06mustangman

Is there any bolts or nuts that need to be replaced? I read that some of the bolts and or nuts were only a one time use only. I plan on doing the job myself and was just wanting some info if anyone has done the job themself or has had the dealer do it. I would imagine it would be a good idea to use loctite as well.

Jackies Stang

Thanks bascho.... had every intention on going down to the dealership today but was rainy and didnt feel like getting all my paper work wet! lol Sometime this week it will happen! I will keep you all posted! Thanks again to northy wolfy richmond!

Jackies Stang

I was thinking after the last post.......Just for kicks, i should print out everypost on this thread and go into the service dept and drop a huge stack of papers on the desk and when they ask me how they can help me..... i will ask them to read every post and see if they know why i am here! lol God only knows it has taken me hours to read every post! Maybe go on my day off and buy everyone coffee and sit there and watch everyone read the posts! Oh i am soooooo tempted!

tommyboy45

I did the job myself and it took about 2-3 hours between breaks and beverages. Make sure you get all of the torque specs for the different nuts and bolts. You will need a "crows foot" wrench to torque the sway bar end link nut to the strut. Also you need a strut spring compressor and BE CAREFUL!!

Here is what I purchased before I started:
2 new strut mounts (brackets with new part number)
nuts that go on top of each bracket (8 total)
bolts for the strut to spindle (4 total)
nuts (with wings) for the strut to spindle bolts (4 total)
nuts for the sway bar to strut end links (2 total)
nuts for the top of the struts (2 total)
spring isolators (since I am taking it apart, I only want to do it once) (2 total)

Take a look at the old TSB 05-9-11 and it is geared toward adding the isolators on '05s that did not have them,but it discusses replacing bolts and nuts, part numbers (old strut bracket number) and it states in the note section that there is no need for an alignment after performing this change.

I like working on my own car, taking my time and know exactly how it was done, with NO added scratches/dents on my car! I know I should have had it done under warranty but my luck with dealers lately has been just horrible. If you have worked on cars in the past it is not too bad since the existing bolts and nuts on the car are not rusty.

When you put the strut mounts back in the car, tighten the nuts down and you can see where the old nuts put marks in the paint on top of the strut tower. Line the nuts up with the existing marks (covers them up) and it will be back just the way it was taken apart. An extra pair hands helps with this work. Taco Bill has a great pictoral write up of changing out springs and strut mounts: https://mustangforums.com/m_3070963/tm.htm Make sure that you use jack stands before getting under the car and that the car is stable on the stands.

The job is done and it is quiet as can be, drives great and I am having a blast driving it now that the thunk is gone! Thanks to everyone here.

Good luck to everyone on getting your car fixed under warranty or doing it yourself. Just get it done and enjoy your car.

nh3

tommyboy, would you happen to have the torque specs?

tommyboy45

Sure. I will post them later today.

Silencer06

Chalk me up as another satisfied customer with a success story. As I said in a previous post, with help from some of the posts I copied from this thread and brought with me to the local dealership,I persuaded them toorder the parts neededto correct the clunkingand I had my repair appointment yesterday. So far I've driven the car approximately 50-60 miles since I picked her up, and so far, ALL IS QUIET except for the beautiful sound of my exhaust and road noise from my tires. As some other guys have said, WOW -- this fix really works!!!

If I didn't get the point across strongly enough in my previous post of praise, again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the many guys and gals who have participated in this thread since it's origination. Seems to me that the emphasis Mustang owners like YOU AND MEplaced on this problem helped contribute to the fix, and I can't help but think this thread played a part in that. Again, many thanks to all, especially Bascho andWolfey for their persistence and continual support (and I know there were others but I'm not going back through all these pages to find the names :-D).

nh3

Thanks. On a side note when I ordered my parts the strut shaft nuts and4 lower mounting nuts/bolts are not available as individual items. They are only available with the strut. The sway bar end link nut are sold in a package of 4 though.

06mustangman

Thanks tommyboy45. I was going to order all new nuts and bolts but I just wanted to hear from someone else who had done the job. By the way what exactly is a "crows foot". Thanks again.

tommyboy45

These torque specs are from the Ford Mustang Service Manual for the 2006 Mustang
26 ft-lbs - nuts that go on top of each strut mount (bracket)
148 ft-lbs - bolts/wing nutsfor the strut to spindle
85 ft-lbs - nuts for the sway bar to strut end links
59 ft-lbs - nuts for the top of the strut
15 ft-lbs - brake line bracket bolt to the strut

Make sure you follow the instructions in the Ford Service manual for the sequence of disassembly and reassembly, and the safety precautions. Those springs are under pressure and dangerous. By all means get it done under warrenty or by a professional if you don't feel comfortable with doing it yourself or don't have all of the right tools. I do this stuff all the time so I have all the required tools.

A crows foot wrench looks like an open ended wrench sectionthat has been cut off from the rest of the wrench. It has a square hole that a 3/8" ratchet or torque wrench can be inserted into. It allows you to torque the end link nuts while holding the bolt shaft with another wrench so it does not turn. That nut was the hardest to get torqued correctly.