In 2000, Lincoln released its first mid-size luxury car, the LS. Despite the great reviews that the LS received when released, its tenure was short-lived, as Lincoln eliminated it after only six model years. The front wheels on the LS require bearings to keep friction to a minimum, but the car's front bearings are part of the entire hub assembly. The hub assembly itself is more expensive that your typical bearing set, but replacing the front hub and bearing assembly on this model is more straightforward than replacing most front wheel bearing sets.
Loosen the front lug nuts on the front wheels with a ratchet and socket. Raise the front of the LS with a floor jack and slide jack stands under its subframe. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheels off the LS.
Remove the two caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket, and pull the caliper off its bracket. Hang the caliper from a nearby suspension component, using a bungee strap. Mark the brake pads with and “I” for the inner pad and an “O” for the outer pad with white marking paint. Pull the pads from the caliper bracket.
Unfasten the caliper bracket bolts with a ratchet and socket, and pull the caliper bracket from the steering knuckle. Pull the rotor off the hub. If the rotor is stuck, lightly tap it with a rubber mallet to free it.
Remove the three lowermost pin-style clips on the inner fender skirt, by prying the center pin from each clip with a flat-head screwdriver until the center pin stops moving, then pry each clip from the skirt with a flat-head screwdriver.
Push the skirt aside -- you do not need to completely remove it -- and trace the antilock brake system speed sensor wire upward until you find where it connects to the Lincoln’s ABS wiring harness. Press and hold the unlocking button on the ABS wiring harness and unplug the ABS speed sensor’s harness.
Pull the ABS speed sensor wire from all of its retaining clips in the front fender.
Remove the four wheel hub-to-steering knuckle bolts with a ratchet and socket, and pull the wheel hub from the steering knuckle. There is no need to remove the ABS speed sensor from the hub, as replacement hubs come with a new sensor. If the hub doe not pull out easily, spray a generous coating of a rust penetrating chemical on the rear of the hub and let it set for the time specified by the chemical’s instructions, then remove it. Never pry or hammer the hub out.
Clean the hub mounting area in the steering knuckle with parts cleaner and a wire brush, if needed, to create a smooth surface for the new hub.
Coat the rear part of the hub -- the part that seats inside the knuckle -- with a high-temperature anti-seize grease meeting Ford specification ESE-M12A4-A. Guide the ABS speed sensor cable through the hole in the spindle, then slide the new hub into the spindle, aligning the bolt holes in the hub with those in the spindle. Thread four new hub-retaining bolts into the hub. Tighten the hub-retaining bolts to 66 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.
Route the new ABS sensor wire upward into the fender, pressing it into its routing clips along the way. Plug the ABS speed sensor into the Lincoln’s ABS wiring harness.
Move the inner fender skirt into its correct position and insert the three pin-style clips to hold it in place. Press the center pins on the clips inward until they are flush with the top of the clip to lock the clips.
Set the rotor onto the new hub. Reinstall the caliper bracket and thread its retaining bolts by hand. Tighten the caliper bracket bolts to 76 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket. Slide the pads into the caliper bracket, using the “O” and “I” on each pad to aid in positioning the brake pads. Set the caliper on the bracket and thread its bolts by hand. Tighten the caliper bolts to 26 foot-pounds.
Repeat steps 2 through 12 to replace the hub on the other side of the LS.
Set the front wheels on the new front hubs and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the LS off the jack stands with a floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the LS to the ground slowly and tighten the lug nuts, in a crisscross pattern, to 100 foot-pounds.
