FREE REPAIR MANUALS & LABOR GUIDES 1982-2013 Vehicles
Courtesy of Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

Front

NOTE: Before proceeding, review SERVICE WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS.

REMOVAL
1. Loosen wheel nuts.
2. Raise vehicle on jack stands or centered on a frame contact type hoist.
3. Remove the wheel and tire from the location on front of vehicle requiring shock removal.
4. If both shock assemblies are removed, mark the shock assemblies right and left according to which side of the vehicle they were removed from.





5. Remove the wheel speed sensor cable routing bracket from the steering knuckle.





6. Remove the cotter pin and castle nut from the upper ball joint stud.





7. Remove the upper ball joint stud from the steering knuckle using Puller, Special Tool, C-3894-A. Pull steering knuckle outward and position toward the rear of the front wheel opening.





8. Remove pinch bolt attaching shock absorber clevis to shock absorber.





9. Remove the nut and thru-bolt attaching the shock absorber clevis to the lower control arm.
10. Remove the clevis from the shock absorber by carefully tapping the clevis off the shock absorber using a soft (brass) drift.

Shock Assembly Attachment To Shock Tower:





11. Remove the 4 bolts attaching the shock absorber/upper control arm mounting bracket to the shock tower of the vehicle.
12. Remove the shock assembly from the vehicle. The shock assembly is removed out through the front area of the front wheel well.
13. For disassembly and assembly of the shock assembly, refer to OVERHAUL.

INSTALLATION

Shock Assembly Attachment To Shock Tower:





1. Install the shock assembly, with the clevis removed, into shock tower. Aligning the 2 locating pins and the 4 mounting holes on the upper control arm shock absorber mount with the 4 holes in shock tower. Install the 4 upper control arm mount to shock tower mounting bolts. Tighten the 4 bolts to a torque of 95 Nm (70 ft. lbs.).

Clevis Correctly Installed On Shock Absorber:





2. Install the clevis on the shock absorber. Clevis is installed by tapping it onto the fluid reservoir of the shock absorber using a soft (brass) drift until fully seated against locating tab on shock absorber. Orientation tab on locating tab must be positioned in the split of the clevis.





3. Install the pinch bolt retaining the shock clevis to the shock absorber. Tighten the pinch bolt to a torque of 88 Nm (65 ft. lbs.)





4. Install the clevis bracket to lower control arm thru-bolt. Do not tighten or torque the thru-bolt at this time.





5. Install upper ball joint into steering knuckle. Install castle nut on ball joint stud. Tighten castle nut to a torque of 54 Nm (40 ft. lbs.). Install cotter pin in stud of ball joint.





6. Install the routing bracket for the speed control cable on the steering knuckle. Install and securely tighten the routing bracket attaching bolt.





CAUTION: When supporting lower control arm with jack stand, do not position jack stand under the ball joint cap on the lower control arm. Position in area of lower control arm shown.

7. Lower vehicle to the ground with a jack stand positioned under the lower control arm. Continue to lower vehicle so the total weight of the vehicle is supported by the jack stand and lower control arm.
8. Tighten the shock absorber clevis to lower control arm bushing thru-bolt nut to a torque of 88 Nm (65 ft. lbs.).
9. Tighten the wheel mounting stud nuts in proper sequence until all nuts are torqued to half specification. Then repeat the tightening sequence to the full specified torque of 135 Nm (100 ft. lbs.).