I didn't realize people were breaking the stud with the ball on it. It's not a high torque fastener, but I suppose anything is possible. My following question was going to be about the fastener on the right, the one with the new washer on it. I was wondering if you were able to completely remove the stud. The reason I ask is because when I attempted to remove mine, it reached a point when there was some friction and felt like it's wasn't suppose to be taken out. It also makes awful sounding squeaks, so I just screwed it back in. Looking at Ford microfiche it looks like it should just come out, but I don't want to force it. So... I thought since you may have replaced yours that you may have some insight that I'm missing on how to remove that stud.