B
SUSPENSION AND S
FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Read all of SAFETY and this section before attempting any procedure. Pay particular attention to Notices, Cautions, Warnings and Dangers.
91
Repair and Service Manual
653045
To avoid damage to the aluminum
rack and pinion unit, secure unit in
vice by the mounting ears only.
To access the pinion seal, remove the rack and pinion
unit from the vehicle. See Rack and Pinion Unit Replace-
ment. Anchor in a vice by clamping on the mounting ears
of the rack and pinion unit.
Slide a small straight blade screwdriver between lip of
seal and pinion and pry top portion of seal up to remove
Figure 18 Pinion Seal Replacement
Use the screwdriver to lift the inner portion of the seal up
and off the pinion.
Check the pinion surface for roughness, and sand lightly
if needed.
NOTICE: Wipe bore clean and lubricate pinion and
lip of seal with grease. The bore has a positive stop
to correctly locate the seal during installation.
Place the seal over the pinion and tap carefully with
socket and hammer to start the seal straight in the bore.
Drive the seal fully into the bore until it stops, Wipe clean
of any excess grease.
Attach the rack and pinion unit to the front axle. See Rack
Spindle Replacement
Tool List
Quantity
Needle Nose Pliers...................................................... 1
Wrench, 11/16” ............................................................ 1
Ball Joint Separator ..................................................... 1
Plastic Faced Hammer ................................................ 1
Wrench, 3/4”................................................................ 1
Socket, 3/4” ................................................................. 1
Socket, 11/16” ............................................................. 1
Torque Wrench, ft. lbs. ................................................ 1
The spindle bearings are designed
to be used “dry”. Lubrication
attracts dirt and will ruin the bearings. Do not apply
grease to the spindle bearings.
Loosen the front wheel lug nuts. Lift and support the front
of the vehicle per the SAFETY section. Remove the lug
nuts and the front wheel.
To remove the tie rod, loosen the lock nut (2) until the tie
rod ball joint (3) threads are protected (Figure 19). Using
a ball joint separator as a lever, apply pressure to the ball
joint and tap nut with plastic faced hammer to release tie
rod from spindle arm (4). Remove the nut from the tie rod
and the tie rod from the spindle arm.
Remove the lock nut (5) and washer (7) from the bolt (6).
Discard the nut. Pull the bolt (6) and washer (8) from the
spindle and separate the spindle from the axle. Remove
the thrust washer (9) and king pin tube (10) from the spin-
dle.
Install the spindle in the reverse order of removal.
Figure 19 Spindle Replacement
NOTICE: The thrust washer (9) is located on top of
the spindle between the spindle and the front axle.
Tighten the new lock nut (2, 5) to the torque value speci-
fied below. Check that the spindle turns freely on the king
pin tube after tightening.
Install the front wheels per the WHEELS AND TIRES sec-
tion. Lower the vehicle per the SAFETY section.
Check the front wheel alignment and adjust if necessary.
Lip of
Seal
Item
Torque Specification
2
35 - 50 ft. lbs. (47 - 68 Nm)
5
56 - 70 ft. lbs. (76 - 95 Nm)
Front of Vehicle
8
6
3
5
7
2
10
9
4
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