Sometimes you may strip a wheel stud when you change the tire on your Ford Explorer. If this happens, you need to replace the wheel stud as soon as possible. You need the right tools and some knowledge about the brakes in order to complete the task. If you aren't experienced, make sure you make a diagram as you remove the parts.
Buy a new stud. Get the same size stud that's already on the vehicle. Take it off and take it with you when you purchase a new stud if you're not sure of the size.
Look under the carpeted floor in the cargo area. The jack is behind the rear seat in that area under the floor lid. You need to raise the SUV when you replace the wheel stud for a Ford Explorer. Be sure to block the diagonal wheel before you use the jack.
Jack up the SUV and take out some of the brake fluid to avoid overflow. Remove the caliper and rotor. Use support to protect the line rather than letting it dangle. If the rear brakes are drums, take off the drum. You may need to disconnect the emergency brake cable in the rear.
Locate an area behind the hub that you gives enough clearance to drive the stud out and allows you to put a new one back in with ease. If there's no way to do it, take off the hub and put it in a vise.
Smack the stud with a mallet. Drive the stud out the back. Remove it and replace it with a new one. Push the new stud through until enough threads show to put a wheel bolt on it.
Put a wheel bolt onto the end of the stud that comes out of the opening toward you. Make sure the slanted edges face you. Tighten these down and, as you do, notice how they pull the stud through the hole. Keep tightening and adding more bolts until the stud seats flat against the hub in the back.
Take off the bolts and put all the parts back on in reverse order that you took off to replace the stud on your Ford Explorer. Make sure you add more brake fluid and bleed the brakes before you finish.
