issue. Supposedly the Ford bolts are tapered and the nuts have one-use plastic to lock them on. I hope this helps.

[@PoliceforChrist]

Thank you for the video

[@moiseszambrano9314]

Good job 👏

[@charlesb7418]

Thanks for the video. Upper control arm can't be removed unless the strut is taken out first. That's what I'm working on and learning at this moment. (Replacing upper control arm only)

[@zachmiller289]

Yes, this is true. I should have mentioned that. Good luck!

[@johnbuettner3885]

Dont tighten any bushings until the suspension is at ride height!

[@franymagoo7959]

I have an 03 ford expedition eddie Bauer. It needs new upper control arms, ball joints, tie rods and an alignment.. what would you say is a fair price to have that done? I was quoted 1650... felt like that was kinda high.. so trying to get more opinions before i have it done.

[@johnonthecooldoe6338]

hey i 2 inch lifted the front of my truck today and installed all new struts. It was a bear getting the front struts in without a spring compression tool. I don't want to remove the struts. do you think i can change the upper control arms with 2x 21mm wrenches? Are they torqued to a crazy number like the 325lb bottom bolts?

[@AUDIO2AUTO]

No rust, that looks lovely.. lol But you can use a socket extension to punch the bolt out.

[@ponyxpress3]

I am now doing this for the 3rd time. Never use the advance auto house brand. I’m paying the difference and going with moog. Also gonna replace the sway bar end links, and maybe tie rods if sloppy. 5.4 2v 230k miles with Rancho quick lift struts.

[@zachmiller289]

Yeah, sometimes lifetime warranty doesn’t mean anything if you have to replace the parts over and over. Good luck!

[@wpistol]

Hey Zach, very good video. I was a bit apprehensive on doing this myself, but replacing the struts along with the upper control arm makes so much sense and doesn't look that bad. I have 130K on my expedition. Doing this before new tires are put on. Do you need to do an alignment after this?

[@zachmiller289]

Thank you BP! It really is a pretty easy job. The thing to remember is just make sure you have large enough sockets for the job. The customer I did this job for could have done the work himself but didn’t have big enough sockets and so he asked me to do the work. I would recommend an alignment after this kind of repair is completed. Especially if you’re going to replace the tires after.

[@JasonSmith-qx3zh]

Do have torx # for those top 3 nuts?

[@EmoTherian322]

Great video man! Looked like you put it back together dry. What’s your thought on anti seize and lock tight for this job?

[@zachmiller289]

Thank you! Well, most of the nuts on these Fords are lock nuts by design and why the torque specs are very important. This is why you don’t see any cotter pins on any of the nuts as well. But typically I like to use loctite on most brake/chassis fasteners for peace of mind. I live in Texas so I don’t use anti-seize for much, mostly exhaust hardware.

[@seanrowe7790]

Nice job/video! can you please explain why upper control arms should be replaced ? I will be doing the entire vehicle struts soon on mine

[@0rnery]

Doing mine because the upper ball joint started separating from the control arm. If the bushings are bad, the upper control arm will move/ clunk when braking or going over bumps.

[@michaelgordy6283]

Great video!!! Did you have to put a jack under the lower control arm when to releave any pressure? Lowering the arm & or raising it when installing. Thanks! I have a 03' and need them to might as well do the struts while I'm at it too.

[@zachmiller289]

Thank you! I did not put a jack under the lower control arm. As the suspension was fully extended there was no need to do so. It’s very easy to maneuver it up/down when all the fasteners are out.

[@michaelgordy6283]

@@zachmiller289 Thank you for replying back! You made it seem quite easy! Great!

[@0rnery]

The list of torque specs don't include the control arm bushing nut & bolt. Suits me. I'll use Loctite, reuse the nut(s), and snug it up about as tight as the originals. I see the mounting ears were not deformed, and new part slid right in. Can't really see a reason to torque on them much. Also, can't imagine the tension of some little rubber bushings are going to affect the ride height of a 7,000 pound vehicle!

[@jayvelasco2198]

What brand are these shock/strut? Mine are way overdue for a replacement.

[@zachmiller289]

The front were Monroe brand the customer supplied from RockAuto. 👍

[@shaunspellman2856]

Thanks for this!! I need to get mine done!!! For a min. I was like wait..... when did Alvin and the chipmunks chime in!! LOL!!! Where are you located? I have an 03 expedition that needs the exact same thing! Does it include the shocks and struts too??

[@zachmiller289]

Haha, I speed up a lot of my videos so viewers don’t have to watch the whole repair. Much faster that way. Haha. I’m just north of Dallas. The strut has a new shock when it comes as an assembly. Hope this helps!

[@shaunspellman2856]

@@zachmiller289 dang.... I'm in NYC because I would have brought my vehicle to you!! I don't mind a video like this being long because it's very informative and to the point!!! Again many thanks!!!

[@techguy5150]

Links for the parts?

[@zachmiller289]

Sorry the customer supplied these parts. But I think he got them from RockAuto.com if I remember correctly.

[@bigdaddybell1470]

What happened to the torques specs?

[@zachmiller289]

Thanks for calling me out! I got busy after this video and forgot to post them. Check the description now. 👍

[@prschauto1]

Is this a 2wd?

[@zachmiller289]

Yes it is.