Rear Knuckle Alignment Link: Service and Repair

Knuckle Replacement

Special Tools Required
Ball joint remover, 28 mm 07MAC-SL00200

1. Remove the hub bearing unit.





2. Remove the lock pin (A) from the upper arm ball joint, and remove the castle nut (B).
3. Disconnect the upper arm ball joint from the knuckle using the special tool.
4. Remove the wheel sensor from the brake backing plate. Do not disconnect the wheel sensor connector.





5. Remove the 8 mm flange bolts (A) and ABS sensor harness bracket from the knuckle.
6. Remove the damper mounting flange bolts (B) from the knuckle.





7. Remove the flange bolt and parking brake cable bracket (A) from the trailing arm (B).





8. Remove the self-locking nut (A) and flange bolts (B), and disconnect the trailing arm (C) and lower arm (D) from the knuckle.





9. Remove the self-locking nut (A) and flange bolts (B), and disconnect the leading arm (C) and control arm (D) from the knuckle.
10. Disconnect the parking brake cable from the parking brake assembly.





11. Remove the flange nuts (A), and remove the parking brake assembly from the knuckle.
12. Remove the knuckle.
13. Reinstall the knuckle in the reverse order of removal, and note these items:
^ Be careful not to damage the ball joint boot when connecting the upper arm to the knuckle.
^ First install all the suspension components and lightly tighten bolts and nuts, then place a jack under the knuckle, and raise the suspension to load the vehicle weight before fully tightening bolts and nuts to the specified torque values.
^ Torque the castle nut to the lower torque specification, then tighten it only far enough to align the slot with the clip hole. Do not align by loosening the castle nut.
^ Use a new lock pin on the castle nut.
^ Use a new spindle nut on reassembly.
^ Before installing the new spindle nut, apply a small amount of engine oil to the seating surface of the nut. After tightening, use a drift to stake the spindle nut shoulder against the driveshaft.
^ Tighten all the mounting hardware to the specified torque values.
^ Before installing the brake disc/drum, clean the mating surface of the hub and the inside of the brake disc/drum.
^ Use a new hub cap on reassembly.
^ Before installing the wheel, clean the mating surface of the brake disc/drum and the inside of the wheel.
^ Set the wheel alignment.