The Ford Explorer is equipped with rear suspension leaf springs that are easy to remove with little more than safety stands and a wrench. If your Ford Explorer has an Automatic Ride Control system, make sure to turn the ARC service switch off before raising the vehicle.
Raise your Ford Explorer and support it by the frame with jack stands. The rear axle must be hanging free and the tires still touching the ground. Then unbolt the nuts from the spring U-bolts and remove the U-bolts and the U-bolt plate.
Remove the spring to bracket nut and bolt in front of the spring and the upper and lower rear shackle nuts and bolts, then pull the leaf spring and shackle out of the rear shackle bracket.
Place a new spring in the rear shackle and install the upper shackle spring bolt and nut, bolt head faced outward. Install front end of the spring and fasten the bolt and nut in the front spring bracket, then place the rear shackle (attached to the spring) into the rear shackle bracket and bolt it in place. Fasten the bracket nuts loosely, and loosely attach the U-bolts and U-bolt plate, too.
Position the spring on top of the axle; the spring tie bolt will center on a hole in the spring seat. Lower your vehicle and, only after lowering it, tighten the U-bolt nuts to 65-75 foot pounds, the front spring bolt to 75-115 foot pounds, and the rear shackle nuts and bolts to 75-115 foot pounds of torque.
