Replacing the front axle on your Ford Taurus requires the use of some special tools, like a hub remover or puller (if needed) and a torque wrench. Many auto parts stores have these tools available for rent. In addition, you must replace the hub, knuckle-to-strut pinch bolt and the ball joint retaining nuts with new ones. Obtain the correct hub-retaining nut torque for your particular Taurus model before proceeding. You may get this information from an auto parts store or dealer.
Remove the center wheel hub cap to gain access to the retainer nut, and loosen the nut. Take off the tire/wheel assembly, and remove the hub retainer nut and washer. If your car is equipped with an anti-lock sensor, look for the sensor harness on the back of the wheel/hub assembly, and remove it from the clip. This will let you move the sensor aside and out of the way.
Remove the components that will let you take off the axle. First, unfasten the lower ball joint nut at the knuckle--but do not remove it yet--and the pinch bolt securing the knuckle to the strut. The brake hose at the back of the brake caliper on your Taurus might be held to the back assembly with a bracket. Remove the bracket, and move the hose to the side. Now you can completely remove the retaining nut from the ball joint stud.
To properly swing the knuckle away from the axle, raise the knuckle about 1/2 inch, and secure it to the strut using a piece of wire. Support the axle to a suitable component using another piece of wire. This will help release the axle and keep the knuckle and axle from falling off once you disconnect them. Then use a ball joint separator to take the ball joint off the knuckle.
Now you are ready to separate the axle or half shaft from the knuckle. Most of the time you can manually pull the knuckle away from the axle shaft. However, if the shaft seems stuck, you will need a hub remover or wheel puller to release the shaft. Do not use a hammer to hit and free the shaft, or you may damage components attached to the shaft. With the knuckle released from the shaft, grab the axle with both hands and pull it free from the transaxle, or use a slide hammer puller to release it.
Lubricate the seal where the axle mounts on the differential with Ford Synthetic Mercon Multi-Purpose Automatic Transmission Fluid E6AZ-19582-B or a similar fluid that meets Ford specifications.
Align the splines on the inner side of the axle shaft with the differential side, and push the shaft inward until the circlip at the end of the shaft seats in place. Insert the outer side of the shaft in the knuckle/hub assembly. Install and tighten the old hub retainer nut to help seat the hub completely on the shaft. Then remove the old nut and start the new one by hand--but do not tighten it yet.
Install the lower ball joint on the knuckle, and tighten the retaining nut. Then remove the wire from the knuckle and strut, and install the strut pinch bolt. At this point you can install the brake hose bracket, anti-lock brake sensor and tire/wheel assembly. To tighten the hub retainer nut, ask a helper to rotate the wheel as you torque the nut using a torque wrench. This will help the nut to lock correctly on the axle.
