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Home >> Ford >> 2000 >> Contour SE, 2.5 L, Standard >> Repair and Diagnosis >> External Pages >> Different car >> Section 1162 (Wheels & Tires) >> Removal And Installation >> Wheel and Tire - Front >> Removal and Installation

Removal and Installation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer and 2005 Ford Explorer. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
  1. Remove the wheel cap.
  2. CAUTION: Do not use heat to loosen a seized wheel nut or damage to the wheel and wheel bearing can occur.
  3. With the weight of the vehicle on the wheels, loosen the wheel nuts.
  4. With the vehicle in NEUTRAL, position it on a hoist. For additional information, refer to JACKING AND LIFTING .
  5. Remove the wheel nuts.
  6. To install, reverse the removal procedure.
  7. WARNING: When installing a wheel and tire, make sure to remove any corrosion, dirt or foreign material present on the mounting surfaces of the wheel and brake disc. Installing a wheel without correct metal-to-metal contact at the mounting surfaces can cause the wheel nuts to loosen and the wheel to come off while the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of control.
  8. Clean the wheel mounting surfaces.
  9. WARNING: Retighten at 800 km (500 miles) after any wheel change or any time the wheel nuts are loosened. Failure to retighten the wheel nuts at the mileage specified could allow the wheels to come off while the vehicle is in motion, possibly causing loss of control.
    CAUTION: Failure to tighten the wheel nuts in a star pattern can result in high brake disc runout, which will speed up the development of brake roughness, shudder and vibration.
    Fig 1: Tightening Wheel Nuts
    G03944019Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  10. Tighten the wheel nuts to 135 Nm (100 lb-ft) in the sequence shown.